Survey #247—Full Response from Johanna
| Pronouns | She/her |
|---|---|
| Please select the statement that BEST describes your paper backlog. | Paper covers my house like snow, and I’ve totally lost control of the problem. |
| Please select the statement that BEST describes your ongoing relationship with incoming paper. | I tend to let mail and other papers pile up indefinitely. |
| Describe the types or categories of paper clutter that you find the most challenging to sort, purge, and organize. | E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G!!! Except for advertisements or coupons that have expired (my low hanging fruit). The worst is financial things. I have lost a lot of money because I did not take care of things on time and I have no overview about my expenses and therefor live in constant fear of not having enough money despite my very modest lifestyle. |
| Please complete one or more of the following statements: “I struggle with paper clutter because ___.” “I would have an easier time managing paper if only ___.” “The accumulation of paper in my home makes me feel ___.” | I struggle with paper clutter because my mom worked in an insurance office and always told me "I'll take care of (this form, statement, bill...), you don't know how to do it anyway" for as long as I can remember. When I moved out and got married, I couldn't even fill out a check and had extreme anxiety around any kind of paperwork. A few years later my husband and I were sewed for something we didn't do and I was able to prove that we were innocent with all the paper that I had kept because I didn't know what needed to be filed and what could be discarded. Now I still dread it and I always think in the back of my mind "What if I need this piece of paper to prove that...?" It's bizarre... I would have an easier time managing my paper if only I could accept the fact, that less than perfect is ok. I don't have to be able to find every piece of paper within seconds, I am allowed to struggle with filling out a form, I can ask for help if I need to write a letter... The accumulation of paper in my home makes me feel like a failure, lazy, disorganised, anxious, powerless, horrible. |
| Here’s your chance to ask Gayle and Ed any question you’re curious about. It need not be related to this survey’s topic(s). If we think that your question—and our answer—might be useful or instructive to The Clutter Fairy Weekly audience, we’ll share them in an upcoming episode. | No question, just a huge thank you! Knowing I'm not alone in this battle is a great comfort. |
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