Month 1 – Day 1 – Resolution: Operation Organization
My best friend has organizing in her blood. She can take three tons of random papers shoved into the bottom of a closet, and in a matter of hours, have divided things into a recycling pile, and two very neat, easily understandable files of important documents. Personally, I'm more inclined to sit there and attempt to make sense of things for about an hour, sort some of the stuff and then get tired of it and burst into tears out of frustration, shove it all back in the closet, go eat a cookie, and finally, cave in and call her for help. Sometimes I wonder if I am her favorite or most-hated work-in-progress.
Either way, she has never failed to come through when I've had an organizing/cleaning crisis. She's helped me move twice (once when I was on pregnancy-induced bed rest, and a complete emotional basket case – her nomination for sainthood has already been submitted), and saved my butt before numerous MIL visits/ birthday parties/graduation parties/etc.
This month, though, I am striving to get my life better organized without relying on Kristin. That's not to say I won't call her for advice every now and then (that's what experts are for, right?), but I won't ask her to come help me do it – or even accept that help if it's offered, as she is apt to do – unless I absolutely, positively need it.
In any matter, today's efforts are seemingly unproductive, but it's all a part of the larger picture. Goal #1 is to make a list of all the different areas/things that need organizing, in order to tackle each one. Here's what I came up with:
1) 1.) Important papers – right now, they're all scrambled, jumbled mess. They're in one place, but if I needed to find something in an emergency, I'd be screwed.
2) 2.) Magazines. I admit it. I have a magazine addiction. And then I have a hard time getting rid of them, because there's always at least one thing I intend to do or try, or I just love the picture. Surely I can't be the only one with this problem, since they sell a year's worth of magazine storage bags .
3) 3.) Work stuff. I'm a teacher. I collect "stuff". Papers, books, materials, books, artifacts, books. Did I say books? Since I could, at any given point, be assigned to any grade level ranging from Pre-K to 4th grade, it's hard to weed through my "stuff", but it really NEEDS to be done, before it takes over my house again this summer.
a. Must do: Locate all boxes/cabinets, and get stuff together in one place. (Easier said than done.) Determine what is so old-school as to no longer be useful, what I will probably never use (toss or give away), and what needs to be kept. Divide things by grade level applicable, then sub-divide by subject matter. Determine storage method most appropriate (clearly labeled storage boxes for artifacts, clearly labeled bags for books sorted by theme/subject, and files for papers/lesson plans).
4) 4.) My children's things. My children are the most lovable children in the world. Or at least, that's what the number of gifts they've received from every person they've ever met seems to indicate. We really have way too much, and need to find a way to weed it/organize it/store it.
a. Must do: make everyone contribute to the weeding of the crap. Find an aesthetically pleasing method to store it, since it's currently being housed in a variety of laundry baskets.
5) 5.) General storage/organization at my house. I live in a 100 –year-old house in the country. Built before people had closets as a part of the house. We have a SERIOUS storage problem. Serious. Organization will be crucial to make our belongings fit in a manner conducive to, well, sanity.
6) 6.) My books. And books. And books. I'm a bit of a book junkie. I freely admit I have a problem, but I have no desire to be cured of my addiction. Rather, I'd like to limit myself to the high quality drug of choice. ;)
a. Must do: Determine what is keep, donate to library, or return to people I borrowed them from. Find storage for everything I'm keeping and then actually bring the other stuff to the library or post office.
7) 7.) My kitchen. Auuuuuugggh! It's probably a surprise to most people that I love to cook. I really, truly enjoy it. You would never know it, though, because I hate the current organization system in my kitchen (or lack thereof) so much, that I rarely cook. We eat out a lot. Fixing this would probably help with resolution #6 (health/fitness). Must: Weed, sort, store.
8) 8.) Tools / equipment. This is more my husband's fault, but I'll have to be the one to suck it up and fix it in order to create a system we can all use. Before my children choke on a coat hook.
va a. Must do: Sort, and determine proper storage system to keep each item functioning, and safely away from the children.
2) 9.) Cleaning products. I hate cleaning. (Another reason Kristin is up for sainthood – she helps me clean, when it gets to the point where I'm standing in the room with a rag mumbling "I have no idea where to start…" over and over again). And yet, I keep buying cleaning products, as if they will magically apply themselves and clean things on their own.
a. Must do: weed,organize, and store safely.
I'm limiting myself to nine items, or I'll be so overwhelmed I may never want to begin.
*Looking over this, it probably seems like my house is filled with junk you have to sift through in order to walk. While I have been to those homes, mine isn't one of them. We do a pretty decent job of getting things put up and away, it's just that you can't always find things when you need them because there's no clearly defined system. There is a method to the madness, with hidden pockets of organization here and there, but the goal is to get away from ANY hint of madness, and move closer to clear-cut organization J
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