Before:
After:
The small pile on the right is "stuff I think I need to keep, but don't have a place to file yet", with the Magical Housekeeping book next to it.
Same ritual, this time with chicken broth spiked with salt, pepper, cayenne, chili powder, and a splash of lime juice.
Worked for a solid two hours.
Three full trash bags, including the shredding.
Notable event: when the shredder overheated, I didn't say, "Oh, well," and stop for the day. I said, "Okay, shredder needs a break, on to Plan B" and kept sorting stuff into the trash or into keep and shred piles.
Crossposted to http://flylady.livejournal.com/1019636.html