I think most people who know or have worked with me in the past would consider me to be an organized person. I always meet my deadlines, I have a filing system, and everything on my desk sits at right angles. Okay, not exactly right angles (I’m hearing Tom Selleck as Monica’s boyfriend on Friends say, “If it’s not a right angle, it’s a wrong angle”) but everything has its own place. My house is generally clean- if the baseboards aren’t always shining, at least my son’s toys get put away every evening, and dishes aren’t left in the sink overnight.
But I have a deep, dark secret.
My linen closet.
It’s revolting.
There are towels falling all over the place. Flat sheets unmatched with their fitted counterparts. Attempted stacks of washcloths that toppled over months ago. Christmas hand towels mixed in with everyday ones. And somewhere back there, a humidifier that I really should dig out before winter sets in.
It’s not just the linen closet, either. I have pockets of disorganization all over the house: the drawers in the platform bed in Edwin’s room; the left-hand compartment of my desk; parts of the dining room sideboard. In all of these places, stuff is stuck in haphazardly. You can’t see what’s there- heck, you can barely open the drawer.
My husband doesn’t complain about it, but I’m pretty sure it drives him crazy.
And yet, my bookshelves are immaculate, and my closet is perfectly organized by type, color and occasion. My digital filing system is streamlined, and there are no stray papers on my desk. So what’s wrong with me? Am I selectively organized?
That’s what I used to think, until last week, when I had a “Eureka!” moment while watching Nick, my husband, cut up an apple.
(Um, hello, Leanne, an apple? Yeah, I know. Just stay with me.)
When I cut up an apple, I chop it as quickly as possible, so all the pieces end up different sizes. It doesn’t look pretty; it doesn’t need to. In ten minutes, it’s going to be in my stomach. I don’t care what it looks like, because I’m not going to be looking at it.
In contrast, when Nick cuts an apple, he takes his time, and all the pieces come out exactly the same. They look as apple slices should look: smooth and beautifully curved. He does it the right way; I do it the fast way.
And that’s the core (excuse the apple pun) of my problem with organization. When it comes down to doing things fast or doing them right, I will ALWAYS choose fast. Efficiency trumps organization every time. So when I need to put something in a drawer, I’m just going to shove it in the drawer. Out of sight, out of mind. The reason my bookshelf, closet and desktop are neat is that they are NOT out of sight. I can’t bear the sight of clutter. So I put the clutter where the sun don’t shine.
Theoretically, I know that if I organized these areas of the house, I’d save time in the future by being able to find things more quickly. I’m starting to tackle these projects one at a time, and hope to slowly bring the disorganized areas under control. But I also know myself. At some point, the messy drawers and sloppy linen closet will creep back again. Because when I’m just trying to get the job done, I’m not going to worry about folding something perfectly, or finding the exact right spot for it in the drawer. I’m just going to put it away.
(Sorry, Nick.)
How about you? In what ways are you organized? Are you disorganized in odd places?