The mother of all procrastination.

My label maker is still in the box. I’ve had it for about 7 years. I think my problem is that I don’t want to “label” something until my system is perfect. Who wants to ruin a perfectly good label, right??? Also, I need to learn how to use it. So, to recap, I need to figure out the perfect organizing system, then I need a beautiful storage solution to label, then I need to learn how to use my label maker, then I need to make labels for all the solutions at once. I want to have everything ready and then go from unorganized to labeled in one afternoon. Oh yeah, I forgot, I need one afternoon uninterrupted.

I don’t think this is going to happen.

Enough is enough. This is my epiphany I had earlier this week. How can I be organized if I can’t remember what I store in which container? Once I put something away, I semi-forget about it. So logic would follow that is why I have things out, so I don’t “lose” them. I knew I had a reason for not picking up after myself....I like myself better already.

This week I have been looking around for smarter ways to store things that I have. I have thrown away a lot, donated some, and have gotten a lot smarter on what goes where. I had short things stored on high shelves, with tons of wasted space on top of that. My new best friend is an empty diaper box with a plain old hand-written label on it. There is nothing precious about this storage solution. I feel this sense of freedom knowing for sure what is in each box or tote. I’m hooked. Some people “love” their label makers (want mine?), I love an orange Sharpie and any old box.

Why organize?

We have heard so many reasons to get organized. No one told me the number one reason why we should have our garage in tip-top shape. I had to learn it myself. The good thing is that I’m going to tell you. If you have ever had trouble pulling the trigger on whether or not to purge a specific item, I’m going to give you the key to unlocking your ability to fire at will. Here is my story.

My husband needs to print an important document. We are out of paper. Well, not really out, but the paper cubby is empty. I knew we were running low a while ago. That is why I bought another ream. I am the GM of this home, and I’m highly efficient at this role. Being a very informed GM, I also knew that I couldn’t find the ream. I had already looked for it, twice. I’m not looking good here.

Do you know that wonderful saying? Everything must have a place and everything must be in place? Well, that is true porn for women. I’m drooling of an image in my mind. You know the image in every home decor magazine, or heck, in every coupon mailer for closet solutions or cleaning companies. The mail is constantly bringing this trash into our home. You can’t think this literature doesn’t affect my self image. I hear my self talk, “If only my granite counters were shiny and crumb-free.”

I sometimes get creative with where I store extra supplies. We have a garage with lots of storage shelving. We also live in the desert, so I have to make sure whatever is stored in the garage can handle it. Six months of the year, we can store magma in its molten state. I just knew that a ream of paper could handle this fate. So, I’m out scouring the garage, again. I’m really hoping that the third time is a charm. Charming? No. I’m out, barefoot in the inferno (it’s 105 degrees here), when what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a snake. My problem is no longer a missing ream, but a four-foot intruder.

I have quite of few things by the garbage can. My newly retired gym shoes, some really great empty boxes, a collection of useful cardboard wrapping paper tubes, etc. I’ve got some stuff out there that I couldn’t commit to tossing, on account of them being perfectly good. So here are the answers for which you’ve been waiting. You keep a tidy garage because someday, a snake may find its way in it. You toss your crap because it may help the snake get out quickly. I’m sure we are all in agreement here. Just imagine yourself in my shoes, okay bare feet, and think to yourself, do I want this stuff or do I want the snake gone? I hope this helps. I’m a changed woman.

My husband, with his trusty hockey stick, expertly encouraged the snake to rethink his current living situation. No snakes were harmed in this story. Always keep a tidy garage for optimal snake preparedness, and CLOSE THE GARAGE DOOR.

This is big!

This is my third blog post. This is big, people. You see I'm one of the one-hit-wonder types of people. I rarely even remember to think about a new goal twice. New Year's resolutions are wasted on me. I think, plan, and write out how my new goal will be perfectly executed. It is fail-proof. It is a sure thing, a real win/win. Life is good. I go to bed that night, wake up the next morning, and bam.......I'm a clean slate. What goal? What babystep? You know the cheer. You say routines, I say boring. "Routines!" "Boring!" You get the picture??? I guess I'm one of those creative types. So far, 2 of my 3 kids have been gifted with these same qualities. The jury is still out on the 3rd kid, he is still a baby. Well, a toddler anyway.

I have actually been making progress decluttering around the house. Recently, I've organized the kitchen cabinets, my closet, the kids' rooms, the laundry room, just to name a few. I bought a new shredder and I'm making my way through piles of utility bills, statements, etc. It feels pretty good. I read somewhere, that the Golden Gate Bridge is painted everyday. Really, a part of that bridge is painted everyday. Once it is finished, it is time to begin again. So I try to imagine that the decluttering, that is required around here, is a daily practice. It will never be done. It is part of the journey, not the final destination.

On that note, naptime and Hannah Montana are almost over, and I can see a few areas that need some paint, if you know what I mean.

Today is the day.

So, I've been thinking about starting a blog for a while. Well, I actually set up the account about a year ago, and then never posted anything, because I wanted it to be perfect. Anyone ever been there? I actually had to change the age of my kids, and add a year to my marriage. Seriously, it's shocking how fast time flies. Well, over this past year, I've had so many experiences that would have been wonderful to share(optimistic thinking), or at least write down so that I can remember them (probably the case). Today, after being inspired by a blog, Smallnotebook.org, I've decided that today is the day. We are in the middle of summer vacation. It seems to be that our mission each day is that we "try" to rip the house apart each day. We are very successful on this mission. During this first paragraph alone, I have been interrupted about 10 times. Apparently, I am going to learn to be a very patient person.

I suffer from a case of perfectionistic procrastination, of course I made that term up. I've heard it is a common affliction. I have an email box that only catches my attention once it is at the 1000+ emails level. So, I did something new. I did some quick mass deletions of junk email, and got the level to be about 500, or so. Then, I moved over all the old emails and put them in a folder called "old email inbox". Now, I am happy to say that my current inbox has only 16 emails. I enjoy reading, deleting, and actually managing the inbox. Who knew??? I was constantly punishing myself with the old inbox. I had read, once, that you should begin as you wish to go with current photos. Our tendency to get photos organized is put off when we have years of photos stacked up waiting and making us feel guilty.

I'm going to go pick up the pieces that fell, while typing my first post to my very own blog. My kids have reached their limit. I also need a refill on my coffee. I literally have my leg extended, trying to keep the 20 month old boy from climbing the computer tower. Oh yeah, my time is up!