Clutter expert gives writer a clean slate

The part of my office that was most embarrassing was all the food shoved in nooks and crannies,  everything from Sweetarts to three-year-old sunflower seeds.

I figured she’d make me toss the snacks out pronto. But she actually created a “pantry” for me on a bottom shelf that contained all the food in one place. (I did throw out the sunflower seeds.)

She was all about putting like items together, like forks with forks and spoons with spoons in a utensil drawer.

That meant a shelf or two for office supplies, another for reference books, and two for “actions” items, things I’m working on at any moment. Those action items were set within the easiest reach and stacked horizontally to appease my creative brain.

I kept getting kudos from Bergeron throughout the process because I was willing to throw stuff out and didn’t protest too much. But I never admitted to her that I had a sinking feeling in my stomach when I saw the size of the trash pile.

We finished organizing the workspace by noon, and I couldn’t believe the transformation. Honestly, I was actually uncomfortable sitting at my desk because it seemed like someone else’s office.

As she was packing up to leave, I wondered if my desk would ever look this good again. My clutter was my own fault — not because I wanted to be disorganized but because I got consumed by work and was unable to stay on top of the junk jumble that became my desk.

She suggested that every day, when I have a work lull, I take 10 minutes and “push your chair out and stand up.” Then I should file, act and trash, or FAT, as it’s called in organizer lingo. File what needs to be filed, act on the things I need to act upon and trash what needs to be trashed.

“FAT chance,” I was thinking to myself as I showed her out.

But something happened a few hours after Bergeron left me in a sea of organization. I found a copy of a key research paper I needed for a project that I thought I had accidentally thrown away. I had a working pen handy when I was on the phone and wanted to write down some information. My husband asked me for a large paper clip and I was able to hand him one within seconds.

I know, it doesn’t sound like a big deal. But I have to admit, it’s only been a few days and already I feel more productive.

I can’t promise my husband he won’t experience a downslide of paperwork and books onto his side of the office again, but for now the piles are gone and there’s a place for my Sweetarts.

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