Papers are the bane of my existence it is also largely out of my jurisdiction. Sam handles the paperwork almost exclusively. Paperwork has been the source of many disagreements and even some tears so not an area I was looking forward to. Marie’s 2 folder system doesn’t strike me as realistic. Sweden is very bureaucratic meaning that there are A LOT of complicated forms to fill out and that information one could never in their wildest dreams think to remember or save somehow becomes necessary at the most inopportune moments. Even considering how much is online now there is still a lot of paper and my cleaning job is stuck in the 1980s. Sam is extra cautious about saving paperwork because neither one of us want to go through the bureaucratic nightmare of recovering a document we needed after all. Sam subscribes to an out of sight, out of mind philosophy that in the past has been a little extreme. Paperwork must be an eyesore. Sam kept our to do paperwork (along with junk mail) in various messy piles around the house. The biggest was on the sofa. The save pile went into a drawer in a heap. He would often ask me to locate individual documents in this mess. I was never to touch the papers but needed to be aware of the contents and location. I failed miserably and even on occasion threw things away when they’d cross my path during cleaning totally oblivious. Moreover Isadora found her way to the paperwork and did what toddlers invariably do when faced with a new canvas. Eventually I decided to organize the saved papers so I could locate them on request. I can’t remember when I told Sam my plans but since he bought folders I must have explained and allayed his fears at some point in the actual process. Anyhow I painstakingly went through that crumpled heap, my Swedish at that time was mediocre at best, and put them into labeled folders. I didn’t throw anything away without consent. Still his to be dealt with piles remained, literal eggshells all over the place. I tried designating areas, using clear folders, anything to keep from accidentally throwing them away or damaging them but my ideas made the piles too pretty, too out of the way. Last year after 8 or 9 years of paperwork he finally agreed to keep them in ugly, clear plastic trays. He also agreed, after we bought our new sofa, that they could go on the coffee table instead of occupying a sizable portion of the sofa. I also asked if Isadora and I might have individual trays just so we wouldn’t have to dig through his paperwork each time we needed something from our own. Sam still has 3 separate piles kitchen counter, coffee table, desk, but a lot less has been accidentally and/or ignorantly tossed or destroyed. He goes through his to do piles mostly at his discretion and he gives me stuff to file away. I only do a tiny amount of paperwork, usually with assistance. I did, however, do a little tidying of my paperwork but obviously nothing of Sams which is the majority. Isadora really only keeps track of school events.
Magazines and catalogs
Magazines and catalogs. Isadora got rid of loads of her magazines and old comics. Sam and I never had much to begin with but we did get rid of all of our catalogs. We now basically just have some fitness magazine I received as a gift that I am still reading. I am very slow at such things sadly.
Manuals
Sam actually reads them, sometimes I dare in his leisure time! He was able to get rid of several, those available online and those he can just fix without assistance aka most computer-type things. We have some pretty old appliances of off brands though that came with the house that we haven’t been able to update yet so not everything is online. When things aren’t working right though he honestly does use them as he is the sort to repair things when they break so I did have to laugh when Marie Kondo said people never read those. Most people I reckon never do but Sam is crazy curious about everything! We keep manuals with the object instead digging about through a drawer.
Notebooks and stationary thc.
Pictures
Okay so Sam’s kitchen pile. His stuff is on top, mine is on the bottom, Izzy is in the middle. He has the same thing on the coffee table but it’s 2 levels.
So this the main paperwork drawer. We don’t have a fancy filing cabinet. It’s stacked because these folders are too limp to stand. I moved the clunky folder.
These are folders that can’t be pruned or tossed such as marriage certificates, immigration, Sam’s isotaxicab geometry paperwork (he invented some kind of math based on this), my book manuscript, and soon the clunky house folder. To answer your question no I simply do not know what Sam sat on top but am under strict instructions not to move it.
So all those catalogs were purged along with the contents of a second drawer. I will quite possibly use one for empty notebooks.
Sam’s desk has paperwork too but that is his space.
mindlovemisery 