Survey #206 Response from Diane
| Pronouns | She/her |
|---|---|
| What is the “canary in the coal mine” that alerts you that your decluttering and organizing habits are starting to slip? In other words, where does clutter first reappear in your life or your home? | I take care of my mother and all her paperwork and mail plus my own paperwork/mail. My canary is when our mail/paperwork gets jumbled up together. My solution is to have several plastic baskets that are about 12"wide by 12" long by 4" deep (bought at dollar store)with different categories ~ bills, financial statements, insurance statements, misc. to do etc. having just 2 baskets for my mom - bills to pay and file. I sort through the my canary pile quickly by category ruthlessly throwing away anything that can be discarded. It reminds me of Gayle's method to keep or toss process except that I categorize the keep right away so that I can deal with what needs to be taken care of right away and If I need to stop the baskets can be piled up within each other neatly until I can get back to the job. This method helped me tremendously when I had my desk was in a public area in my house. I'd be working on a project then have to scoop everything up when company came over. It was very frustrating because all my paperwork would get shuffled and I wouldn't know where I left off- I felt like i was starting over and over again to figure out the piles. By having the baskets I could spread them out on desk and floor and "deal" the paper out by each category and take care of the pile by subject i.e. pay the bills, file the financial statement , methodically because the subject matter was separated. Then stack the baskets when my time was up. I use Gayle big bucket method of filing. I have a broad category for taxes(i.e. when I pay a tax related item it goes in that file- I don't have to go searching at the end of year), bills paid, events, insurance etc. |
| What external factors (conditions, circumstances, situations, etc.) or internal conditions (moods, emotional states, health concerns, etc.) tend to disrupt your productive habits and routines or your motivation to declutter and organize? | We're doing renovations on my house so things are all over the place. my office/ closet is jumbled up because we had to put wiring in where my desk is. I also have to travel about 45- 60 minutes plus to shop for groceries, take of care my mother, bring her to appointments etc. and other errands so a day when she is not feeling well I have to scramble to make sure I have everything on my launch pad to grab so that I can get quickly out the door. I have to be disciplined when I just want to go home and say to myself I need to stop for 5 minutes at this store to get what we need otherwise it will take a long time to get this thing that we need (2 hours due to traveling time) because i don't know when I'll be in the area again. When I leave the house I could be gone all day doing stuff because where we live is not conveniently located. |
| What was the last item that you decided to keep “just in case”? | a junky storage tub so I could get rid of old paint |
| Here’s your chance to ask Gayle and Ed any question you’re curious about. It need not be related to this survey’s topic(s). | We're looking to replace windows in our house- in dealing with the mess is it better just to pack up all the stuff in boxes or just put plastic over it. We have to make room for the carpenters and I'm trying to make it easy for them and us for cleanup - they can do maybe 2 windows a day so that is almost one room a day. I was thinking of putting plastic drop clothes on the walls to cover paintings and keep walls clean I'm wondering if I should take down all the paintings - It is such a big project. |
| Future topics | Maybe The serious paper work of wills, power of attorney etc. how long to keep tax records. I know it is not your expertise another maybe suggesting cross training how to do stuff in the house so that your loved one would know what to do if the other is ill or can't do the task anymore - I've been thinking of making an owners manual for my house because my husband knows how to stuff in the house and I know how to do other stuff that we would have to struggle to figure out if we had to take over each other chore. |
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