The thing about getting sorted ...
About Friday I hit the tipping point - the point at which things in my house were starting to look more tidy and organised than not, in places, and this is kind of driving me to want to organise and tidy things in the other places. Once past the tipping point, I find that I will get totally engrossed in sorting and culling and tidying areas of my house. I lost an hour a couple of hours ago culling some books in my bookshelf, putting together my new paper tray doo dat and sorting through papers on my desk. Tidiness leads to tidiness.
But I have also uncovered a horrible truth - why I have been untidy and neglected this big house declutter and sort for some time. The surface disorganisation and mess is sort of handle-able, I can reasonably find things, although I have been losing due to be paid bills. But I think I know why I have been avoiding dealing with the surface mess - it means that I need to then deal with the deeper one. I have been wanting to sort my study for well over a year and now that I am finally doing this, getting really stuck into it, I am seeing why I put it off - this task involves the uncovering of things I have been hiding - review copies I haven't written reviews for, TPP costs I haven't added to the spreadsheet, admitting there are books I will never read, books I have borrowed and am yet to read and return (OMG my to do read pile is ENORMOUS). And it involves me looking at things that I think are who I am and culling them and by proxy, me. Or something. And some of that process is painful, some of it cringeworthy but it turns out, most of it just requires a decision. Cause after that, there is afterglow and enjoyment of neat and tidy and organised spaces.
A long way still to go. Alas.
This afternoon I met up with jonathanstrahan - the call of a 30% off sale at Planet Books and a coffee and chat with J was all too alluring and I schlepped out in the heat. I also FINALLY took along my Birthday vouchers for Planet and that in some way alleviated the cost of my spoils! I replaced the Mieville but not the Linqvist. I bought hopefully only the Buffy graphic novel volumes I am missing. I grabbed both Liar and Leviathan and I also nabbed a Maureen Johnson. J laughed at me. I have done no reading at all these holidays and I just took a visual audit of my to read piles. Ouch.
And in other news, repeat customers are happy customers. I came home and decided to see if I could neaten up a couple of bits of Benji's coat. He happily lay down and showed me his stomach which he had not let me trim at all. Obviously the hair cut has been working out for him. He definitely looks like a happier (and younger) dog.
But I have also uncovered a horrible truth - why I have been untidy and neglected this big house declutter and sort for some time. The surface disorganisation and mess is sort of handle-able, I can reasonably find things, although I have been losing due to be paid bills. But I think I know why I have been avoiding dealing with the surface mess - it means that I need to then deal with the deeper one. I have been wanting to sort my study for well over a year and now that I am finally doing this, getting really stuck into it, I am seeing why I put it off - this task involves the uncovering of things I have been hiding - review copies I haven't written reviews for, TPP costs I haven't added to the spreadsheet, admitting there are books I will never read, books I have borrowed and am yet to read and return (OMG my to do read pile is ENORMOUS). And it involves me looking at things that I think are who I am and culling them and by proxy, me. Or something. And some of that process is painful, some of it cringeworthy but it turns out, most of it just requires a decision. Cause after that, there is afterglow and enjoyment of neat and tidy and organised spaces.
A long way still to go. Alas.
This afternoon I met up with jonathanstrahan - the call of a 30% off sale at Planet Books and a coffee and chat with J was all too alluring and I schlepped out in the heat. I also FINALLY took along my Birthday vouchers for Planet and that in some way alleviated the cost of my spoils! I replaced the Mieville but not the Linqvist. I bought hopefully only the Buffy graphic novel volumes I am missing. I grabbed both Liar and Leviathan and I also nabbed a Maureen Johnson. J laughed at me. I have done no reading at all these holidays and I just took a visual audit of my to read piles. Ouch.
And in other news, repeat customers are happy customers. I came home and decided to see if I could neaten up a couple of bits of Benji's coat. He happily lay down and showed me his stomach which he had not let me trim at all. Obviously the hair cut has been working out for him. He definitely looks like a happier (and younger) dog.