A DREAM, ORGANIZED

Blonde Betty called me early Sunday evening from Staples.  She was hiding out.  Come on, you know you’ve done the same thing, escaped home to shop for some “necessity”  in order to steal one tiny minute of time to yourself, one second in which no one is asking for a snack, a video, $20 for the mall….  Stolen time to be by yourself, even if it’s spent standing in the pasta aisle at The Fruit Center….  or the new Martha Stewart aisle at Staples.

Her voice was hushed “Martha has a line of home office organizers at Staples:  binders, labels, notebooks….”  Oh God, here we go again I thought, this is the conversation we have this time of year, every year. 

“If only we had the right tools we’d be organized beyond Martha- we’d be sleek, effective, streamlined, time-management goddesses”.  We’d have time to look for that farm in Vermont {Blonde Betty} or that apartment in town {Redhead Betty} We’re close, so close, just the right file folder away. We. Know. It.

And so do they, so they mail us the catalogs.  Organization porn- the flood of magazines featuring light, bright, uncluttered homes with organized closets {ooh!}  streamlined pantries {ummm!} sleek offices {aaah!} I turn down the corners of the pages and fantasize big time.   I dream about a more organized life because I've been trapped inside for months staring at the stacks of paper on my desk, the landslide of business cards on my bureau, the random slips of paper covered in illegible scribbles stuffed in my handbag, covering my kitchen nook, littering my car. 

Ugh.  We come to the same conclusion every year as we look at the office full of organizational tools we bought last February.  It’s not Martha, it’s me.   We can buy all the bins, baskets, binders and books we want, it’s not going to change anything unless we actually stick to the plan.  File or purge Betty, file or purge.

We can do it.  Last year, Blonde Betty hired Molly and Ben, and together they tackled the closet that served as the coat storage/sporting equipment locker/hiding place for mother-in-law presents  in the mudroom.  Now it’s a thing of beauty.  She’s one day closer to Vermont. 

Need help too?  Try here:
Atmosphere Consulting
Molly the Clutter Coach
Your Organized Life
ShelfGenie