What’s on the iPod: Blunderbuss by Jack White
Yesterday was one of those days where I thought I’d have plenty of time to get one thing done, but of course didn’t. I started with interviews — had to get through them so I could get the article finished. But husband was home with his own case of poison ivy and some inflammation. Then a press release project came in. Then a question on a finished project. Then communication with another client.
Today. By God, today that article is getting done.
I organize my days, my time, and my work space well. What I don’t do is organize my piles around the house. Where once I was a fanatic about housecleaning and everything being in its place, I’m now prone to dropping things and thinking “I’ll sort that later.” An example: the beach bag is sitting in the foyer and has been there for two weeks. Why? Because I don’t know where to put it. It has sunblock in it, which I use constantly, and if it goes upstairs I’ll be running up all the time for it. If it stays downstairs, at least I’ll know where it is (because I’m tripping over it).
Don’t say the obvious — take the sunblock out of the bag and put the bag away. I know. I just haven’t. Yet. Again, I might decide to head off to the shore and I can see myself getting there and having to buy yet another bottle of sunblock (we’re up to about six now) because I left the bottle by the back door.
I know I won’t do that. But I don’t want to think about it. Bigger fish to fry and all that.
I’m reminded of this because as I headed to the study this morning, my husband stopped me three times (and it’s not that far of a walk) to ask where this was going, where that belonged, and why didn’t I put this in the basement? He’s afflicted with what we call “Saturday Mode” — every weekend, he sorts through piles and cleans off surfaces.
My piles. Everyone else’s surfaces. His? Cluttered as hell.
I’d laugh, but I’m the same way. I don’t see my own chaos. I see the chaos of others. It’s just easier, isn’t it? I can’t find the answering machine in the kitchen because his stack of “must have” papers and sale ads (one I know is from November) blocks it. I have to move another pile from the window ledge when I water plants. He has to move my cell phone charger every morning so the toaster doesn’t burn through the cord.
We are organized – just not about our own messes.
So in true behavior-modification style, I’m setting a goal for myself; I’m going to deal with my clutter and avoid Saturday Mode as much as possible. This applies to my work space and my schedule, too.
Touch it once. Those papers that come in, those salesy things that catch my eye, or that statement I have to save. Instead of setting it on the counter next to the toaster (and thus losing my cell phone in the pile), I’m going to make a decision on those papers and act on them. Immediately. If it needs to be filed, I’m not going to bring it into the study and fling it on my desk. I’m putting it away. Or I’m going to….
Use the chair. It’s one of the things I picked up from working in an office. If we wanted someone to see something and they weren’t in their office when we dropped by, we’d put it on their chair. I use it around here for everyone. Everyone’s mail is “delivered” to their chairs. Works beautifully. Well, until they pile the mail on the table. But if I have a paper that can’t be filed but must be further dealt with (like a tax bill that I have to pay online), I put it on my desk chair. In the morning, I will deal with it — well, unless I toss it on the desk and panic a week later when it’s not paid. But no. This is about how I’m going to stop doing that.
Allot five minutes for organizing. Even that may be too much time, but if I designate a certain five minutes every day (and I know me — I’m going to have to put it on Outlook Calendar to remember) to just organizing one pile or a few items, I’ll be in much better shape.
Stay the course. He makes fun of me because when I get going in one direction or on one project, there’s no diverting me. But in true Aquarius-rising fashion, I contradict that behavior when I’m working. I’m easily distracted by new requests, by emails, by the mail truck passing….. I need to stay on task. Pretend someone is trying to get me to stop what I’m doing to help clean something. That ought to motivate me.
So how organized are you? And why do you think other people’s messes bother us more than our own?
I go in spurts. I hit a point where I can't stand it and everything stops until I reorganize.
On the 4th of July, I went mad over the refrigerator and sat on the floor pitching out the old and reorganizing the shelves. I spent one too many times trying to jam something in there that I couldn't stand it. Plus, we'd run out of Tupperware. 🙂 The problem of just two people and a Mom who tends to still cook like all 7 kids & Dad are at home. 🙂
I do the same with my office. I hit a point where the paper gets to me and I reorganize and file away finished projects, etc.
Why is it that other people's messes bother us more? They say the thing you hate most about another person's bad habits are the ones that you hate about your own. Just sayin' 🙂
If it's too pristine, I stress. An empty desk, to me, is a sign of an empty mind! 😉
Re: sunblock. I buy it in packs from Costco. One stays in each bathroom, one is in the glove compartment, and one is in the tote bag/beach bag, which lives near the garage door, fully packed.
I keep several bags fully packed for different tasks, and they're lined up either in the office or near the garage, so all I have to do is add the current thing and pick it up.
I have wicker baskets at the top and bottom of each staircase. If something needs to go to a different floor, it's dropped in the basket, and then, when I actually have a serious reason to travel, basket goes with me, gets unloaded immediately, and is swapped with basket going in the other direction.
I do have lots of piles, and, periodically, I have to set a timer for a couple of hours and just sort. I know where everything is, but sometimes it gets in the way of other stuff. Keeping supplies and cabinets in arm's reach of the desk helps.
Cathy, there's something very cathartic about cleaning out fridge. 🙂 I'll confess something right now — I'm slowly reducing the piles of unused crap in three of our junk drawers. First off, NO ONE should have three junk drawers. That's hoarding behavior. Second, no one touches that stuff at ALL, so as I go by them, I reach in, grab something, and toss it out. I guarantee you no one will miss any of the three Koosh balls I unloaded, nor will they miss the scraps of thread that have collected dust bunnies.
That's the thing, Devon. I have so many damned bottles, yet the one I want in the yard on the chair and at the beach isn't the ones I have packed within easy reach. LOL I'm my own conundrum.
When I bought the convertible I bought two things immediately — a brush and a bottle of sunblock. Both are in the glove compartment and I use them all the time.
I'm also wanting a basket on the stairs, but these animals aren't trained very well — we'd be tripping over the overflow. So I don't give the opportunity for any more mess!
I am so relieved to hear I'm not the only one with piles. Along with my work-related piles, I have my knitting/crochet/crafty piles. They are organized chaos, but I also try to keep them from getting out of hand.
Right now I have a summer crochet project with two piles in the living room. No, I'm not entirely crazy, they're all small hexagons made of cotton yarn, so they're cool to work on. On pile is for yarn and in progress pieces, the other is a stack of finished hexagons. My goal is to make enough for a summer bedspread.
I also have the pool table pocket nets sitting on a portion of the dining room table. Too hot to work with wool now, so I could stash it away, but it is the room with the AC…
The project piles are easy to pop into tote bags and stick in the closet when guests are expected. The work piles stay in the office.
I like your tote bag idea, Paula. Might start using those for my genealogy!
What I want to know is how you knew I'd really enjoy this post today.
As of this morning my daughter, who I thought was staying with her brother tomorrow nite announced she's staying with me… and I haven't even started on the bath room yet!
I'm with Devon, a clean desk makes me crazy until I get some paper on it.
Anne, weekends stir up all sorts of cleaning guilt with me. I want to clean, but for the most part I couldn't be bothered. If you'd known me 20 years ago, you'd wonder what happened to that neat freak….
I like a desk that looks sorted. I cannot stand (and usually have) a pile where things get lost. Right now, I have two small piles of just a few papers, so I look like I'm actually busy. 🙂
Hilarious.