I sorted through a pile today.
Laugh if you will, but this was a major event for me. You see, I like to rationalize that if things are arranged in orderly piles, the area is clean. While order is, indeed, a step up from utter chaos, deep down I know that having stacks of stuff everywhere does not truly qualify as cleanliness. My guilt is apparent every time I move all the piles to the back room a few minutes before company arrives.
Tonight the pile problem reached critical mass, and I determined that the desk pile, at least, had to go. I shredded 5%, filed 50%, transferred 30% to another pile, and set the remaining 15% aside in a small "deal with this tomorrow" pile (that's allowed as long as you really DO deal with it tomorrow). So, instead of a big pile on the desk, I now have . . . a small pile on the floor and a previously existing pile that is now twice it's original size.
This pile thing must be some kind of mental ailment . . .
8 comments:
I am a great believer in piles. An article in the New Yorker argued that piles represent work in progress, and that for "knowledge workers," a clean desk is representative of nothing being accomplished. This was based on the idea that "pilers" are visual people who need things out so they can see them, and who will forget something if it is neatly out of sight.
This may simply be a rationalization also, but I'm prepared to go with it. Some things are not worth the fight, so instead, I search for ways to work with my habits, including piling. I've found that baskets work wonders, as do side tables with lots of shelves for books that accumulate on the floor. I have a spot for mail that I still have to go through, mail that I'll get through later, mail that I've dealt with and needs to be filed, and a waste basket for stuff that needs to be shredded when I get around to it.
Incidentally, I also found this table-top spinny thingie that has places for hanging files, writing implements, envelopes, and various office necessities which has worked wonders. I put in color-coded pocket files, one for each month, and so at the beginning of the month, when I'm done paying all the bills, they all go in their respective pocket folder and I don't have to deal with them until the end of the year. It's great.
So yeah, that was a really long comment to say, yeah, I'm a great believer in piles. *grin*
I have to admit that this post excited me quite a bit since I'm a serious freak about this sort of thing. I am definitely OCD when it comes to clutter, piles, and organization. In order for my life and relationships to remain in harmonious balance, I have to dedicate one day each week to de-cluttering my space, and that includes sifting through the piles that have built up over the past week, and placing each paper either in the trash can, or its appopriate file. However, for me, piles of things are far more disturbing than piles of paper. Here's an interesting little exercise I found at flylady.com-- The 27 Thing Fling... once a month, you go through your home and find 27 item to throw away, and then 27 items to give away to good will. This probably ought to be adapted for the apartment stage of life, since a smaller space and only 1 child probably equates to fewer useless things. But I digress from the paper pile subject--- I told you this kind of stuff gets me really excited...
I don't know whether a clean desk would be disturbing to me; it's been so long since I've seen one that I can't remember how it affects me. :)
However, I can totally relate to the "out of sight, out of mind" phenomenon. One reason the piles exist is that I'm much more likely to take care of something if it is sitting somewhere I'll see it. Conversely, if it's in a drawer, cupboard, or file, the odds of my forgetting about it increase exponentially.
Carrie, I'm seriously considering setting aside some weekly de-clutter time. It might keep us from being buried in stuff, and I must confess that sorting through things is rather cathartic. Who needs a shrink when you've got piles to sort through?
I just came across your blog after you commented on mine (thank you, by the way), and I love it!
Now back to this post, it frustrates me that we bought a mail slot to try to keep us more organized and for whatever reason everything BUT the mail is in it. I am all about hiding your mess for company, though! If someone is bold enough to rummage through your drawers, they deserve to encounter the mess that you hid.
So, before I could plop all my books on my new bookshelves, guess how I got them all organized! Ohyeah. Piles!
I thought of you. :)
I'm touched, Beth.
And Kerri, I'm glad you can fit your piles in a drawer. Mine need a whole room.
Piles and more piles. It never stops as it is constantly coming through the door in the form of mail and papers. That is how I feel about laundry. You can NEVER get ahead!!
Concerning real junk and piles, just wait until you guys have been married for 30 years. Multiply your things by how many children you have and all of their things you are saving.
After our move into a much smaller home that is lacking in storage space, I am recommitting myself more than ever to dejunk and either throw-away or give-away!!!
Maybe we should just commit to move every two years. Grandpa Sorenson says when it comes to decluttering, "three moves are as good as a fire."
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