My husband has an office that doubles as a spare bedroom. Every holiday season, we have overnight company. To make room for them, I have to pick up papers from under the desk, the computer, the floor, etc. Last year, I carried 30 boxes of papers to the basement.

My husband hates to sort through all this. I have set up two file cabinets, bookshelves and a cubby with 24 slots. I'm trying to get him to work with me on the boxes in the basement so I won't throw out something important, but he balks at the idea. I've asked him to give me just one hour a day, but it is a struggle. He tries to show me where things are located, but all I see is chaos. － Buried in Paper

Dear Buried:

Your husband is a packrat, and the thought of going through his stuff is paralyzing, so you will have to do the lion's share of organizing. Set a time for his assistance and make it 15 minutes instead of an hour. Sort through some things in advance. Show him a pile of magazines and tell him to pick out what he wants because the rest goes. If your husband sees that he can accomplish something in those 15 minutes, he may be willing to do more.