Wanted: Organizational Skills

So what is it I realize as I'm going through file after file after file, only to file what's in the file into some sort of organized pile so I can make copies and turn it in to my attorney? (I really didn't try to rhyme that) I realize that I have ZERO, count them, ZERO organizational skills. And I desperately need them if I'm going to be successful at juggling a divorce, a baby, and soon enough, going back to work.

And I'm really excited about this. It'll be like cleaning my brain of the clutter if I can clean up the chaos around me. Right now I'm in survival mode. Nothing that I do to keep my life in order makes me feel like I've accomplished anything. It's just another thing I've survived until something else comes up. I can't wait for that feeling to fade from survival into success. I know it will, it's just going to take some time.

See, I have this issue of completely shutting down when I feel overwhelmed. It comes out as starting something but never finishing. Apparently, it's something that helped me get into this whole divorce situation in the first place. I figure if I didn't look around and see EVERYTHING that could ever possibly need to get done, I wouldn't feel so overwhelmed. I've discovered that my biggest problem with this organizational thing is that I feel like everything has to have a place. But what do you do when something NEW shows up on the counter? Something that has never been there before? Something that doesn't have a place? Right now - it sits there and stares at me day after day. Stresses me out, but never going anywhere because there's no where for it to go...sucks!

So my first goal in this journey of figuring myself out: GET ORGANIZED!
This includes:
1. Put all that stuff away in the first place.
2. Take the time to do it now, don't let it sit there.
3. If something doesn't have a place, make one.
4. Start at home, move it to work.
5. Keep up with it (this one is gonna be TOUGH).

I've started this to an extent already. All of my emails and such regarding this divorce are filed, and even those files are categorized. This afternoon, I'm hitting up Wal-mart and/or possibly Office Max to get some filing systems started. I'm going to do this as inexpensively as possible, but considering this is a necessary evil... Man I hope this works!