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talley_sue_nyc

'oh, me of little faith...'

talley_sue_nyc
16 years ago

Do you ever discover you're underestimating yourself? That you are more organized than you assume?

I got a rechargeable battery-powered screwdriver for Mother's Day or something. I love it. I charged it up, and when it was done, I pulled out the plug and put the screwdriver in the triangular closet.

I had a big project a month or two ago, and used up the entire charge. Rats, I thought--I have NO idea where the adapter unit is. And how long will I have to spend digging through the closet that I *think* I put it in? And if I find an adaptor, how will I know it's the right one? It seemed overwhelming. I felt stupid.

I put the screwdriver back on the shelf in the triangular closet.

Last night, I really wished I could charge it. Stop being a lazy bum, I told myself, and at least look for the charger.

Then I asked myself, "If I was smart, where would I have put that?"

Answer: in the triangle closet; in one of the drawers of the 3-drawer unit that serve as my tool & junk drawer.

BINGO! I'm smarter than I gave myself credit for. Not only was it in the first drawer I opened, but I had LABELED IT WITH THE P-TOUCH!!!

I do this to myself often. I think, "I have no idea where I put it," but then when I stop to think where would be the logical or best place to have put it, that's where it is.

And so I shake my head and say, "oh, me of little faith!"

(I'm starting to think that if I put it in the best possible place, then I erase that knowledge from my head. Therefore, if I have no memory of putting it somewhere, that means I put it in the only (or best) logical place)

Comments (12)

  • celticmoon
    16 years ago

    Sounds very adaptive. Like you are saving your memory brain cells for the things you HAVE to recall cause they are not obvious.

    And what is a P touch? Is that the label maker I keep thinking I am ready for? Learn me.

  • claire_de_luna
    16 years ago

    Well...yes I've done that before. (Many times in fact.) I always expect to have to look for something, usually not in the place where it should be if I'd put it away the first time. Usually, I have about three places where it ''could'' be, so I always expect a hunt. It's funny really; I think looking for things is a lot like filing...I'd really rather not! ;)

  • Maura63
    16 years ago

    Ooooh - it sounds like it's time to have the P-Touch discussion again (she types, with glee)

    Yes, it is a label-maker.

    After reading about it on this very forum, years ago, I bought the most basic model and it has been very handy to have. Great for making a label here and there, without having to use your computer/printer. In the past, I had made labels on "return address" sized labels, but was always left with lot of extra labels, and when creating a new document in the future, I had to figure out the format based on empty spaces in order until I used up the whole sheet of labels.

    DS likes to use it to make labels for his dividers in September.

    The portability feature is nice too, creating the labels right near where you want to use the labels.

    CAUTION 1: It is easy to get carried away with the labeling.

    CAUTION 2: You are setting yourself up for being "teased" by well-meaning friends and relatives, if they stumble upon labeled items: "Look at you, you're too much."

    Hope that makes sense! I'm sure you'll read other endorsements too.

    Way to go on the find, Talley Sue. I've used your strategy too. In fact, when my DH is looking for something and I'm not home, he tells himself to think like me, as in "Where would Maura put this?"

    Maura

  • talley_sue_nyc
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    When I was a kid, us kids would be searching for something, and my mother would say, "Have you looked where it BELONGS?"

    We always hadn't, and it was always there.

    I guess we always assumed that it had not been put away.

    I love my Brother P-touch labeler. But it is a bit of a splurge.

    I often say you can do the same labeling as w/ a Sharpie (I wouldn't use it to label file folders; that's a waste of money, I think--the tapes are expensive).

    But it *looks* nicer. And it looks more official--so I think it sometimes keeps me more honest. I take my own labels more seriously, if that doesn't sound stupid.

    The TZ labels are waterproof, and they stay on in the freezer, the dishwasher, etc. They may eventually peel off and need to be replaced (I've had this happen to a freezer cold pak or two), but they stick a REALLY long time.

    And they come off, despite their sticking so well. I've been able to change the labels on plastic boxes, or ceramic jars, without having to worry about the leftover adhesive from the old label.

    I wish I had bought one a little more expensive. I wish I could do two or three lines, instead of just one. I wish I had really splurged and gotten one w/ two fonts instead of the "one font, seven effects" setup the less expensive ones have.

    It would be a splurge--not necessary at all. But there are places where I would really like the extra of having a more formal font.

  • susanjn
    16 years ago

    I always say, "If I were me, where would I put that?"

  • jannie
    16 years ago

    Exactly, when I misplace something, I say to myselF "where did i see it last?" and "If I were me, where would I stash it?'

  • gizmonike
    16 years ago

    We have a Brother P-touch labeller too, and love it.

    Labelling each power adapter, AS WE GET ONE, has REALLY helped our sanity. It's so easy to think, oh, I'll always remember what that goes to. Several months later, NOT!

  • talley_sue_nyc
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I did it again!

    I said, "If I were smart, where would I have put that thing?"

    And it was there! (well, at first I thought it wasn't, but that's because the center drawer of the three-drawer plastic unit I use as my junk drawers was in the other room; I'd taken it out to get something)

    This time, I was looking for the L-brackets and screws that belonged to the extra shelf I was putting back into the "mudroom" shelf unit. (it's not a shelf unit in the mudroom, bcs I don't have a mudroom; it's the shelf unit that I think of as a mudroom)

    And tonight, I ran across my pocket-hole jig that I got for Christmas; I'd stashed it at the very back of some shelf, just shoving it there. And I said, "Where will I look for this, once I need it? I know--the tool box." So I put it there.

    And one day, I'll say, "If I were smart, where would I have put that jig? I know--the tool box!"

  • cupofkindness
    12 years ago

    I am very impressed! It's practically an "against all odds" story! Good for you, Talley Sue!

  • dedtired
    12 years ago

    I do that with computer files. If I am trying to find something I ask myself "if I were naming it now, what would I call it?" and voila! I often find it under exactly that name. Yeah, I know I can search, but sometimes that is faster.

  • talley_sue_nyc
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    What's funny to me is that I start out with the assumption that I won't be able to find it. And then, when it FINALLY occurs to me that I might have been smart I start the process of figuring out what I might have done.

  • HIWTHI
    12 years ago

    I can never find things I put away. Something I learned from reading a book on organization, not everyone should be hiding their stuff and expect to be able to remember where they put it. This knowledge has saved me tons of stress in my office. I no longer put things like envelopes, stationary and other things I use frequently, hidden away. I know keep them in a nice container on the top of my desk at arms length. This is by far the most beneficial thing I learned about my organizational style. Put it away, forget or lose it. Keep in in sight and use it all the time.