Out of Sight, Out of Mind

This is truly my organizational theory. I need to have everything in sight, or I will forget about it. (Turns out that doesn't really work...) Today, I tackled my desk. I was worried about this one. I was avoiding it. The truth is that I only did it because I had a ulterior motive.

This week, my new computer arrived. It's the cutest little netbook, and I am typing on it right now. Since I started my own business last summer, I've tried to justify the purchase of a new computer because my current one was a piece of junk, but I wanted to really earn it. I made myself wait until I hit a certain business benchmark, and when I got there last week, I CELEBRATED! I got my netbook, and I am looking forward to how it will help me keep track of my business. The only issue I have right now is that I want to install Microsoft Office, but I can't find my 2007 CD. Shockingly, my desk and its shelves were a mass of paper and other stuff. Hmmmm...

This afternoon, I took 90 minutes to attack my desk. I have a full bag of garbage, a stack for the shredder, more items for my stuff box, and a super clean desk! I am so excited to throw away the dusty, disgusting plastic drawer units that were on the desk's shelves; as soon as I post this entry, they are doing down my garbage chute. (Gotta love living in a highrise...)

What did I throw away? Are you kidding? EVERYTHING! The real question is what I kept:

Pens (now in a small basket)
Items for geniza (will take next week)
CDs (already tucked away in my CD book)
Printer paper and cardstock (who knew I had this stuff? WOW!)
three socks--straight to laundry bin!

In addition to getting rid of clutter, I'm actually FINDING money in my home. How great is that? Here's what I found:

At least a couple dollars in small change--all went straight to my tzedakah box.
Crate and Barrel gift certificate
Krispy Kreme gift certificate
Several other gift cards. They are all in a stack on my kitchen counter, and I'm going to call the 800 number on each to find out the balance. Cards with zero balances will be tossed, and I'll use a sharpie to write the remaining balance on the rest.

Ninety minutes of cleaning and sorting, 20 minutes of putting everything away. My home might not look perfect right now, but I have moved one more step in the right direction.

Except that I still haven't found that Office CD.