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The Most Fun You Can Have with Your Clothes On!

by Lynn Fraser

I read an article this morning entitled, “The Most Fun You Can Have with Your Clothes ON!” That caught my attention!

The company claimed that its service saved marriages, was fun and invigorating, was a great form of exercise along with music and made you HAPPY.

Can you guess what they’re talking about? I couldn’t.

Pole dancing. All of those benefits?

It got me thinking. What could I do that provides similar or even MORE benefits?

Poles and piles.

When I want to save my marriage (well maybe just for this week), do something invigorating, move to music while exercising and feel HAPPY, I clear a pile of paper clutter.
I’m not kidding you! Scouts honor.

Imagine your pile of clutter is the pole. Are you slithering up or sliding down it? Have you lost your grip? Or fallen off completely!

How would you like to be dancing on the pole (or the pile), having fun and feeling in control? Defeating that dreaded paper pile on your kitchen table or desk can make you literally dance over your new found freedom! And it takes a matter of minutes!

Top 10 Tips to Take Control of the Poles (I mean, Piles) in your Life

1. Groove to some music while you’re tackling that pole (Oops, I mean pile).
2. Get out your supplies. Line a garbage bin with a recycle (blue) bag so you can toss envelopes and paper in as you go. Plug your shredder in and put a kitchen catcher in it. Now it’s ready to shred any papers with your personal ID on them. One caution: Check the Duty Cycle for your machine. Mine is 2 minutes on and 5 minutes off. I already burned out one shredder by overusing it!
3. Set a timer so you know when this task begins and, most importantly, when it ends! 15 minutes is a good chunk of time to start with. Reset timer as needed.
4. Quickly sort papers into 3 piles. To Keep. To Decide On. To Throw Out. Do the latter pile as you go. After all, you’ve got your recycle bag and shredder right there! Bag and toss by the door. Pat yourself on the back. You’re making great progress up that pole (er, pile).

5. Take your two piles, To Keep, To Decide On and whittle them down to one pile. Psychology professor, Dr. Vic Parliament said, “By disposing of things, you create a sense of freedom and the space to create other memories. Nature sheds its skin. We need to do the same thing.”
6. In your final pile, assign everything to one of 3 categories:
a. To file.
b. To act on.
c. To scan through and decide whether it’s an a. or b. Go through this pile and give everything its final assignment.

7. Now you’re ready to set up your filing system. If you use binders, find or buy binders, plastic page protectors and dividers. For file cabinets you need file folders and a black marker. If you’re just starting your filing system, you’ll need to set aside more time (and a budget) here. It’s worth it! Having an efficient system will save you time and money immediately.
8. For the binder system, pop items from your “To file” pile into plastic page protectors and label dividers with your different categories. For the file cabinet, slide papers into file folders and label & organize either alphabetically or numerically. Put the items “To act on” in your To Do file and on your To Do list to take care of within the next 7 days.
9. Take out the recycle bags and bags of shredded paper. If you don’t have office or home pick-up of recycling, collect bags of paper and take to a recycling depot or roofing tile company. (Phone first to check what they accept and hours.) Shredded paper goes in with your regular garbage as it helps with composting household garbage.
10. Dust off your table or desk and ENJOY the SPACE YOU’VE MADE!

The Power of “Pile Dancing”

One thing you know for sure – you can concentrate better in an organized space. Organized surroundings = organized mind. So how about a little “pile dancing” this week? Apply the “Top 10 Tips to Take Control of the Piles in your Life” to one of your dreaded paper piles and experience the freedom and control of dancing on the pile. You will focus better at a clean desk, improving your productivity. Plus, you and your family will benefit from a clear kitchen table. Children of families who eat together more often have higher grades, less obesity and substance abuse. Plus, everyone’s stress plummets! Increase your productivity, have fun, feel in control and save your marriage and your family from numerous ills? You can’t beat that! Not even with pole dancing.

About the author: Work-life balance expert, Lynn Fraser of families are worth it!, coaches you to streamline the small stuff and pare down your life, so you can be doing what you REALLY want to do(from yoga to yachting) with the people you LOVE to be with. Visit her website at www.familiesareworthit.com.

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