Friday, March 18, 2011

52 Weeks of Organizing: Week 11 - Another Doomed Space

This week, Laura's 52 Weeks of Organizing post didn't really sink in until I started my Week 11 task. She speaks of how those of us participating have been really good about not chastising ourselves for the things we aren't accomplishing. That is true - what I don't get done, I'm not worrying about.

However, what I have been doing is a lot of self discovery and self realization. I know I'm a scatter brain who suffers from a continuous lack of organization. It has been a life long affliction, likely starting early in my childhood when my bed was packed with stuffed animals (my protectors) and grew through the endless things I started to pile up in the corners of my bedrooms (one day, I'll explain the pluralization of that). Sheet music, stories, magazines, books, school notes - anything that can be piled was.

It has followed me into adulthood and the things I've learned to pile has expanded as well - as has my tendency to hoard. My things bring my comfort, the chaos my piles create give me control. It's quite a discovery that I could spend hours dissecting because it is tied to a whole bunch of weirdness in my life but let's just say I think I'm beginning to see where some of the behaviour stems from and that, I think, is part of the battle.

I could organize and tidy until I've completed my list but I know there would be an entirely new list next year because, like my battle with weight, I need to work through the root cause in order to repair the problem.

That's right - psych 101, new on Barefoot Deliberations! ;)

Back to the reality of the task at hand. I realized that our Phone Desk hadn't been seen in a few years and it was as good a time as any to tackle that Doomed Space. As I emptied the contents of the desk, my feelings were mixed. I don't know how or when my house became so cluttered and I'm not sure why I don't deal with things as they occur.
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As I sifted through the things piled on the desk and organized them into manageable piles - keep, recycle, freecycle, trash, rehome. I found a few things that made me laugh.
Photobucket Just a few of the weird things I found... See the motorbike toy? The head? The Christmas pin I spent an hour hunting for at Christmas? It's amazing the treasures you find during this process!

First I discovered that my husband's dedicated cubby had junk (like garbage) at the back. Second, we chuck a lot of stuff up there that doesn't belong. Third, we have things that neither my husband or I can identify tucked away in the desk. Fourth, I have not sorted through some of the stuff since 2005.
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But sort I did. I dusted too. And I've got this pile to go through while watching something on TV (as suggested by Laura in today's post).
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The end product is something I can live with and my husband was again shocked with the progress. He actually forgot the oak phone desk has a tambour front it's been so long since we've been able to close it!

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This week was a good week for me - I learned some things about myself and I'm going to finally deal with the enormous stack of ignored documents!

3 comments:

  1. WOW! I am impressed, Barefoot! It'a amazing what can be accomplished once we set our minds to a task. I should have posted before/after pictures of my dresser and my armoire, which received a thorough inspection this week. Now I can actually find that favourite sweater! Keep on inspiring us!

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  2. Thanks, Elizabeth - I'm glad that I could be an inspiration to you! Being that you've seen the disaster that is the phone desk, you'll be happy to know that when you come in this weekend, you will, for the first time in FOREVER, be able to put your purse and such there without it being a balancing act!

    Nothing makes you feel better then being able to show before/after pictures - even to yourself because it truly gives you a sense of accomplishment!

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  3. Good job! In a completely unrelated comment, you have the same CD player I have. Do you have any trouble with the speaker wires?

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