The Great Office Organization

As you know, this is the year I get my s**t together by getting organized. So far I've re-organized the Craft Closet of Doom and my art closet (yes, I have a separate storage closet for my art supplies - it wasn't too bad so it didn't require a blog post of its own).

My office, that place where I'm supposed to do my writing and editing, was in dire need of organization. As you can see by the before photo (just click on it to make it bigger), I didn't even have room to set up my lap top on the desk:

I'll have to admit that my office was not exactly pristine before NaNo which is probably why I found writing in the recliner in the living room more comfortable. I do not know, however, when the files and notebooks and stacks of paper took right over.

It should have been merely a matter of putting things back where they belong. The problem is, I'm a pack rat. I have too much stuff for the space I've got. So halfway through the job I realized I needed to get rid of some of the unnecessary stuff to make room for the necessary stuff. And when I say get rid of, I mean culling my files and books and throwing a few of them - old tax files, old paid bills, old text books, etc. - into boxes to get stored on a shelf in the closet.

In the process of this extra organization, my office actually looked worse than when I started:

Also into storage went a box of computer stuff - software that I didn't really need, but didn't want to just throw away, extra cords and cables, and an external A drive that I don't have an adapter for.

Organizing also meant that I needed to go through the files in my filing cabinets - you can't really see by the pictures but I have two of them. Did I mention I was a pack rat? I still had the marked up, printed out drafts of my two books that have been available in both print and e-format for months now.

I had one drawer full of packages of paper - the cutesy paper with flowers and butterflies on it that you can get from the dollar store. I had another drawer full of partial story drafts and a few finished stories. I had close to a dozen file folders marked miscellaneous and instead of ignoring them like I usually do, I went through them and sorted their contents so they made sense. I found notes and story ideas I'd forgotten I had - some of it wasn't half bad!

It took me two and a half weeks, but it was totally worth it. There is now room for both my desk top and lap top computers. My desk is neat and tidy and I can find what I'm looking for in my file drawers with ease. I have discovered a lifetime supply of notebooks and post-it notes, but that's a blog post for another day. ;-)