I have always been called a "pack-rat" I guess that this is why I became an antique dealer, my accumulating had become out of control and in order to accumulate "new" items I needed an outlet to rid myself of the old.
I love what I do, I love the research and the history of each piece, but I also love the collecting and the shopping. I display and use my antiques and collectibles, very few items are behind glass or out of reach. I wouldn't have it any other way. But organization has never been one of my strong suits.
Anyway... back to the article
"Creative people's clutter needs to be organized too"
Sonja HallerThe Arizona RepublicOct. 6, 2005 12:00 AM
"A right-brainer likes to leave things out where they can see it," Silber said. "They're more comfortable juggling many things and flitting from one thing to another." Nakone says creative people fall into either the "harmonizing style" or "innovating style" of operation and organization. Harmonizers struggle to set limits and may lack focus and structure, while innovators have a hard time with follow-up and dealing with details.Both authors say the benchmark of when organized chaos becomes disorganized chaos is the point where creative people can't find what they need when they need it. The emphasis is on the word when, since right-brainers often claim they can find what they need, but not often in a timely manner. Thus, they are wasting their time, their employer's time and their family's time. Nakone cites a statistic that the average office employee spends the equivalent of six weeks a year looking for things. "
This article refers to a "piling not filing" system of keeping clutter in control... this is my method. My daughter's and He Who Lights Up My World tease me about my "piles" of stuff. My piles are neat and orderly stacks of items and I know what is in each and every one of them.
Here are some methods offered for staying organized:
- Pile, don't file: Right-brainers loathe filing. So they shouldn't have to. They should, however, have a method to their madness: Pile by projects. All papers pertaining to the writing project piled in this location. All bills needing to be paid, piled here. Or pile by zones. All messages that I need to return are filed by the phone. All things that I don't want to forget to take with me are piled by the door. "Or if you work or live with an extreme left-brainer, find a clear container with a lid and pile everything in there," Silber said. "It's the same pile. It's just that now it's contained."
- Set limits: Right-brainers don't want to spend precious time organizing, filing and sorting. That's OK, Silber says, but they still need a simple system to stay ahead of the paper avalanche and a left-brain spouse's recriminations.For example, a right-brainer could decide to answer or dump all e-mails once they reach 15 in their in-basket.
- Make duplicates: Duplicates are an efficient way for the right-brainer to keep life moving because they're likely to misplace those small, loose items. Buy extras of loose items that get lost often such as keys, glasses, pens and tools. Keep them in the car, in a work desk or a special drawer where all duplicates go.
- Find an organizing buddy: People who can't stop collecting and are sentimental about possessions need a buddy to help them purge. "Someone who isn't a family member is best," Nakone said. "This person should guide them and let them know that what they're getting rid of is going to a good place, such as a charity."
- Buy a big clock: Right-brained thinkers often get immersed in a single task, which can result in accomplishing the impossible. But it can also result in missed deadlines and appointments and tardiness. Sometimes having something as simple as a giant clock can keep creative thinkers on task and organized. "
I don't know if I will change my way of doing things but it is good to know that there is help for folks like me...
