As an admitted pack rat and slob, this isn't a topic I'd normally be able to write on with any experience. My previous bachelor life was filled with rooms filled with stuff, mostly in no particular order. Kate has done a lot to push me in a positive direction, but with the new house constantly under construction, it was hard to put anything away and keep things orderly. That's a thing of the past. Now that the house is mostly finished, and all the boxes, tools, construction materials and junk are put away or sent to the landfill, I have to say that living without clutter is so nice!
The dining room can be dined in. The guest room can accommodate guests. The computer room is now just a computer room, and not also a closet. There's room to walk...plenty of room. Instead of paths we have spaces. We've traded junk for decor. It's really interesting, because I haven't really felt this way about a place I've lived since I moved out on my own fifteen years ago. Even my college dorms before that, especially my single rooms, we cramped and bloated with crap.
I finally feel like I'm living in a home comparable to the one I grew up in, where everything (for the most part) has a place, and nothing just sits out taking up space. It really lightens you up mentally when you don't feel mildly claustrophobic in your own house.
So I've made a commitment to myself to help keep this place neat. I'm not going to let it get out of control again. And I'm going to spill that sentiment over into my professional life. My edit suite at work is a shamble of tapes, scripts, notes and useless clutter. Starting next week I'm straightening it up and keeping it that way. No more excuses. No more BS rationalizations like, "I need to keep everything out in front of me or I'll forget it." I need to figure out a new way of keeping tabs on things that doesn't involve table-papering my desk.
No more clutter. No more scatterbrained, slipshod organization. A frenzied environment equals a frenzied life. I'm ready for order.
