Cluttered work space
I hired a professional organizer to help me get all my stuff under control. She is starting in my office area but will have to eventually continue into the rest of the house. I am thrilled and it feels so decadent! Normally, I’m not the type to spend money on something like this, but it is making me (and my husband) so very happy. Laughingly, I told her she was on retainer now. She doesn’t know it, but I am serious. While I feel like an episode of “Hoarders,” she assured me I don’t have that much stuff.
Our first session was only an hour long, but in that time she took a look in pertinent storage areas and then tackled my so-called office supply area of a closet. After pulling everything off the shelves, she put items in different stacks. Some went right out to the trash, some went into my car for donation, and just a little bit went back into the closet. She helped free me of a few articles of clothing hanging there with the comment, “If linen like that comes back in style, you can go buy a new skirt!” Ha Ha. Ouch. We finished the day with her admonition: “Don’t buy any more supplies.” I have an embarrassingly large number of paper folders and reams of paper on hand. Come by if you need folders of ANY color. Really. I’ve got plenty. It’s still hard to pass up those school deals in August. (and remember – I don’t have children at home anymore…)
Over the weekend I cleaned out 3 file drawers and threw out thousands of pieces of paper from the last 20 years. Smile and nod if you can relate. That was my homework before she comes again on Thursday. The sense of accomplishment is really a natural high. I’ve got a silly little grin on my face and am feeling really self-righteous about the whole thing. Having heard that less is more, now I am experiencing it. By tossing tons of junk, all those things now just laying around will finally have a home and can move from the counter top into a file or space in a cabinet.
More to the point: 15 months ago I joined a co-working facility and love it because my work space is just a blank table and a chair. I bring my laptop and a file or two to work on. I’m very productive. There aren’t any distracting things on the walls, and there’s great white noise in the building. From that I learned how important my work space was. Therefore, the huge need to simplify my home work space which couldn’t be any more distracting and cluttered. Ugh. Therefore, my new best friend – the organizer!
Soon, working from home will be much more productive. I’m going to take down everything that is distracting, and keep only the things I need on a recurring basis within reach. Everything else will move to another file cabinet or closet. Less cluttered work space, less cluttered mind, more productive work day.
Tell me about your organizing failures and successes. (Maybe you are like me and have half a dozen books on organizing, but can’t find them?!)