Went to work in serviceable jeans, ready to dig into files and boxes.
It's amazing how many useless bits of paper I can keep, thinking that maybe it will be needed or maybe someone will ask for info that only these useless bits of paper have. But most of the papers were of courses that had already been completed. Imagine having to print a one-page invitation letter for every teacher you invite to a course. So if you plan to have fifty of them, that would mean fifty letters to be faxed. After faxing the letter, the clerk would dutifully stamp the date of faxing on each letter which would be my proof of 'posting'. So if I have ten courses in a year, that would mean 500 pieces of paper. That wouldn't include the fax cover page and the extra copies of printed notes and stuff like that.
And that's how my paper garden grows every year.
So today.. well, actually YESTERDAY, I was extra ruthless - one copy of a letter for each course + name list and the rest went into the recycle bin. Yes we have a recycle bin in the shape of a discarded box top. Once it's full, the box top owner would tie up the papers and somehow make them disappear. As for the extra copies of notes... dump dump dump. Next year would always mean new updated upgraded shinybright notes. No matter how you try to reduce the paper and depend on Powerpoint slides, people still prefer paper to handle and scribble on.
Later in the morning, I will be going back to the office and I vow to demolish at least two boxes worth of paper. Minimum!
It's amazing how many useless bits of paper I can keep, thinking that maybe it will be needed or maybe someone will ask for info that only these useless bits of paper have. But most of the papers were of courses that had already been completed. Imagine having to print a one-page invitation letter for every teacher you invite to a course. So if you plan to have fifty of them, that would mean fifty letters to be faxed. After faxing the letter, the clerk would dutifully stamp the date of faxing on each letter which would be my proof of 'posting'. So if I have ten courses in a year, that would mean 500 pieces of paper. That wouldn't include the fax cover page and the extra copies of printed notes and stuff like that.
And that's how my paper garden grows every year.
So today.. well, actually YESTERDAY, I was extra ruthless - one copy of a letter for each course + name list and the rest went into the recycle bin. Yes we have a recycle bin in the shape of a discarded box top. Once it's full, the box top owner would tie up the papers and somehow make them disappear. As for the extra copies of notes... dump dump dump. Next year would always mean new updated upgraded shinybright notes. No matter how you try to reduce the paper and depend on Powerpoint slides, people still prefer paper to handle and scribble on.
Later in the morning, I will be going back to the office and I vow to demolish at least two boxes worth of paper. Minimum!
Comments