How am I supposed to get anything done when the places that I work in are cluttered, messy, piled up, scattered, stacked, neglected, and downright disorganized? I used to say that it was just my way, that I couldn't work any other way, and other rationalizations. Any head-shrinker will tell you that one of the most common symtpoms of ADD is disorganization, lots of piles of junk that move around, but never really diminish.
However, the fact of the matter is that no human being should live a cluttered life. I am no longer living like this. I could find reasons to blame my clutter, but it doesn't make me any better.
At least once a year, I kick myself in the pants and get something uncluttered. It takes weeks, it is painful and exhausting, but I do it anyway. Sometimes it is the garage, sometimes my van, sometimes my office. Once the space is uncluttered, I am so much happier and productive--it's like a drug.
Within a month, I have undone the program and I am living the cluttered life again. It takes place slowly, and there is always a great reason for it (a busy week, bad weather, sickness, the usual...), but eventually I am a messy, unproductive slob again. In fact, I was a slob all along, I was just a neater slob for a while.
I have tried many different approaches. Notes, bins, shelves, file folders, reminders, rewards, punishments. This has been an ongoing cycle since early childhood. My four-year-old son is like this, by the way, so it may be genetic. There is something inside of me that causes this, that either desires this clutter or cannot muster up the resources to remain organized.
I am less productive at work. I lose things, I procrastinate, and I take longer to complete projects do to my clutter. I am less productive at home. My wife, who tries to keep the rest of the house in order, hates the clutter and sometimes takes it upon herself to clean up the junk. That is not fair to her. My clutter also affects my kids: the sight of clutter may depress or demotivate them, and it sets a bad example for them.
Therefore, I have begun the Organizational Challenge. By September 30th, I will have cleaned up my van, my garage, and my basement (to include my office). On October 30th, I will have kept these areas in an organized state. By November 30th, I will have blown away any record in my life at staying clean and organized. By December 30th, I will be like a new man. If these areas stay organized into 2008, then there is no telling what I will be able to accomplish in the new year. Maybe I'll run for president, since the Republicans have offered up nothing exciting and the Democrats are determined to get their heart broken by another Clinton.
This link goes to my "before" photos. I will update the album (and my blog) when progress has been made. I would really like to see some comments or emails with some strategies on how I could best get my arms around this problem (without propellants or explosives). If this is a problem you have, and you would like to participate or compete, please email me at lslobodzian@gmail.com
1 comment:
Well, you DO have your work cut out for you. The photos are a great touch--in fact, they reminded me of another blog I randomly visited in which a guy (who's mother was addicted to e-bay) photographed the clutter his mother lived with. Problem was--he was an adult and part of her clutter.
Will you include photos of each area as you de-clutter? That could create some accountability to your readers.
I know that my life is organized by semesters. In the breaks between semesters, I clean house frantically and then once it's tidied up I try to live very lightly in it. Then, once the semester begins it gradually begins to accumulate...until I can't stand it. I could write my name in the level of dust that has settled on things.
Also, I try to confine most of my clutter to one small area--my study which is basically an old "dressing room" about 6 x 10 with a lovely window seat type window and many built-in cupboards and drawers.
My husband has his own "nest"--that's what we call it. I don't dare TOUCH his clutter because he knows where things are in it. If I try to tidy for him, then he can't find anything.
My own rule of thumb for discarding stuff has to do with whether I've used it in the past year or not. If not, I can probably discard it.
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