So, you know that expression “if you love something, set it free…if it comes back again…blah blah blah”? Well, Scott’s first love is back in our lives. So I’m going to go ahead and classify this purgeday a big fat #fail.
Unless you count seeing the look of joy on your husband’s face as he pulls the 1962 Mercury Meteor he bought at 15 back into his driveway, and even you can’t help but chuckle at the fact that the old suicide knob that he put your prom picture in when you went off to college in New York is still there, faded bleach blonde silly rockabilly hairdo’s and all, a #win. Because then, screw purging, right?
But it wasn’t all blast-from-the-past-project-vehicles around here this week. I did do some pretty commendable purging. Yes, I am aware it’s not yesterday and that you guys aren’t fools and neither are your RSS readers. No I do not think that I should just give in and chance this thing to a Friday series because I WILL CONQUER THIS NIGHTMARE AND GET ORGANIZED, MOTHERFUCKERS.
And I’m going to do it on Thursday. Purgeday Thursday ~ because it was hard to get a real count for votes between here and Facebook and Twitter, it seems like people liked the ring of that, and calling it “Morganize This” while HILARIOUS to me, probably isn’t going to encourage a lot of participation from you guys. Which…I keep bringing up, because that IS kind of the idea here, I’m lookin’ for some support, and I only have like two Mom friends in real life, so I’m kind of counting on you to lean on, you creepy bunch of lurkers.
Or not. Whatever. I’m totally breezy.
Anyway – this week of purging started off strong. Shit has been hitting every fan I’ve ever encountered and flying all over my life lately, so it was definitely time to get said shit under control. I set aside a little time, in between all the non-time-having I’ve become accustomed to, and I got started working through last week’s advice.
The good:
Our Purguru, the lovely Beth Zeigler of Bneato didn’t let me go to Staples (or my beloved Container Store, or any of those other awesome mecas of organization that design-obsessed folks like me can spend hours thinking about how they’d re-organize every corner of their clutter.) Instead, as promised, she kept my ass on track – emailing me within moments of last weeks’ post going live with a warning. Super Beth to rescue, AGAIN.
Don’t come back from staples with stuff you don’t need – organize first and then go shopping (i know it’s hard to wait until you’re done but you probably have all you need right at home).
So rather than get lost in fluorescent lighting and pretty customized file folders (which, don’t get me wrong, will be mine), I kept my focus on the shitload of office supplies and storage-y things I’ve amassed over the years, and good news! (for me, bad news for Scott and our bank account) I DO NOT HAVE EVERYTHING I NEED!
Quite the opposite. I had a few items that I was able to find function for, but for the most part what I learned is that I’ve got to stop stealing office supplies from companies I felt wronged by ~ Sorry Harvey. But you really shouldn’t give the interns the ordering codes to the Office Supply book ~ purge some of that crap too, and streamline my multiple crazy methods of organization.
So digging through the graveyard of retired office supplies did lead to more good purging. And also, to more a really focused shopping list of what I DO need to finish turning my particle board prison into a functional, flowing, creative work space/household financial hub.
My recycling bin is next to my shredder, armed and ready to tackle any junk mail before it “hits a surface.” I’ve got a much less cluttered desk space thanks to the addition of (okay, something I DID find in my vast collection of office supplies, happy – Super Beth?) this second pen cup. My old pen cup which was part of a larger all-in-one desk organizer, and as a result pens and scissors and paperclipsy, and regular go-to items were often strewn across my desk. Simple, I know…but a huge difference.
And finally, my new active files. Which already saved my ass this week when Dee’s health insurance denied us coverage for her ear infection meds, because she’s already HAD ear infection meds this month (so obviously she must be cured, and we just have a *thing* for antibiotics ’round these parts) so as I was frantically calling pharmacies in the area that could beat the $207 I was being quoted by my regular pharmacy sans insurance, I realized I had organized my desk so well, I had no idea where I’d put the prescription information. Until Beth’s words echoed through my head ~
Keep the file names for your categories general (really general). The fewer places you have to look for any given item is best for when you later have to retrieve something. And because we only retrieve 20% of what we ever file, you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for when you go looking.
Let’s say that you do decide to go specific with something–chances are in a 6 months to a year when you go to find that piece of paper, you won’t remember what the heck you filed it under. but if you go general, your brain will go, yeah–it’s a financial piece of paper (or whatever category you decided on at the time) and the piece of paper will be there.
See, on the one hand, Beth grossly over-estimated me. It took me all of two hours to forget what the hell I did with that piece of paper. But on the other hand, I looked at my new wall file (far right, above) with my “active folders” in it, and I saw: “Active Medical.” Voila! There was my scrawl on the fax confirmation from the doctor, with every bit of information I needed to confirm the pharmacy had the medicine in stock. I saved a bundle on that script, and I only broke into a little bit of a sweat. Panic attack averted, thanks to….SUPER BETH.
The bad:
Oh, but I’m far from done. My hard-paper “inbox”? Still looks like this:
And there’s a whole side of this “room” I’m still not showing you. So we’ve still got a ways to go.
Okay guys – your turn. Did ANYONE purge ANYTHING on ANYDAY this week? Link up!
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