I am a semi-regular reader of Zen Habits and have bookmarked more than a few of the columns because they're worth a second or third look. Earlier this week I read a column about how and why I should do a home organizing audit (article here). In a nutshell, the writer believes that we tend to overlook or ignore that which we see daily. So any unfinished project like pictures not yet hung or books not yet sorted and stored tend linger because we don’t really see them any more. Then other messes accumulate there, which also go unnoticed. Auditing each room takes the blinders off so all messes, unfinished projects or trouble spots can be identified and prioritized for fixing or what have you.
I see this happen with my sewing. I’ll leave my sewing machine out in our living space as I’m working on a project because it’s either out to be used or else it’s stored in a closet. Then the ironing board stays out as well. Add to that the iron itself plus the little spray bottle I use to dampen the material, and of course let’s not forget my sewing box and button box. Pretty soon I’ve taken over the corner by the pass through, which is also where we sit to eat. Then we can’t sit together to eat dinner but end up eating at our desks. You get the picture.
So today I’ve been working on that organizing audit. I’ve already captured two pages of things to be done. They range from very, very minor (reorganize a closet) to fairly major and/or tedious (re-grout the tub).
Kent’s traveling this week. I shared the article with him, and then today told him I was doing this audit. He’s afraid, he’s very afraid. After looking at this list, I can see why.
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