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It's the new year and retail stores are frantically promoting things to help you get organized. Watch your local Target or Walmart. Everything that you need to organize, file, store and sort is on sale in the next couple of weeks. New year's resolutions to "get organized" are second only to "do something about my fat ass."
So I imagine many student leaders will come back a day or two early from holiday break, look at their messy office, desk or cube, and start craving a higher level of organization. We "Type A's" really get off on the idea of putting things in order. But, before you dump a bunch of cash into file cabinets, expandable files, and storage cubbies, I want to encourage you to take greater advantage of that "round file" that is emptied once a week for you.
Say "yes" to your trash can. Embrace it. Make it your friend.
In Student Affairs, we save too much crap. Do you really need to keep those award applications from three years ago? That stack of posters from the dance in 2004? How many evenings have you and your fellow officers spent popping popcorn, breaking open a couple bottles of wine, waxing romantic about the recruitment statistics from 2002? Yeah, none. Throw the crap out.
If it hasn't been touched in the last year, it's not going to be touched THIS year. Throw it out. If it's half broken, toss it out. If it's gathering dust, dump it. If it's sitting in some ancient unlabeled box at the bottom of a closet, it's not critical.
In my office, we have about 30 magazine holders. Someone at some point thought it would be a great way to organize something. I don't remember. All I know is that I have 30 clear, plastic, empty magazine holders clogging up the shelves of our store room. So, I threw the damn things out. "Can't we use these for something?" one of my staffers asked? "They're in perfect shape!"
I gave her 10 minutes to think of a use, and then I threw them out. It felt great. I love throwing crap away. I hate clutter.
Don't go rent a storage unit for your crap. Don't box it up and stack it in the corner. Throw it out. When you don't know what all the stuff in that drawer is, it's not important. Toss it.
If you're worried about pissing someone off -- like the historian or that officer that loves making scrapbooks -- give them a week to clear the stuff out before you start filling the dumpster. Maybe even set up a table with a sign that says, "If you want this, take it. Otherwise it's going in the trash in 3 days."
Toss it. Ditch it. Burn it. Recycle it. Shred it. Just get rid of it.
