544. DESI GIRL OFFICE SUPPLY JUNKIE

Oh boy. These files are more complicated than I imagined. Silly me thought I could pile, reconcile and file. But I am at a loss of understanding because I don’t know much about Daniel or his clients or the other businesses he owned or why he has so many insurance policies. I also don’t know how he has avoided properly filing anything in five years. How does he find anything when he needs it?

Because he doesn’t have time between client and supplier meetings, Daniel is not able to educate me about what I am organizing. So I am going to have to teach myself about him, in order to support him. All of this has slowed me down and since I am a detail oriented, goal-driven individual, I am not sure how long it will take to straighten out these files. I am hoping that Daniel doesn’t ask me how it will take – because I don’t know. My best guess is months. But definitely, this exercise is the BEST way to learn about him, what he does and how I can better assist him.

I will admit, in this instance, I don’t mind not knowing how long this will take. I love to organize and file. I love bringing order to chaos. I love to feel papers in my hands, I love to sort through papers by date, oldest on the bottom, newest on the top and FIND what I was looking for. This is the one reason I wish I was stronger in my architecture skills when I was working for Town and Country. It was fun to look at his space and sleuth for different ways to re-design and enhance it. Similarly, I am an office supply junkie. I can do more damage at Staples than I can at in the shoe department in Bloomingdales. Colored paper, pens, Sharpies, notebooks, file folders in colors and prints, funky paper clips, scissors that cut squiggly lines. My list of addict-ables goes on!

When Daniel comes in he hangs his coat in the closet and surveys my desk, the floor surrounding me. I don’t know him well, but I know he is neat freak. So I am sure this mess makes his eye twitch. But he is also absent minded. We have already engaged in two full hunts for his keys that his misplaced.

“Desi Girl, I am going to need you to check my bank account balances every day, okay?” Daniel asks. Yes, okay, however I wonder two things. One, is he going to give me passcodes and account numbers in order for me to access his records? Surely I am not expected to know these things. Two, will he expect me to do math or accounting with the information? I hope not, both of these are outside of my skillset – I suck at math. Under no circumstance should anyone leave their small child or their finances in my inept hands.