Tiny steps

This is, currently, the only non cluttered space in my office.

WARNING: This is a post about cleaning up my office (or trying to) which may not be at all interesting to any of you. So feel free to move on and check back in a few days when some other, potentially more interesting topic is on the table. Or read on, if you’re curious.

At the beginning of this month (and of this year, actually) I made the grand resolution that I was going to clean my office. And I started following the steps on Apartment Therapy’s January Cure, narrowing the scope from the entire apartment to just my little home office.

Easy peasy, right?

Well here it is, 2 weeks later, and I haven’t really done all that much. Which is more like my 2012 operational style than I care to admit. I did tidy up a bit, so that I have room on the floor to push back my chair and I can see a bit of the surface area of my desk. And (see photo above) I cleared off one shelf, exposed the high-gloss red I’d painted it when we first moved in here, and put just a few of my favorite things on display… in other words, I made the kind of tiny space that looks like the rooms in the magazines I drool over so jealously. When I look at that little area, I feel better about myself, somehow.

But I fear I have strayed from the path and must now get back on track. By the end of the month, I’m supposed to be done with my two self-appointed tasks (clear off the desk and clear off the piles of stuff from the floor) but at the rate I’m going, I’ll be lucky to get half of one done.

So today is the day to regroup and to get back on track. I’m going back to Apt Therapy to see just how far behind I have fallen…

Ok so week one of the January Cure asked us to make a list of projects, set up an outbox, stock up on green cleaners, clean the floors and get fresh flowers. I did everything except the floors because my office is so cluttered that I couldn’t really even get to the floors to clean them. Oh well.

Week two asks us to get a fresh perspective on the space, choose one task to do this month, chose some art to frame and get going on that, work on the party we’re going to have to celebrate the new clean space, clear out excess from the kitchen, buy flowers and cook a meal.

Actually, I did a lot of this stuff too… Took not one but 5 things to the framers (though none of them are going to end up in the office, so does that count?) I’m probably not having a party just to celebrate the tidy version of my office. That seems kind of lame. Though maybe I’ll invite my husband, because the current chaotic state of my office bothers hi to the core. Now while I should have cleaned out excess from the office, I couldn’t resist attacking the kitchen, so I cleared out one shelf, got rid of 9 bottles of old grains, expired boxes of food, etc. Didn’t get fresh flowers because the old ones still look good.

Week three is where I faded out. I was supposed to create a landing strip, that mythical place close to the entrance of my apt where I sort through the mail put my keys away and prevent any unnecessary clutter from getting all the way in. I really need one of these, but am far from having it. Then I was supposed to work on my goal project (nope), try a media fast (hah!), declutter books and media (no comment) and clean my bedroom. Oh and more flowers. Of course, I have done none of this.

Translating this to the office, I’m thinking the media fast and decluttering is easy. I could use an inbox (hello landing strip, office style) and, well, I did clean out my bedroom fairly well because my in laws just came to town and I like to put our best foot forward, clean-home wise, when they visit.

Day 14 and 15 are all about getting files together (a year-long project, in my case) and controlling the chaos of the cords. Both need to be done. Badly.

Hmmmmm. Lots to do. Got to get realistic, pick one project to do in the office (desk! desk! desk!) and think of anything else as a bonus. Wish me luck, as I have 10 days left. Plus I’m trying to write other, normal, far more interesting posts as well. That involve stuff outside of the limited sphere of my apartment. So you guys won’t all get bored and stop coming to visit.

And hopefully, by month’s end, I will be typing these missives from a clean desk.

Fingers crossed.