Organization for the disorganized...

My mom complains to me on a daily basis that I need to be better about being consistently clean.  I feel like I am where it counts— I try not to leave dirty dishes in the sink, I leave the living room free of my clutter because of my roommates, I never leave dirty clothes on the floor…. but she’s right.  I wish I was more Type A, with the ability to neatly store things back exactly where I put them and always having my bed freshly made and tidy.  

It seems I am utterly incapable of this.  But, it took me a while to realize that it’s not just me being lazy, it might just be who I am, and I have little control over it.  I’m someone who, when working on a project, needs to see everything in front of me.  So, I lay out piles of fabric on the floor, splayed across the table, while I work.  I dump out my drawer of paintbrushes and acrylics and let the colors speak to me.  I take out random items of clothing from my closet to decide what I want to wear because I need to see it all together.  But I can’t put it all back, not right away, because that would disrupt the flow of my creativity, don’t you understand?  I need to keep everything the way it is!  Otherwise, I forget what I was doing, sometimes completely.  Out of sight, out of mind.

I once read this magazine article that perfectly catered to my organizational needs.  It showed you how you can be organized in a way that still allows you to see everything you need, when you need it.  Like, using corkboards for pinning your jewelry to the wall.  

Now, if only I can remember where I put it….