Still with the goofing off

[rolanni]

Honestly, doesn't the woman ever work?

Since our last Thrilling Installment... I did the summer-hours work-thing, started reading a little-known modern-day space opera classic titled Local Custom, went to Staples and spent mon$y on things that will hopefully keep me a little more organized between that job and this one and that other one over there. Man, I loathe those desktop hanging file things. That said, they do work better than piles.

Today in particular was highly energetic. Took Mozart to Fairfield at 8 a.m to see his Good Friend Sue the Groomer, who bestowed upon him his summer shorts. He looks a tad plucked at the moment, but it'll grow back. Ohmyyes, it will.

While Mozart was being groomed, I made the aforementioned trip to Staples, thence to the grocery store, where I discovered that they have moved everything around since the last time I was in -- conservatively, four months ago -- stopped by the town office to pay the yearly fee on Binjali the Ancient Altima, and picked up the mail, which was notable for including notice of two doctor's appointment -- one with an allergist and the other with a gentleman who is going to cut a hole in my head (like I need another one -- and actually, he's going to excise a cyst -- on the day before we leave for Baltimore to do honor to the parental units. Good times.) -- picked Mozart back up from Sue (who reported him a gentleman), came home, ate lunch with Steve and spent the rest of the day trying to recover my office.

I have, just for the record, 'way too much STUFF in my office. What's depressing is how much of it can't be thrown out. However, there is a fair amount that can be got rid of; I'm just going to have to Get Tough and Get it Done.

In other news, a real peach of a thunderstorm missed us by that much, pout. We never get the good weather...

Comments

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

while organizing the office is always great fun and can be helpful in reminding yourself of those buried notions, it isn't exactly an A task (A = important and current, B = important but future, C = not important but current, and D = not important and not timely?

Actually, for me it is an A task, because I'm one of those people who Cannot Function in a Mess. This is why Steve and I have from the beginning had separate offices; he's good with the piles and I -- have been a secretary for much of my adult life. Which means that I basically keep track of the stuff that's in other people's piles and remind them (the people) when they need to do something about them (their pile).

I'm well-familiar with the organizational aids and how to use them effectively. Up 'til now, though, I've refused to have them at home, because I could remember what was in the pile (note singular).

Now that I'm working three jobs (day-job, writer-job, SRM-job -- plus keeping the house accounts and paperwork), I can't rely on Memory Power -- especially when I'm in the midst of a writing project.

The day-job has been running on lists for quite some time. Lists don't work so well with the other jobs...mostly because I apparently lack the discipline to write to the list. What that's meant for the last two writing projects is that Everything Goes to Hell at some point; the writing is chosen as the A task, and when it's complete, I spend a week to two months cleaning up all the other cakes I dropped during the Big Push to Finish.

Clearly, I need to be doing something better, so Step One is Getting Conventionally Organized. Might help. Can't hurt.

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Good point - when my desk gets covered, I have to stop and clear it, too. Getting organized - it's one of those irritating tasks that grows so bloody fast if you skip it for a while, and then is so hard to pick up again. Mostly wanted to agree with the notion that those open bins and folders, while they work for some people, aren't good for me. Hanging folders in a file cabinet, even boxes out of my sight work fine, but the "on your desktop, everything in view" plan makes me berzerk.

And it is sneaky the way that organization grows from a low-level regular task to a raging monster that is eating the office. Time for the whip and chair?