Thursday, January 5, 2012

Disorderly Organization, I own it!

Truthfully, I don't own it.  Being "disorderly" is frowned upon, it is seen as a weakness, so I don't own it.  I do privately accept it.  I have a tendency to be "disorderly".  There I said it - Is there a DA group meeting right now?

I am always amazed, she says in a strong sarcastic tone, how "everyone", specifically my husband and sister, tell me how I am so disorganized and how I need to do this or that!  I hear you need to stop pinning and pick this up, or if you filed you could find this, or just file 5 mins everyday, or buy the supplies you need to make this happen,or, or, or - I could go on for days.  DAYS I tell you!  Everyone has "their" system and according to them it is universally the best thing ever! 

I recognize I need more "order" in my life.  My excuses, YES EXCUSES, for this "disorder" are as follows:

1 - I manage 8 to 10 people's needs on any given day!  You see, there is our family of 4 - I need to manage our schedules, meals, household, school, sports, work, charity events, vacations, summer camps, hosting parties and volunteering at both of the boys schools and in our community.  There is my mother & sister - they have to be worked into the system - both want to see our boys - do dinner, get together and I hold their private documents for safe keeping (can you believe the sister trusted me since I have such a "disorderly" office)?  Then the in-laws - he is usually flying, being that he is a commercial pilot - so when Sr. comes into town - things get dropped and moved to accommodate him seeing our boys.  There is Mimi who doesn't require a whole lot but still needs managed - what time is dinner, want to do lunch, when can I see the boys - general stuff like that.  Mimi has a killer travel schedule.  Then there is the only non-family member who I need to manage - our house cleaner.  Schedule changes, never knowing when she is showing up, keeping things picked up for her, making sure she has supplies, and so on.  Keep in mind I AM NOT COMPLAINING I get to "manage" all of this - I am simply "EXCUSING" my disorder!

2 - My husband's business - AGAIN NOT COMPLAINING - when he decided to leave his partnership at a downtown firm and open his own business I became the secretary.  Filing, scanning, emails, follow-up, maintaining records - the paper goes on and on AND ON!  Paper is my nnemesis! Being that we have a personal business I have to maintain impeccable records in the event of an audit - so every receipt, charitable donation, medical EOB, saving account, bank account, check written, home improvement, monthly bill, credit card statements all find a place - in the middle of my desk.

3 - My desire - I have no desire to file, scan, maintain records, followup on request and so on.  No desire what so ever!   Well, possibly a little desire - the desire to not go to jail for a bad tax return. But other than that . . .


I feel my excuses are valid, despite the woe is me comping from the peanut gallery!. 

So, I recently started the yearly process of getting our taxes together - every piece of paper (yes, I know if it has already been filed it could already be done) gets sorted and placed in special labeled enveloped.  Then documents get scanner, spreadsheets created and forwarded to various people.

It was while I was going through my "organization box" a 33 gallon plastic tub from Target, that I found a most exciting discovery.  I found a Christmas present I needed to wrap just short 2 weeks ago.



My "exciting discovery" was a book from a series my husband enjoys.  I had bought the book before it ever came out - was so excited about giving it to him and there it sat in the filing bucket. Damn you filing bucket - got me again.  Why couldn't it be the scarf I had ordered for myself, why did it HAVE to be a gift for him?

I am not sure I will confess this "exciting discovery" was "temporarily misplaced" in the filing.  You see, back when we first started dating in 1988, there was this Christmas gift that I misplaced in the back of my closet.  As a result I didn't have a present for him.  23 years ago it was "misplaced" and it has only been in the last 3 to 4 years the story has died down but now . . . it seems my "disorderly" filing busts me.  You can bet I won't live this one down anytime soon.

What exciting discoveries have you found recently in your disorder?  Assuming, of course, you are not my sister or husband, who both have no disorder!

Happy Pinning

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