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Post by Owl on Nov 9, 2011 5:54:25 GMT -5
Hi, I'm a messy (mostly I think). In chat, it was stated: "if i organise and can't stay organised it usually means something was wrong with my organization to start" And: "if it isn't mantainable in my life then i need a different set up..." I have recently got my medications organised and I have something that is working. I can take what I need when I need it and find my prescriptions. Right to left - right side is nearest the door opening and where I need to access the most number of medications, left side is later in my day.  I'd like thoughts and maybe pictures, of what works (or doesn't) for organisation for you? It might be how pantry/food is done or laundry organisation - whatever comes to mind. Looking forward to your posts. Owl. |
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Post by Script on Nov 9, 2011 7:27:18 GMT -5
Ok, I was a professional bookkeeper for OVER 40 years; and did very high-level accounting, including responsibilities for MILLIONS of dollars in cash or cheques. So I know something about organization.
The ONLY thing that works, at home, in an office: ANYWHERE: is NOT the system, but the HABIT of following through.
I see a piece of paper on the floor: I follow through and put it in the trash/recycle.
The mail comes every day; EVERY DAY I open toss file . I open the mail standing up by the recycle bin. I do not allow myself the luxury of opening the mail while sitting down and reading every word on various coupons.....
I take off my clothes; the dirty ones go in the hamper RIGHT NOW.
For me, who is NOT tidy by nature and who HAS various health issues, I had to banish the word LATER from my vocabulary. Do it now..........that is ALL that has ever worked for me.
PS: In the well-run offices where I worked, there was a structure to the work. For example: make cheques every Thursdays; file every Fridays; open mail before 10am; close safe and turn on alarm at 4pm; type statements on last day of month; lunch at 12 noon no matter what.............Housewives in the olden days had the same sort of schedule: wash on mondays; iron on tuesdays.
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Post by Owl on Nov 9, 2011 7:58:41 GMT -5
Thanks Script,
Letting that roll around in my head for a while.
I'll read it again later.
Cause I know when I write something considered, there are gems there to get at depth. So for me I read things a couple of times.
Owl.
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Post by fluffernut - now Jannie on Nov 9, 2011 8:20:37 GMT -5
Some great thoughts here. My motto is "Progress, Not Perfection." Just like Flylady says, housework, even if done incorrectly, still blesses your family. If I eat breakfast and put the dishes in the sink, at least I've made some progress. I could have left them on the kitchen table. Routines work in offices. When I worked, we had a "tickler" filing system. I have a similar filing system for my bvills. File when they come in, pay twice a month. Then hold for 6 months in case I need proof I paid. At the end of six months, old bills are ripped up and thrown away. The only thing I keep longer are my tax records. Which I may need soon, since my State (New York) sent me a letter about our 2006 State return. I can lay my hands on my copy within 5 minutes.
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Post by messymommy on Nov 9, 2011 10:25:09 GMT -5
I think Script nailed it - even the best organizational system will not work unless you make the habit of using it. Once I stopped giving myself the option of doing something later (which never came around), I was able to organize and stay organized.
LOVE your medicine cabinet organization, Owl! We take a lot of supplements and I think something like that would work so well for me. Thank you for posting a pic because I am terrible at visualizing.
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Post by DJ on Nov 9, 2011 15:29:38 GMT -5
i brought up the topic owl started a thread about. i agree with script's point that any system will fail if you don't follow through with it.
for what it's worth what i meant was that some systems aren't managable in some situations. and one problem i can fall into is. just because i can organise and store x amount of materials and make it look &(#) good in the process. organising isn't really a one shot deal though. like script said you have to use it. and if it's too complex/crowded/oversorted..
ok, best example i can think of-
if the time it takes to put something away properly is longer than the time it takes to get it out i need to start worrying about what in the world i was thinking with how i'm organising/storing that item.
i can live with my crazy shelve of craft supplies because i can pull something out and put it away both with a fair amount of ease. what's creating a problem is a pile of stuff that doesn't have a home. that's stored haphazardly, that's a bother to access and once i do i don't put it away because that seems impossible. and those are the things that have been getting tossed lately for me.
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Post by Freedom on Nov 9, 2011 16:28:12 GMT -5
I'm a huge believer in the power of systems -- and the followthrough proves the system.
Owl, your set-up is both beautifully organized, AND beautifully systematized: not only is the organization visually reassuring, you've also set it up to support your progress through the day.
As Script says, no system is perfect enough to run without participation and followthrough.
As DJ says, if followthrough is complicated, difficult, overly time-consuming and/or requires a lot of slide-puzzling to achieve, then there IS a problem with the system.
Personally, throughout my life I've tended to create extremely detailed systems, which I've frequently been totally unable to maintain; my systems were usually overly time-consuming, and often slide-puzzling.
As a believer in systems, this has been a constantly intriguing study for me. Any system is a puzzle, in that the given parts must fit together within the available time. My efforts have been aimed at efficient flow, with time trumping complexity.
Currently my systems are running smoothly -- and yes, the followthrough part is hard for me as for most of us here, and I'm so grateful for the support and inspiration at SOoS. But if I find that I'm circling or slide-puzzling in a given area, which invariably generates anxiety, then I re-analyze and trouble-shoot that piece of the system.
