Bookish Inspiration

freephotocc via Pixabay

I've been listening to -- and greatly enjoying -- Michelle Obama's book, Becoming. One day last week, as I was driving home from work, she was talking about her husband working on the second draft of his first book:

"He worked late at night in a small room we'd converted to a study at the rear of our apartment -- a crowded, book-strewn bunker I referred to lovingly as 'the hole.'"

Hmm.

She went on to say that she's come to the conclusion that he needs that sort of space -- "a closed-off little warren where he can read and write undisturbed....Time spent there seems to fuel him....any quiet corner or alcove will do....There, he can flip between the six or seven books he's reading simultaneously...."

Okay, wait a minute. This man, the former President of the United States, has an office that looks like mine? He intentionally creates that type of a work space wherever he goes? And reads multiple books at the same time?

I felt oddly validated, despite the fact that Michelle Obama insists on a door on each of these spaces so she doesn't have to look at the room that lies beyond the door.

President Obama and I were both born in August so, maybe it's a Leo thing.

Or maybe it's a style thing.

Though I would like my own I need to see it/drop and run-driven space to be a little less cluttered, I was positively gleeful to discover that a highly intelligent, Ivy-educated, accomplished former President is not only perfectly happy in a space that is, by Type A organizer standards, disorganized -- closed-door worthy, even! -- but seeks to create that sort of haven, even when on vacation.

When it comes to organization, I'm not seeking to emulate President Obama any more than I'm seeking to emulate my Type A friends who swear by binders and file cabinets. I'm just pointing to anecdotal evidence that it's possible to look disorganized by Type A standards and still accomplish a lot. 

Even better, perhaps we accomplish a lot because of the spaces we create, not in spite of them. I've heard, "I don't know how you can work in here" more than once. The truth is, some days, I don't either. But whenever I re-envision or re-design my workspace, personal items and visual inspiration are a part of the package. Sterile office spaces may look lovely, but they're just not my thing.

We shouldn't have to rationalize our styles -- we should revel in them. As unique individuals, we should set the standards for our spaces based on what makes us comfortable, what what inspires us, and what, to use former First Lady Michelle Obama's word "fuels" us.

Even if sometimes, we have to close the door.

nietjuh via Pixabay

As an I need to see it person, I know that no matter how many times I clear off my desk, it will never be completely empty. Too much stuff interferes with my concentration, but too little stuff results in a desk devoid of personality and that just doesn't fuel me.

This afternoon, I hope to assess my desk (funny how these posts inspire) and to give serious consideration to every item on it. Some things are here out of habit. Others are here for a purpose and still others add a playfulness to the space that, as a creative person, I find essential.

What does your haven look like? Is it an endless stretch of clear space, a home for neatly stacked piles or a mishmash of I need to see it task reminders? What interferes and what inspires?

Whatever your haven is, make it intentionally yours.

Your space, your styles, your rules.

A Place for Everything, An Item for Every Drawer

Now this would be a cool
addition to my office!
Photo: Pixabay

In my office, I have two unassigned drawers -- that is to say that they currently serve as "home" to no specific items. One has served several purposes, but, because of my I need to see it style, none of those plans have stuck. Right now, it holds some writing projects and some "miscellaneous files" (always bad news from an organizational perspective), but I wouldn't call the space well-utilized.

The other is drawer is a small one, the lone, empty drawer in a three-drawer unit. Its companions hold, among other things, FitBit wristbands and toilet paper tubes decorated with washi tape and pressed into service as cord storage. Unlike my drawer-in-limbo, it's an organizational coup -- easy to use and in keeping with my styles, I can find what I'm looking for in under five seconds. Because these small drawers have clear, labeled fronts, I can not only glimpse the contents, but I also know what's inside even before I open them -- the labels remove all the mystery.

