Like so many Americans, she was trying to construct a life that made sense from things she found in gift shops.
- Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
You know when there’s a Monday holiday and you go to get mail and realize there isn’t any? I’m kind of feeling like that w this post. It’s Purgeday Thursday and, even though I’m not on a holiday, there’s not much purging to post.
At the moment, I am finishing a calligraphy order that has freshly inked envelopes, hundreds of envelopes, drying here, there, and everywhere. It’s like some sort of Christo installation with paper covering all surfaces from my office spilling out into my dining room. Tomorrow, once everything is dry, I should be able to find my desk again.
Back on the Purge-front, one thing I have been really trying hard to do is not buy things that I normally justify as making my workspace more functional in some way, like this or this or this.
Instead, I am repurposing things I own, as Beth encourages, and have yet to touch that Container Store discount coupon – though it is as enticing as that precious ring was to Gollum. So far, so good. (I haven’t shredded the coupon just yet – you know, in case an organizational emergency should arise.)
For active files I could have bought this because I liked it, instead I had an old IKEA mag rack and put it to use. Putting it up requires screws and mollies and, even though you didn’t ask, I thought I’d share my favorite lazy clever way to hang things using Post-It’s. Well, not the little yellow stickies but this brilliant label roll they make that has tons of uses. I originally used it for file tabs and quick labeling.
One day, I was going to hang something that needed nails in two spots when I realized this stuff was really multi-functional. (I have no idea why it annoys me so much when an item is prepped with two hangers but it does – even though I assume the whole point is to keep the thing from falling off the wall).
Here’s how I used it to hang the mag rack. (Forgive the pics - but I decided to photograph it as I was hanging it and just grabbed the phone.)
I am happy to say that this whole genius plan of Morgan’s has helped me tackle the annoying little things that I’d been putting off for ages.
And I am hoping that next week I will finally have figured out a system for filing receipts that can actually be defined as filing. Like desk drawers, decorative boxes can give the false impression of actually being organized. xo a.
