Staying Organized, Part One.

I've always thought of myself as a fairly organized person in both my personal and professional life. But the past few years have been rather challenging. I not only had a baby, but also began working for myself and moved across the country. So it seems I have been trying to figure out how to manage the clutter of a highly accessorized toddler, and survive a 3,000 mile relocation, all while working out of my own home. And I can tell you that I was completely unprepared for what this would entail. Just writing about it makes me anxious.

Maintaining an orderly lifestyle is hard work, especially if you do it my way. I must admit to having a "type A" personality, finding satisfaction in controlling everything (and sometimes everyone) around me. I like to be in charge. And so I am, which means that 99.9% of the household chores are my responsibility. From cooking to ironing to financial management, I'm your gal. And while it's great to be able to multitask, I am exhausted. Why did I do this to myself? And more importantly, how can I undo it?

Would my life really be more organized if I had a snazzy planner?

While the answer isn't all that easy, I can tell you I'm making steps in the right direction. I'm starting to delegate a few tasks and thank goodness I have a husband who is receptive to my pleas for help. I'm also trying to find a way to manage the plethora of to-do lists that litter my office (and line the pockets of every pair of pants I own.) I often wonder why I don't put the date and time on my lists, as I never know if the list I am going off of was even written in the last month. There are that many. Yikes! I've tried software, widgets, notebooks... none of them work for me. The solution has to be something portable. Perhaps its time to get back to the basics and try a planner...

I have this letter holder (from Blu Dot) on my desk, but its contents elude me.

This brings me to my next, and probably most visible problem—the top of my desk. No matter how hard I try, every square inch of my desk finds a way of being covered with junk. I've got lists (of course), mail, bills, hair ties, old credit cards, scissors, pencils, tissues, and even wood play food that my daughter brings me to "eat" from time to time. And in the middle, there's just enough room for my laptop. I feel like I'm constantly purging, but to no avail. I think I've figured out the largest problem—I never really set up my office to be functional. Sure, it works for the day-to-day. But when I unpacked, I spent more time on the aesthetic than I did on putting things in their proper places. I guess that's just another item for my to-do list. To be kept in a fabulous day planner. That I have yet to buy...

One area that I can say I feel a little more confident about is our finances. Almost every bill comes via email and I can track all of our statements online. But even better, I finally found a resource that lets me check it all in one place—mint.com. Why didn't I know about this before? Sure, I was a bit hesitant to link all of my accounts, but once I saw the result—a well designed consolidation of all of my finances—I was hooked! Time saved: immeasurable.

Wow. Look at all I've written. And there's so much more. Since I'm not here to bore you (at least not too much), I'll leave the rest until next time. Stay tuned for the next installment—avoiding distraction, date tbd... in the meantime, if you have any advice/solutions/commiseration, send them all my way!