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Are you a "Filer" or a "Piler"



We all have a tendency to put items in certain places. Without thinking, we will either stack things (Pile) or stuff them away (File). It doesn't matter which tendency you have as long as you can find what you want later.

I, myself, am a Filer. I can't stand to have things all over my desk, countertops, coffee table etc. This has been a problem in the past when I got a little too creative in my filing. For years, now, I have been trying to create ways to keep track of items I will need to save so they can be found later.

I am married to a Piler. He likes stacks of books on his bedside table, piles of papers on his desk, and layers of clothes on the bedroom chair. It makes me furious chuckle to see his piles.

Anywho, as a filer, here's what I do. I MUST HAVE A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING. In order for that to happen I must be proactive. My favorite way to file something is to make a binder. I have binders for medical records, use and care manuals, recipes, address/phone numbers, decorating ideas, and so on. In the future, I'll post about these different binders.

When my children were young, I had a small file box on my kitchen counter to house all of their school paperwork. At one time my three children were in three different schools, so it was mandatory for me to stay on top of all of the different school activities. Each child had their own file, plus extra files for church, invitations, appointments, etc.

To help my husband's piles from falling over or taking over, I try to remind him to go through his piles occasionally. For him, if I put his things away, it is "out of sight-out of mind". Seriously, he will not think about any items that are not front and center. Since I know how his brain works (and he IS brilliant), I just try to limit WHERE his piles are. If he stacks papers on the coffee table, I put them on his desk. As long as they are out in plain view, he will see them. I learned a long time ago to not try to change one's spouse.
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Comments

  1. Sheri O.July 29, 2009 at 10:09 PM

    Ugh! I am a piler, a piler, a piler, but I wish I wasn't! I wish I was one of those born organized people who can file something and find it 10 years later! That is so not me!

    And I have figured out that I cannot change myself or my spouse!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tidy Brown WrenJuly 30, 2009 at 6:38 AM

    Being a piler isn't bad. Just be sure to set up a system to find what you need.

    ReplyDelete
  3. BonitaAugust 6, 2009 at 9:49 PM

    I'm your husband in a female body. If it's not in my line of sight it's not in my mind. I do use notebooks some, but I wish, wish, wish I had someone like you who could come set up an organized system for me. Not that things would stay that way or anything, but it's a nice thought.

    My daughter says we need to simply turn one entire wall of my office into a place for colorful sticky notes that remind me where I've filed the things I'd ordinarily keep in piles. For some reason, I actually read and listen to my sticky notes. Only, they have a tendency to invade my whole computer/desk area cuz of that out of sight, out of mind thing.

    ReplyDelete

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