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The Path to
Organizational Nirvana
By Michelle
Gardner
Clutter bugs me. So much so that I am compelled to run, bike, or drive to the
nearest bookshop to pick up the latest tomes on taming untidiness. Knowledge is
power and I need a lot of power to turn my disheveled repository of all things
paper into a successful writer's office.
Stacks of magazines, bills, writing contracts (must get to those), article files
to archive, and books on organization stand sentry near my office door-- waiting
to be deployed. I read an article about how to manage the muddle I have created by
bringing in three boxes-- one for trash, one for items to keep, and one for
items to file. So far, I have three more boxes in my office.
A website dedicated to eradicating C.H.A.O.S. (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome)*
suggests I start by thoroughly cleaning my kitchen sink. I now have a shiny
sink, but it didn't help my office clutter situation. Back in the office, I grab
a case of hanging file folders to start organizing my scattered papers and a
glossy leaflet floats out of the box. Intrigued, I sit down on the floor
and began to read about Pendaflex's I Hate Filing Club. Aha! A website. Think
I'll just log on and have a quick look…
A half hour later, I am a welcomed member of the I Hate Filing Club and will be
receiving my I Hate Filing Club newsletter in an e-mail very soon. The
newsletter is filled with great ideas (and Pendaflex products) for finally
getting organized. Hooray!
While waiting for my IHFC e-news, I drink cup of tea and open a book on feng
shui and the office. No doubt, my whole problem with clutter stems from my
blocking the energies necessary for me to become a successful and sought-after
author. It is I, not my giant paper tiger, who is obstructing my path to better
health, wealth, and guest appearances on daytime TV.
The book directs me to determine my proper place on this Earth. That done, I
learn that I must put a green plant in the southeast corner of my house, hide
some foreign coins near the northwest corner, and, here's a bummer, shouldn't
have the color green in my dining room. Guess it's off the paint store for a new
color.
Before leaving for the paint store, I head back down to my office to grab my
cell phone. Surprisingly, the clutter is still there-- this after all of the
research I've done today on the topic. Determined, I pick up the magazine on top
of the teetering publication stack to throw it in the box marked "trash."
Walking over to the box, my eye catches a cover headline, "Five Steps to
Organizational Nirvana" and I stop. Maybe I'll just sit down and have a quick
read…
*C.H.A.O.S. borrowed from
www.flylady.net.
Pendaflex is a registered trademark of Esselte Corporation.
Michelle Gardner is a former aviation publication editor who currently writes
for trade publications specific to the construction, transportation, and wine
industries. She was a regular columnist for The Brentwood Recorder, of
Brentwood, England, as well as an editor of a monthly newsletter for expatriates
living in the United Kingdom, and has been featured on BBC radio for her
articles.
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