Labeled at Last

The labeling of the basement storage took longer than planned. My initial attempt was using my handy-dandy label maker. I labeled the containers and stood back with a pleased look on my face. I figured I would have to get the camera later, take a picture, and reveal this one organized area of the basement. (Yes, there are more sections of the basement to conquer!)

Returning at a much later date than planned, I found the humidity in the basement had wrecked havoc on my labels—or I had just inserted a bad label-making tape? For whatever reason, instead of finding tidily labeled containers, I found curled up labels laying on the floor in front of my organized shelving units. Groan....

After several frustrated attempts at finding the correct container when needing items from the storage containers, I went back to the old-fashioned method: a permanent black magic marker. The containers are now organized AND labeled! When technology fails ... reach for the old standby, the permanent black magic marker.

The Basement With a Mind of Its Own!

Shortly after moving into the parsonage, we faced a hiccup when our basement decided to take on about five inches of water when the sump pump went on the blink. Like a wayward child pulling a temper tantrum and screaming for attention, our basement used this method as a cry for attention. The rest of house was settled into, organized, and looking quite nice. The basement on the other hand was our boys' domain, boys who had little care for my grand organizational ideas. It was functional and they loved it. It was a frontier that I had yet to breach with a frontal assault of organization. Amazing how a little water can spur one on!

Knowing my time was limited and that this territory would have to be taken over in sections, I decided step one of the frontal assault on the basement would be to corral the storage into one area. This meant finding the perfect freestanding shelving unit that was sturdy, could hold much weight, be easy to assemble, and could withstand the possibility of another temper tantrum acting itself out in our basement!

Researching on the internet I found the perfect shelving unit wasn't as easy to find as I first thought. Sifting through one after another and reading up on the reviews, I finally found what I wanted at our local Lowe's. I bought one on my first trip to the store, bringing it home to test it out before committing to buying more. Though two people are recommended for putting it together, it's easy to do. Once together the shelves can be adjusted to the desired heights by one person alone. I loved it so much I went back and bought two more! The pile of storage containers stacked and difficult to access are now nicely organized on the new shelving units. Labeling them is the next step.

Lofty Goals and Reality

There are times when our lofty goals and reality do not match up. Have you ever suddenly looked at your desk (and the mess thereon) and shuddered? Did you then stop what you were doing, distracted as you were, and proceed to clear away the non-essentials in the hope of not simply clearing your desk, but clearing your mind? Do you relate to the correlation between clearing the physical clutter from your office with clearing the mental clutter in your mind and thereby increasing your productivity? Been there. Done that.

The perfectionist in me yearns for a clean, uncluttered desk. A clean, cleared desk exudes a calmness and peace that must be conducive to productivity, right? The distractions are gone. One can dig right in and work. But life gets in the way... .

Here's my life as a secretary/receptionist. My desk will look great. The files are put away, the phone message pad is laying nicely on the side, a notepad is ready for longer directives. My large wide screen monitor sits in front of me. I'll be editing a letter on part of the screen; my e-mail and "To Do" list open on another part of the screen. Things look so under control, so clean, so uncluttered.

And then the phone rings... . Jotting down the message, I turn back to edit the letter -- but don't quite get there before the phone rings again. I head to the file cabinet to pull out a file in order to answer the question at hand. Someone enters the office as I'm finishing up the call. The file gets dropped on my desk while I go to help the person make some photocopies. While helping them, someone else comes into the office needing copies of a form. Heading back to the file cabinet I locate the necessary file, pull out the form, and make the copies. I'm barely through photocopying those when I need to excuse myself at the sound of the phone ringing yet again. I take another message... . Hanging up the phone I suddenly realize I am alone once again in a quiet office, but my once cleared desk is no longer clear.

Lofty goals of a cleared desk and reality don't always line up...at least not in my world. Accepting the fact that at various times throughout the day my desk will be a messy desk is a necessary compromise, knowing that whenever possible I will take the time to clear it. And of course, by closing time, I will consistently clean and clear my desk.

Extreme Organization

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

The Problem With Piles....

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Why Not To Procrastinate

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Laundry Laughs

The "How Not To" of Laundry Organization!

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.