kitchen table math, the sequel: 1 down

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

1 down

I have eliminated one of my desk piles! (At least my desk has piles...)

Only 5 more to go! (Distributed across one desk, one table, and one printer stand....)

Then on to the wire mesh hanging file folder bins.

[pause]

Yikes.

I don't think they even make those bins any more. (This is one. Most of mine are bigger.)
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16 comments:

Catherine Johnson said...

Here's what I want to know.

How come this woman can buy ONE wire-mesh hanging file folder crate and have that be the end of it?

Why doesn't she have a whole collection like I do?

January 29, 2013 at 2:15 PM
Catherine Johnson said...

So....I'm reading her blog...

"To help alleviate paper clutter and pile ups, I created a command center for our home."

I have created dozens of command centers.

I have to keep creating new ones after the old ones fill up.

January 29, 2013 at 2:19 PM
Catherine Johnson said...

hmmmm... don't know why those links don't work

Here it is: http://www.abowlfulloflemons.net/author/toni/page/39

January 29, 2013 at 2:20 PM
Catherine Johnson said...

oh wait!

She's an organizer!

(Also a wife, mother, registered nurse, and lifestyle photographer.)

AND she has a book on Emergency Preparedness, something that is "often forgotten."

Yes, well, Ed and I could be the poster children for non-preparedness. (see: Northridge earthquake)

OK, I need to stop swooning over other people's organized lives and get back to it.

January 29, 2013 at 2:24 PM
palisadesk said...

I love piles. I can find anything wanted in seconds, while other folks in the workplace are going through their filing cabinets.

A neighbor of mine memorably described his office (full of piles) as a "random-access horizontal filing system."

However, clothing is another story. It doesn't pile very well. When I find a long-mislaid turtleneck sweater or polo shirt, it feels like Christmas!

OK, I need to stop swooning over other people's organized lives and get back to it

I keep buying books on how to organize your house, but spend the time I should be putting these pearls of wisdom into practice *reading* them instead.

OTOH, I'm fantastically *mentally* well organized. I haven't ever needed planners, shopping lists or address/phone books. I remember all that stuff easily. Which frees up time to find missing socks.

February 1, 2013 at 11:44 AM
Anonymous said...

Embarrassingly, I have piles -- of various sizes of locking, stacking plastic storage tubs from Target and office supply stores. I need to get around to organizing the stuff that goes in the tubs so I can put the stuff into the tubs. :(

February 1, 2013 at 1:20 PM
Catherine Johnson said...

A neighbor of mine memorably described his office (full of piles) as a "random-access horizontal filing system."

lolllll

My piles are highly dysfunctional.

I have stacking plastic storage tubs, too.

Another 'system' that's not working...

February 1, 2013 at 2:13 PM
Catherine Johnson said...

I keep buying books on how to organize your house, but spend the time I should be putting these pearls of wisdom into practice *reading* them instead.

Years ago, I bought something like 6 books on how to organized my life, and then I organized my life!

Then I had children.

February 1, 2013 at 2:14 PM
Jen said...

I love reading about organizing. I'm not nearly as interested in doing it.

Also, I realize that I want to do it ONCE. If I go through my pile of things to do soonish, I don't want to have to do it again next week or month or ever.

Files are useless -- out of sight, out of mind.

I have some nice open file shelves (pile holders). They're about hip high, wood, 2 side by side columns of 7 shelves each. I have two of them (so, 28 shelves). Warranties, paid bills, statements, paystubs, school papers, donation receipts, tax papers, paper, envelopes, stamps and checkbooks, car repair info, insurance info, etc.

It all lives there. Once a year I clean out the bill/statement piles. The others I go through when they get too full.

But I still have piles.

February 1, 2013 at 3:24 PM
TerriW said...

Catherine, were you the one who posted once long ago about there being vertical filing people and horizontal filing people? Me, if I can't see it, it doesn't exist. It has to be right there for me to see. Filing something into the folder in my drawer is for stuff I never want to see again.

February 1, 2013 at 5:01 PM
Barry Garelick said...

What Terri said. A corollary of the out of sight, out of mind, filing system is my rule about boxes. If I open the box, I will need everything that's in it. If it remains unopened, I can throw the box away and never know anything is missing from my life.

February 2, 2013 at 9:07 AM
GoogleMaster said...

I keep clicking back to this post hoping someone has volunteered to come over to my house and organize my stuff into my plastic tubs, but no such luck so far.

February 4, 2013 at 4:37 PM
Catherine Johnson said...

Well...I shaved a few inches off the humungous pile on the corner of my desk....

I'm with Jen: I like reading about organizing; I don't like actually organizing --- except when the spirit moves me, which it does from time to time, thank God.

And, yes, I have filing systems AND piles.

I think it may have been palisadesk who wrote about horizontal vs vertical...

February 4, 2013 at 5:11 PM
Catherine Johnson said...

Google Master - we should form a support group!

Or a pot luck organize each other's stuff into plastic tubs group!

February 4, 2013 at 5:11 PM
Jen said...

I'm great at organizing (and getting rid of) other people's stuff! It's just mine that I find confusing.

So, Google Master, where do you live? Airfare and a mildly unreasonable hourly rate will get me there.

February 4, 2013 at 5:18 PM
TerriW said...

I paid someone 100 bucks to come to my house for two hours and set up a filing and documentation system for my homeschool stuff.

It was totally worth it.

February 4, 2013 at 5:22 PM

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