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Joined: January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2011 16:37:34 GMT -5
Yeah, I agree that follow-through is the important part in any organizational system, but it helps to look at how things are used and organize accordingly. For example, I've started keeping everyone's paired socks in the mud room instead of in their dresser drawers because we tend to only put socks on when we're preparing to leave. In addition, I have a dirty clothes hamper in the mudroom just for dirty socks. This has lessened both the use of the unpaired clean sock basket - the idea of putting socks away only to have it lead to annoying extra trips up the stairs to put on socks led to socks being paired infrequently - and the near elimination of the problem of shed socks all over the floor.
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Post by def6 on Nov 9, 2011 17:29:00 GMT -5
Owl, You system is simple and It works for you. If you ever find it doesn't meet your needs. You can adapt to another system that does just as quickly.  |
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Post by Owl on Nov 9, 2011 21:13:55 GMT -5
Thanks for the responses.
Part of my challenge here there are some basic systems I don't have and I'm trying to catch up on my mess and institute new systems at the same time.
One example is I realised through this conversation - I don't even have a clothes hamper. My hamper has been a pile on the floor in front of my washing machine. I've decided to glue a couple of cardboard boxes together to make one.
Also as DJollyDJolan pointed out that pile of stuff that doesn't have a home gets harder to engage with because there is no home. So sliding puzzle style things get moved left to right etc just to attempt to deal with a small portion or to find something.
Today, I'm 'trying on' the idea that I need to deal with each item to its conclusion. So at least my breakfast bowl and other dirty dishes sitting beside me have made it from the livingroom to the kitchen sink. But I still pick up paperwork (and other things) that doesn't yet have a home so I can deal with something else.
I'd still be appreciative of any photos and descriptions systems that work for you.
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Post by Owl on Nov 9, 2011 22:54:04 GMT -5
Today I'm trying really hard to follow things through to their conclusion.
E.g. wireless keyboard batteries needed replacement. So old batteries in bin, recycle batteries tested - needed charging, so plugged in. Normal batteries put in keyboard and remaining new batteries returned to the cupboard where I know to look for them.
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Post by sparkle on Nov 9, 2011 23:05:37 GMT -5
@unbearablelightness, I'm a firm believer in organizing by point of use. Great sock system you've got there.
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Post by Owl on Nov 10, 2011 0:00:59 GMT -5
More feedback from chat conversations on the same topic. Thank-you DJollyDJolan for helping me get my head around it.
Me:
Tea drank - teapot returned to kitchen, tea leaves put into the bin, teapot rinsed, cup put on draining board to be washed. Milk put back in the fridge. Food diary updated
DJollyDJolan: (slightly reordered)
What Script said in that thread is a huge sticking point for me with screwing things up.
I have to consistently remind myself that things aren't -done- until i actually finish them including clean up.
I'm not done getting dressed & putting on makeup until i put my makeup away.
I'm not done sewing something until i put the sewing machine and tools away.
I'm not done picking up the mail until i toss trash and file the rest
I probably need a reminder tattooed on me for it though.
But it's the best way i can express the problem to try and beat it through my tiny stubborn brain. "done" includes clean up
I'm getting this - but I feel like a kid learning to tie shoelaces for the first time. Almost to the point my head hurts. Not rocket science, but if I already had this innately, I wouldn't be in the mess (literally) that I am.
Owl.
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Post by echo on Nov 10, 2011 0:07:30 GMT -5
I can affirm script's statement that it is NOT the system,
it is the follow through.
I am an example of organization systems carried to the limit.
For those who have followed my journey here,
you know that organiaztion isn't the secret.
And almost any organization, no matter how imperfect
if used....is much easier than dealing with the clutter of
not following through daily.
Here is my shoebox craft organization...114 boxes.
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Post by eagle on Nov 10, 2011 0:38:40 GMT -5
Today I'm trying really hard to follow things through to their conclusion. E.g. wireless keyboard batteries needed replacement. So old batteries in bin, recycle batteries tested - needed charging, so plugged in. Normal batteries put in keyboard and remaining new batteries returned to the cupboard where I know to look for them. Here is my battery 'system', which works pretty well for us: I keep the various sized batteries in a drawer in the kitchen (a dedicated desk area that is a built-in near the pantry). Inside the drawer, I have an old top-insert tray from an old-fashioned hard-case make-up travel case (circa 1950's-1960's). The compartments of that tray are perfect for separating the batteries by size and it fits well into the drawer. Each size of battery has it's own section, with one section to hold those flat round watch-style batteries. We also have a battery tester that we keep in there, too. At the very front of the drawer in the little space left between the tray and the drawer, I have a plastic baggie with a masking tape label that says, 'Used batteries' where we put the spent batteries. Because for us, replacing batteries usually requires sitting down in a well-lit place and wearing reading glasses to be able to see better, this location is perfect, as there is a chair at the desk area and everything is right there in the drawer. When the baggie for spent batteries gets close to full, I seal it & place it in the recycle bin per our waste management company's instructions. I also put a new baggy (usually a used one rather than a brand new one, buy that's a whole other story about how I re-use plastic baggies) with a masking tape label into the drawer for used-up batteries. |
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