I have been concerned lately that my desk and my shop seem to be getting more cluttered. I’m not one of those naturally neat people, yet I like things organized. Busyness, accumulating stuff, and time pressure seem to conspire to increase the disorder. I am busy enough that I very seldom find time to just stop and organize my space. So I have adopted a new strategy. I am seeking to increase organization on the fly just a little at a time.
When I see a book on the desk that I am no longer using, I pick it up and put it away rather than looking past it to find the one thing I was searching for, as I used to do. If, while I take a phone call, I see a scrap of paper that has lost its usefulness, I toss it rather than ignore it. I’m hoping in this way to make progress on decluttering my desk.
In the same way, when I am looking for something in the shop, rather just push something around on the loaded bench, I try to put it away while I have my hands on it. Yesterday, while searching my little storage bins for a particular type of nail, I noticed several possibilities for consolidations that would open more spots to use. So I consolidated a few drawers while I looked. I’m hoping, before too long, I will have a cleaner working space in the shop too.
I guess I am onto something as I was reading advice from a specialty blogger who recommended 7 ways to get organized for those who have no time to do so. Number two in her list was to “Make progress in small slices of time.” http://www.simplify101.com/organizing-tips/get-organized/no-time-to-organize/. In fact she suggested setting aside very short blocks of time, like 10 or 15 minutes and just doing what you can do to make progress in that time, deliberately resisting the idea that you need to do the whole job.
I just put one notebook back on the shelf where it goes; a notepad into the drawer, and a scrap in the circular file. There goes a book and a file folder. Yes, progress!