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alisande_gw

Wanna take bets? How long can I keep it like this?

alisande
15 years ago

New (used) desk. I'm thrilled to have it set up. But equally thrilling is that it's finally out of the living room, where it sat (covered with a quilt . . . and gradually covered with all sorts of stuff) for six months. I felt as though I was in limbo with that 8-foot mass in the middle of my living room.

Comments (17)

  • des_arc_ya_ya
    15 years ago

    Omigosh! How neat and tidy! Not even gonna wager on the time frame, girl - just ENJOY! LOL

  • jamie_mt
    15 years ago

    Wow - I haven't seen that much of my desk in a long time...beautiful! ;-)

  • bronwynsmom
    15 years ago

    In answer to the "how long..." question, not long, UNLESS...!!
    I have battled the tendency to keep a horribly messy desk for decades, and the only winning strategy I have found has four rules:
    !. Establish a permanent home for everything you use regularly, like your calendar and address book and a pad and writing implements and a file folder and/or a tray with a cover for paperwork in progress, or whatever works for you.
    2. Don't sit down there unless you have something specific to do, and the time to do it.
    3. Start five minutes before you start, and lay out everything you need to do your task, like a chef's "mise en place" of prepared ingredients for a recipe.
    4. Quit ten minutes before you have to leave the desk, and put everything away.

    Then I'll put my money on your keeping it that way for a good long time!
    What do you think?

  • alisande
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    I'll adopt some of your rules, Bronwynsmom. Also, I'll have the motivation of accountability: My son moved the desk for me, and my son has expressed the hope that I'll keep it neat and clean. He comes here often . . .

    Thanks, guys!

  • claire_de_luna
    15 years ago

    It's beautifully organized...congratulations! I'll bet you can keep it that way; it looks like you don't have anything there you don't need. I like all your pictures at eye level when you're sitting down. Enjoy it!

  • sheesh
    15 years ago

    It's almost a week! How're you doing?

    FYI, I saw your post and cleaned up our office/library Wednesday! Thanks! (I didn't dust the books, though. (Sigh))

    Sherry

  • alisande
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Ha! I'm doing pretty well, thanks. My scanner and its documentation, etc., have been added to the desk, along with a spindle of CDs, but I've been careful to keep bits and pieces of extraneous stuff off the surface.

    Frequent and unannounced visits by my son have really helped. :-)

  • jannie
    15 years ago

    You can keep it like that forever. Decide to "straighten up" your lovely office every morning, before you log on the computer. You can do it! I'm betting on YOU!!!

  • brutuses
    15 years ago

    It's so pretty. Now I'm going clean mine!! bronwyn, you sure have a nice plan. Maybe I should try it. Well, first I have to get to my new house and desk, where I'll have a place for everything.

  • justgotabme
    15 years ago

    It looks great alisande. I just cleared mine off last night because I'm thinking of moving it to the library with my hubby's so this room can be used for my sewing room/guest room or just a guest room and use the other bedroom as my sewing room. I've not decided yet. This room has a much bigger walk in closet so it's not an easy decision.

  • alisande
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Confession: my desk is now 100% covered. :-(

    Time for more of that ruthless action I spoke about in another thread.

  • claire_de_luna
    15 years ago

    Do you think we let it get that way, just so we can clean it up? Mine's covered too...

  • jannie
    15 years ago

    It looks great, and I bet if you do just a little every day to maintain it, you will succeed! You can keep it like that forever!!

  • ronbre
    15 years ago

    i wager that if you look well at it when you get up, and spend a minute straightening, you will keep it neat forever

  • brutuses
    15 years ago

    I wish I could learn how to keep my desk clean and neat at all times. I use to work in an office and when I'd get fed up with the piles, I'd stay late one day and clean it. My boss would come in and ask if I was resigning. LOL

  • cybersal
    15 years ago

    How is it after these few months? I notice 2 things that give me great expectations!

    1. You use a trackball, and
    2. Its on the LEFT side.
      But actually, you are probably so busy being creative that you just don't have time for the mundane tasks of keeping things in order. In my house, 6 months isn't unheard of for getting furniture settled in.
      Please post a pic and let us see how things have filled in.
      Sally (Left handed trackball user)
  • alisande
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Oh, Sally, it's dreadful! I posted above (March 4) that the desk was covered. I had it cleaned off for Christmas (and in the process misplaced some books I had listed for sale on Amazon, thereby losing two sales), but stuff has made its way back to the desk.

    Most of the stuff is task related, but looking around me this morning I see on the desk a laboratory hot plate, a car funnel, a rawhide dog bone, and a bra! I'm a disgrace . . . which is something like what my son told me last night when he saw the desk--or, rather, what's on top of the desk.

    In the past, whenever I've taken a job outside the house it has always made me more efficient about getting things done in the house. Deadlines and the necessity to keep some momentum going, I guess. But I started a job in December, and this time it has had the opposite effect; I'm having a very hard time keeping up with the clutter. Since I'm the only person who lives here, I know the stuff isn't accumulating while I'm at work, but that's the way it seems.

    Incidentally, I'm right handed. The trackball was on the left because I switch sides from time to time to prevent more carpal tunnel issues. (However, my new job threatens to give me CT problems.)

    One nice thing that was added to my desk since the above picture was taken is a very large, sleek, and beautiful Canon scanner. I've been having fun scanning my dad's negatives, slides, and prints going back to the 1930s.

    Susan