As an I need to see it person, I need this, ahem, transparency. That's why my wonderful, large drawer with projects and miscellany is a drawer in limbo in a room that still has piles that need sorting. I could take a page out of the I know I put it somewhere handbook and transfer the stacks from my counter (which looks much better this week, I must say) to the drawer. Unfortunately, that would simply hide the problem, rather than solving it; my counter would look better, but I wouldn't be any more organized. Worse yet, those papers could sit in that drawer, hidden from sight, for years before I paid attention to them again, which means that I'm taking a significant risk if I put anything important or time sensitive in that wonderful, practically empty space.

Meanwhile, in another spot in the office, a rolling bin has been pressed into service as file storage for my active class files. Previously, it collected dust as the official storage place for all of my notes on organization, but, when I needed a place (besides the chair in the living room) to keep my class files, I rethought the plan. I moved the organization files -- which I don't need to access on a daily basis -- to the family room to create space in my office for the files I touch every day.

What, you may ask, is the purpose of all of these stories?

Balance.

Balance between overstuffed and just right = room to grow (my empty/unassigned drawers).

Balance between my I need to see it personal style and my drop and run organizational style = a "just right" container that allows me to put things away (instead of down) in a place where they're visually accessible.

Balance between the easy answer and the one that makes sense = time + patience + trial + error.

Pixabay

It's amazing how easily we fall into -- and stay stuck in -- habits that don't work. Getting organized and staying organized means constantly reassessing what goes where and whether or not the storage we choose is the best choice. It means finding what works and replicating it so that eventually, everything has a home that's as easy to use as the default surface we choose when we're too exhausted to put things where they belong.

Needless to say, it's a process.

And sometimes, empty drawers share space with homeless piles.

Organization Extra: Organizing Your Desk

https://magazine.dashburst.com

I love infographics. I also love writing and, of course, reading about organization. So when I found an infographic about organizing my writing desk, I was intrigued.

It's a lovely infographic -- it really is -- especially if you're a Type A organizer.

But I'm not. And if you've been reading this blog for any length of time, chances are you're not either.  So does that mean we simply dismiss this, closing it out and making it go away before it inspires anxiety and a crisis of confidence?

That's one option. But another option is that we look for the things in it that ring true for our styles, and dismiss the rest -- here comes the hard part -- without guilt or judgment.

For example:

• A clear workspace is a wonderful goal, and with the right tools for your style, it's achievable.

•  An I love stuff  person will likely need a few prized possessions for inspiration, whether on the edges of the desk or on a bulletin board or shelves nearby, and will probably ignore the advice to "keep only those items that are essential for your daily use." Keeping these items to a minimum and confined to the edges of the desk will achieve the clear desk goal with style. 
• The I need to see it person will forgo the drawer advice and instead, keep things visible via hanging pockets or (again) nearby shelves. Those with this style will love the stickies on the computer monitor, but will need to make sure to limit the number of stickies, as well as reading and replacing them regularly. Sticky note forests are too dense to be useful.
• Cram and jammers, I see you eying those drawers. Your challenge will be to make sure that bottom ("away") drawer doesn't become the dumping ground for "everything else," which, in turn, becomes crumpled, creased and unusable.

  

  I swear by the store-bought rolling bin
  tucked under my office desk, but if
  you're craft, you can just add wheels
  to a drawer to create this rolling bin
  I found on Etsy.

• Drop and run organizers will probably note the complete absence of any tools that work for them on a regular basis. Tuck a rolling bin beside the desk or underneath it, if you have the leg room, so that you drop things somewhere besides the desk. 
• I love to be busy folks may need to designate each drawer for a different activity, and will certainly need a calendar somewhere in that workspace, whether it's on the desk, on the wall or on the computer itself.
• I know I put it somewhere organizers are likely to be fine once they establish a system for what goes in each drawer or on the shelves. Adding storage containers that can be labeled will also help, but having too many choices can add to confusion, rather than minimizing it.

The moral of the story? If your goal is to look like a Type A organizer when you're really an I love stuff/cram and jammer, there's no need to lose hope, or choose a simpler goal. You just need to chart a path from here to there using your styles as your road map.

Anyone else have any good infographics to share? This I need to see it person loves visual presentations!