Disorganized
People keep telling me how “organized” I am. I hear it a lot, and it always makes me laugh. In fact, I can pretty much guarantee that if Neil is reading this right now, he’s laughing his head off at the idea.
Kind of like this: 
It’s true that I am surrounded by microcosms of organization:
- My fabric stash is organized by designer and collection.
- My box of inventory is organized by color.
- My store book shelves are organized by media, publisher, and alphabet (or chronology, depending).
- My meal plan is currently organized, although this changes with the wind…
- My flickr photos are organized into collections, and then into sets.
Basically most of the things that I blog about are organized. But organized on a grand scale? Oh, I wish! My home is the antitheses of organization. I would guess that it has something to do with trying to store too many things in too small a space, but it also has much to do with lack of serious effort. A truly organized person would sort through the mail the moment it came into the house. She would immediately throw away the junk, file the important papers, and put the bills in their designated spot, to be dealt with at a predetermined time. I dump the mail on the kitchen table. Or sometimes the back of the couch. I rifle through it quickly to see if there’s anything fun for me, and then I just leave the rest of the pile laying there. And the other people who live in this house are not a whole lot better.
So, in the interest of full disclosure, allow me to present a view of my home as it exists this very morning. I am not showing you the bedrooms or the bathrooms, but let me assure you they are no better than anything else you are about to see.
And there you have it. Several years’ worth of complements undone in one 42 second clip 
. Now, why did I just do that? I have no idea. What I do know is that I have a couple of rooms to clean and I’d best get started now before the urge passes.
Oops. There it goes…
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I am sitting here laughing. Your house looks completely normal to me
Like a bigger version of my own in fact. Little microcosms of neatness, little blips of organization as islands in a sea of chaos.
The video however gave me the heaves – nothing like hand held cam.
Don’t mistake organization with neatness
I know a lot of very neat ditzes.
See what Elaine has been blogging about: Year of Clay – Chain Earrings
I like that – “blips of organization as islands in a sea of chaos.” That sums it up nicely
Yeah, the camera work got a bit crazier since I sped it up double-time…
BTW, nice to see you! I was just realizing the other day I hadn’t heard from you lately.
I am dusting everything online off and getting back into the fray. Life got in the way of online & clay for a bit there before I remembered that oh yeah, clay and online ARE part of life.
Any good organizational hints for life? Rather than just the clutter
See what Elaine has been blogging about: Year of Clay – Chain Earrings
Aside from post-its? ‘fraid not
I will restart the organization compliments now, though, granted, they are memory-lane-style compliments:
When Lisa was in college, she had all of Billy Joel’s music. Not satisfied with having said music on its original recordings, she had created (un?)mixed tapes so she’d have all of Billy Joel’s music alphabetized by song.
There was also the famous post-it note system, which continues to inspire me to this day.
OMG. I forgot about the Billy Joel collection…
OMG, so did I! How embarassing…
Oh, man. I totally forgot about that. I have to admit, while I don’t do the alphabetical tape thing anymore, I do have a mix CD series I call “One for the Road” and each CD has the greatest hits (in my own estimation) of my favorite artists. And, of course, the songs on these CDs are in chronological order.
Ok, maybe I *am* scary organized…
Now why don’t I remember the post-it thing?
Every single thing you had to do was on a (color coded, I believe) post-it that hung from the shelf on your desk. When you finished a task, you’d throw it away. Like crossing things off a to-do list, but more gratifying.
I have used that system off-and-on myself, completely inspired by you. Of course, it does rely on me being able to *find* the post-its, in multiple colors, no less.
That’s brilliant – wish I remembered thinking of it, LOL! That’s pretty neat that it works for you all these years later.
These days I only really use post-its to remind myself that I have to do/bring something before I leave the house. I stick them on the front door at eye level so I (theoretically) can’t miss them.
hahahaha! your house looks like mine! (and I have a christmas decoration or two still up as well – eek!)
Glad I’m in good company! I took down all of the Christmas stuff except for the tree. I figure if I just sit in one of the other rooms, it won’t bother me
That’s hilarious
! But thanks for sharing – it looks just like MY house (except for the Christmas tree – that made me choke on my coffee, laughing). I don’t feel so bad anymore and if my hubby nags me about our house, I’ll just show him yours and say, “See, it’s not just here.”
I’m always happy to do my part to help my readers maintain marital bliss in their own homes
Haha! This is great! People think I’m organized as well…I just clean up the house before anyone shows up! But don’t go into the basement or attic, or look under the beds.
Or in the closets! I almost opened the hall closet door for my video, but thought better of it. The rooms I did show were revelation enough.
I think creativity and messy houses go hand-in-hand. At least, that’s what I’m hiding behind
Yeah, that was a pretty good picture of my reaction you had up there.
Judging by the comments, I’ll say you have good friends…. not very honest, but that’s what friends do for one another.
If the goal is to frighten these people, next time you should show the kids room and the inside of the fridge.
Congratulations on the tree. I think Aidan may have one the pool.
See what Neil Clarke has been blogging about: Captain’s Lament by Stephen Graham Jones
Ugh. Nice spelling… Won, not one. Back to 1st grade I go.
I just knew I could count on your support.
And, hey, I cleaned out the freezer today, so pfththth!
Of course you can count on me!
Did you take any pictures of the shriveled mystery meat we found in the fridge the other day? I feel another Flickr group coming on…
No, but I did photograph the bag of “Fully-Cooked Pork we Don’t Know What to do With.”
I love you!
Thanks for sharing your organized house with us. Looks like mine except the stuff is spread over 4 floors (tri level with a basement) and my tree isn’t still up because I didn’t bother with one this year…I suppose that is cheating.
It was great, thanks so much!
I’ve got four floors, too (split level with a basement) but I figured I should stay out of the bedrooms and such. Trust me, they’re just as bad, LOL! Oh, and the tree is still there. Although I did remove about 1/4 of the decorations a few days ago. Progress.
ok Lisa…how did you get into MY house to make that video? There is a whole lot of difference between organized and being a neat freak. My question is….is your house a home, can you function in it? does it only make you crazy once in a while? Then to heck with it all.
Yeah our house is a cluttered mess and yes, I get a wild hair once in a while and it gets neat, but having two pack rats doesn’t help any. But, our house is a home, filled with love and laughter and we keep on going.
You have the most important things organized and thats what it’s all about. I mean gads, what would you do if you couldn’t find the “fully cooked pork we don’t know what to do with”?
See what Kathi has been blogging about: Tsunami Tuesday
Yeah, sure, the house is a home and all that. But I do feel that the mess is a problem if for no other reasons than it keeps us from having playdates here, and it teaches my boys some really bad habits. I don’t really need to live in a completely neat house, but I think it’s reasonable to not have to trip over junk on the floor every time I try and go from one room to another
WOOT!!! its not just me!!! yeah baby!! whoo i feel much better now!
My work here is done
OMG, I just found your blog this morning and I think I love you! LOL I did a similar post a couple of weeks ago. This is so my house, and I have 7 kids that are little pigs, so even when I pick up every day, this is usually the state of my house LOL
See what Tonya Richard has been blogging about: Walking again
Oh my gosh, with 7 kids I think you have a very good excuse! I’ve gotten into this state with only 2. Ack. Welcome to my blog