On Disorganization, and Where I've Been These Days

Dolls! It's been ages. I've tried crafting elaborate excuses, such as I've been super-cali-fragilistic-busy at my new(ish) job at an outdoor recreation magazine, that I've been spending the long summer evenings whipping my body into race-running shape, or spending quality time with the hubs, or climbing mountains in New Hampshire on the weekends, but those reasons are only partly true. I also needed to recharge, find some new topics to discuss, and finally address the problem behind why I've been a deadbeat blogger:

I'm disorganized.

Not where-did-I-put-my-car-keys? disorganized. I'm chronically, pathologically disorganized. Not only do I not have a clue where my car keys are, I'm not exactly positive where my car is. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating. But the point is, I can't function as a scatterbrain anymore. And I can't keep watching Hoarders just to feel normal by comparison. Unless I'm climbing over a pile of broken coffee makers just to get to the bathroom, I don't actually have a problem, right?

Maybe not, but I do know that I've spent almost my entire twenties rushing, running late, losing things, forgetting appointments, and procrastinating. Not to mention chastising and berating and hating myself every time I misplace a parking ticket or forget to return a voicemail. It’s exhausting, and I am far too old to be tripping over dirty laundry on the bedroom floor like when I was in high school.

To make this leap from train wreck to tidy, I've decided to follow the lead of the brilliant Dr. Marilyn Paul, a Boston-area consultant (and reformed slob) with a Ph.D. from Yale and a book on organization titled It's Hard to Make a Difference if You Can't Find Your Keys. In it, Paul encourages readers to keep a journal of their transition. Since the path to organization, for me, is littered with fashion magazines, piles and piles of shoes, and clothing I don't really ever wear, I felt this blog might be a good place to track my progress. That, coupled with the potential for failure in front of an audience, will surely keep me motivated. More to come...