Every so often, I like to take a little time out and sharpen my saw.

Is my system of organizing my paperwork effective? Am I still doing the things that give me pleasure? Are the goals I’ve identified in the past still my goals today?

Well, I’m really excited about all the projects I’m involved in. It’s so gratifying to know that people working together can make a difference. Helping work toward fixing a problem, rather than grousing about it, is much more rewarding and much less frustrating.

I love volunteering because it gets me out of the house, fills a place in my heart and, hopefully, in the long run, helps make life a little nicer for seniors.

I encourage everyone to get out into the community, find a project you feel passionate about and go for it.

The fact that volunteering is a good thing is attested to by David Rakel, M.D., who is director for the University of Wisconsin’s Integrative Medicine Program. “The more joy you feel, the healthier you’re likely to be,” he writes, adding, “Volunteering increases your happiness and health. There’s a sense of giving back or helping out, and the mood is elevated. That happiness, inspiration or feeling of connectedness seems to improve health.”

Works for me!

So, then to the question about whether organizing my files is working well. I’d have to offer a resounding “no.”

I try to be disciplined and strive to keep my paperwork in some semblance of order, because I truly do love my active lifestyle. But in all honesty my paperwork — not to mention my focus — is a mess.

To add to the problem, since I’m a very visual person, I need to have my files stacked in front of me, not in a neat filing cabinet.

Since I live in a condo, you can imagine the clutter.

I’m surrounded by stacks. A stack for the Napa County Commission on Aging. A stack for the Caregiver Permit Ordinance. Stacks for Leadership Napa Valley, the Paratransit Coordinating Council and the Elder Abuse Prevention Agency. A stack for article ideas for Senior Corner. You can see my problem.

In my stack labeled “get organized,” I pulled out an article from a January 2008 edition of the Register. (I save everything. Do you suppose that could be part of my problem?)

The article was written by Beth Pratt and she suggested the following:

• Throw away any piece of paper that you haven’t touched for a month. (Ouch, I certainly need to work on that one.)

• Set aside an hour or two every day to return e-mails, phone calls and to maintain your files.

• Learn to manage your time and set priorities.

Well, I definitely have a daunting task ahead of me. Seems like a good idea to divide and conquer!

Before I actually begin, I’ll visualize each stack, in order of priority, being transformed into individual notebooks, with well-defined and labeled indexes. The balance of papers in the stack either will be tossed or filed into an archive file.

I feel better already.

Now I’ll have to think of a nice treat for myself when I’ve finished — the old carrot-and-stick incentive. Maybe I’ll treat myself to a massage. I’ll probably need it by the time I’ve finished.

Of course, the long-run treat will be the day when I can reach into one of the notebooks and find just the information I’m looking for. Heaven!

So wish me luck. I promise that in two weeks, when we meet again, I’ll be a much calmer, less cranky friend.

Senior Corner appears every other Monday, alternating with Jim Ford’s Napa As It Was.