Inspired by the Unclutterer website, and being unmotivated to do actual work that I should have been doing, I decided to clean my desk at home. Here is a before picture:
Actually this is what it looked like after 1 hour of cleaning. It was much worse to begin with. Since I have this problem with focusing and finishing what I start, I decided to clean the area right next to my desk to distract myself from cleaning my desk, but also to keep me on track. I like to play mind games with myself. Here is a before picture of the area next to my desk:
It's amazing the crap you find while cleaning out your desk. Besides organizing all of my receipts from before 2008, and throwing away stuff that I thought I needed but really don't, I organized all my arts and crafts stuff, wrapping paper and gift bags, wedding gifts that didn't have a home, tax documents from 2002 till 2006, and many layers of dust got dusted. I also found:
Actually this is what it looked like after 1 hour of cleaning. It was much worse to begin with. Since I have this problem with focusing and finishing what I start, I decided to clean the area right next to my desk to distract myself from cleaning my desk, but also to keep me on track. I like to play mind games with myself. Here is a before picture of the area next to my desk: It's amazing the crap you find while cleaning out your desk. Besides organizing all of my receipts from before 2008, and throwing away stuff that I thought I needed but really don't, I organized all my arts and crafts stuff, wrapping paper and gift bags, wedding gifts that didn't have a home, tax documents from 2002 till 2006, and many layers of dust got dusted. I also found:
Pictures from New Years 2000. 
The booklet for the cassette tape on how to learn Italian (purchased circa 1995). I bought this so that when I drove from P.V. to UC Riverside, I could (very optimistically) learn Italian in no time. I hope I come across the cassette tape soon too.
A gift certificate to Amadeus Spa from 2 years ago (I hope its not expired).
This short home movie from one of my trips while I was working at JPL about our CRYSTAL-FACE project. It was made in 2002 by a colleague and made me miss the people I knew from my last job.So, without further ado, here are the after pictures of my side of our home office:
Not bad right? It still needs a little work, and lots of purging of stuff I don't need. I have emotional attachments to things like the hotel key card from our trip to NYC 4 years ago and invitations to bridal showers from 5 years ago and the charger to my first cellphone. I was having trouble throwing away wedding magazines, but I managed to give most of them away and when I came across another stack today, I was proud of myself for tossing them. I can't throw away the cards people sent from my wedding, and that's a large stack. Maybe I'll whittle them down one day.
Not bad right? It still needs a little work, and lots of purging of stuff I don't need. I have emotional attachments to things like the hotel key card from our trip to NYC 4 years ago and invitations to bridal showers from 5 years ago and the charger to my first cellphone. I was having trouble throwing away wedding magazines, but I managed to give most of them away and when I came across another stack today, I was proud of myself for tossing them. I can't throw away the cards people sent from my wedding, and that's a large stack. Maybe I'll whittle them down one day.I've that decided for everything that I buy this year (except food and drinks), I will throw away or donate 2 things (clothes, shoes, knick-knacks, whatever I don't use).
The good thing about blogging is that it doesn't create new clutter or mess, and you don't have to buy new stuff to do it. Now its Cary's turn to do his side of our home office:
1 comment:
I have a strong urge to come over with my Endust and label maker. Tell Cary to give me a call if he needs assistance.
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