10 Aug 2006 10:08 PM

Finding a place for every item and keeping it there.

Finding a place for every item one uses and then making sure that item ends up back where you got it is the battle cry of every mom and/or housekeeper.

The biggest difficulty with this task is what to do with all the items you never asked for and never use. "Pitching them" always produces a scream in your mind that says, "this cost money" and "how do I know I won't need it" and "it's wasting to throw something usable away".

Sorting the things you use to be easily accessible where and when you need it is the important part. My books are sorted by category, same as my files. Larger categories group subsets -- i.e. science books are separated by biology/genetics, astronomy, physics and computers. Writing books are separated into idea generation, poetry, fiction, and marketing. Magazines are collected together. Supplies are in another area. Keeping this planned out takes time because writing is a cumulative learning process that seemingly never ends.

Putting things back where you got them is even harder. I spend many hours looking for the notebook with a specific item in it. Only to fail. Having my office in one place should reduce this agony.

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