Progress: Part 1

[gerisullivan]

My desk can usually be best described as "chaotic." It's a flat surface, and I've long said I'm genetically incapable of maintaining clean, flat surfaces. Paper accumulates. Paper that need handling -- rebates to send in by some certain date that's too often missed, project schedules, receipts, boarding passes, business cards, printed copies of client changes, layouts, articles, and more. And paper that should have just gone into the recycling bin in the first place, though most of the paper on my desk at any given time is paper of interest, with intentions of further action.

Every so often, about once a year or so, the chaos on my desk swells. The piles grow taller and more intermingled. Nearby clean, flat surfaces such as other chairs and the floor begin accumulating bags, boxes, and kipple that would topple the pile on the desk. I'm outside my comfort zone, but that's usually followed by several weeks of "I need to clean my desk" thinking. Then there comes the week where pretty much every day I think I'm going to clean my desk that very day. Other stuff happens and the chaos continues...until I finally clean the desk.

This was that week. Today is finally that day. I'm about halfway through the task. I've been through everything to the left of my computer, and the keyboard shelf, too. There's still a bit of paper, but I can see plenty of clean, flat desk surface, too. The chair on the right is mostly clear, and the floor next to my desk no longer has two backpacks and one canvas bag laying on it.

Now for the rest of the desk...and the rest of the office!

Comments

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

My desk is organized (and the mixed-paper recycling box is right next to me, on top of the wastebasket), but I have three piles of small pieces of paper and I have learned that if I don't combine them myself into a single pile before the cleaning lady comes, she combines them mixed, instead of stacked. This has happened with every single cleaning lady I've ever had.

I'm working on cataloging the to-be-read books after piling them into year of copyright stacks and after the current cleaning lady was here Tuesday, I found two stacks combined, mixed. And I had told her not to do anything to that side of the room, and she probably didn't understand my English. :::sigh:::

[gerisullivan.livejournal.com]

I've wanted to hire cleaners for several years now, but have never come up with the budget dollars for it. I think I'd have a hard time indeed with cleaners who moved stacks of paper around. I'd have to develop better organizational habits!

I really like the underlying cleanliness that cleaners maintain. I try, but I'm too haphazard, and even when I really have at something, it doesn't get as clean as if other people do it. Several years ago, coffeeem's sister stayed at my house for a day or tw. She cooked dinner in thanks, and she cleaned the top of the stove as part of the process. I had no idea my stove could get that clean! She didn't use any special cleaner, just elbow grease. It was amazing.

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

Since I can't clean the condo myself, I have to either hire someone or live in a sty. Earlier this year, I had to switch to four-weekly cleaning to save money because I'm hitting the Medicare donut hole earlier this year than last year, but then that cleaning company closed. My new cleaning lady is a neighbor who charges the same for two every two weeks as the old cleaning company did for the four-weekly.

[gerisullivan.livejournal.com]

That's great news about the affordability of the new cleaning lady!