Thursday Thirteen #22: Better decluttering through Thursday Thirteen

Dec 13, 2007

Thursday Thirteen #22: Better decluttering through Thursday Thirteen

Filed in Blog

Thirteen Things on my “desk”

I’ve done this before, but not since I moved into the RV; I did the last one quite some time ago, i.e. back in July. My desk area is now the kitchen dinette: in other words I don’t have a dedicated office. I don’t mind. There’s a lot less clutter this way (though today is definitely bad).

After our recent trip to the post office box, there is a stack of magazines. I hope that by leaving them out they will actually get read instead of stuck in the magazine rack and forgotten like the last batch I found.
A stack of Christmas cards that need stamps but have return addresses.
A stack of bills/remove-from-mailing list requests with stamps but no return address.
The inserts from Sunday’s newspapers that I might as well throw away because the weekly deals will be over soon.

(Yup, but I worked my way through them first , and there was absolutely nothing I wanted except for a product so absurd that I clipped it out to write about later.)
A bottle of cat antibiotics (it’s not opened yet so doesn’t need to go into the fridge).

I put it away. Soon, I will put some of it into the cat.
Three packages of ketchup that we never used because we snaffled down the french fries in the car. ;)

Don just started juggling them.

I put them away.
A telephone.
My advent calendar. (It kept falling off the wall, so it’s propped up against the window now.)
A timer, which I use to divide my tasks into manageable chunks and remind myself not to do the same thing all day. I used it for dinner, too.
My glasses. (They’re now put away in their case.)
A pretty basket full of clutter. (Including the abovementioned glasses case.)
An empty, crushed milk jug that needs to go to recycling, only we don’t have a bag/box for plastic and glass just at this moment.
Several books waiting to be reviewed/given away. (They’re tucked inside a second basket because I took most of the junk out of it and put my loose stuff in there.)

Cool! My desk area is tidy again. I’m so proud. ;)

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Comments

56 Comments, Comment or Ping

Robin (26 comments.)

You must have a bigger rv than my folks do. I’m not sure they had room for clutter LOL. (At least not with 3 grandchildren moving in and two kids and two sons-in-law camping outside.) It was sure cozy in there, to say the least. Thank goodness we had good enough weather to stay outside most of the time!

Dec 13th, 2007
SandyCarlson (1 comments.)

Good for you for managing your desk this way. My “desk” is the entire basement, which I clear out from time to time with a snow shovel!

Dec 13th, 2007
Adelle Laudan (2 comments.)

I ‘almost’ feel inspired to clean my desk. lol
Happy Holidays!

Dec 13th, 2007
Vixen (12 comments.)

Great list and great job organizing. I don’t have a desk/table in the RV/mini cabin right now, I had to take it outside so I could fit the christmas tree.

Happy TT

Dec 13th, 2007
Dawn (5 comments.)

Your desk area sounds like a number of my areas. I find things get put in certain areas then are left until that space is cleaned up. No one thing takes a long time, but sometimes a space can take a long time to straighten out, especially if distracted. It feels good to get something accomplished whether big or small.

I just got my TT up.

Dec 13th, 2007
J. Lynne (35 comments.)

Well, now you can come help me tidy up the disaster my house has turned into. Maybe you can help me find the missing 43 socks. :P

I actually have a dedicated place for my laptop and it’s never that tidy and it’s barely big enough for the laptop. :P

Oh, and our office manager did get her advent tree from Starbucks, btw. And I knitted a cuff and part of a heel of a sock during my two days of healthcare (non-IT) lectures which were mostly not bad. ;)

Dec 13th, 2007
amypalko (3 comments.)

I’ve just cleared my desk this afternoon, and already the clutter is sneaking back in. I’m pretty sure this is a war I just can’t win!

Dec 13th, 2007
Randilin (2 comments.)

This point reminds me just how much I seriously need to clean my desk at work. I will not discuss the desk at home, it is just beyond any hope of being clear..

But the work desk sounds like a great make work project on the last day of work before my vacation.. So thanks…

Dec 13th, 2007
Di (2 comments.)

Sometimes it’s fun to put some of those books to be given away or donated up on your site and have a contest of some sort. It does generate some traffic and if you tell these people about it:

http://laurawilliamsmusings.blogspot.com/

It generates even more traffic. I usually make my readers work for it … even just a little!

Dec 13th, 2007
Matthew James Didier (7 comments.)

I’d declutter… but I fear I’d leave thousands homeless… and I’d also have to explain to Sue how Jimmy Hoffa ended up under all the papers on my desk. Best to leave well enough alone. :)

Dec 13th, 2007
pussreboots (157 comments.)

I actually have to schedule time to read my magazines. Happy TT.

Dec 13th, 2007
Lesley (1 comments.)

I have a chair where I sit with my laptop and a self next to that. We won’t even go into the kinda weird stuff that is on that shelf! And I refuse to declutter. It drives me crazy though so my hubby does it. :D

Dec 13th, 2007
Sarcastic Mom (1 comments.)

Congrats on decluttering! :-)

Dec 13th, 2007
MadameMeow (Kayla) (1 comments.)

Just visiting you like you visited me! And this is a great idea! I may have to snag it sometime.

Today was actually my first TT… and I was so worried that it was dumb/lame, haha.

Your dining room table sounds much like my computer desk!

And you’ve seen my Thursday Thirteen…

Dec 13th, 2007
Justin (1 comments.)

I usually OCD about my desk being clean, however, I’m sending this to my wife for some inspiration!!!

Dec 13th, 2007
Maribeth (3 comments.)

I have a lot of the same things sitting on my desk. Junk mail, books, coupons, I need to do some dejunking myself
Maribeth
Thanks for stopping by my blog
Maribeth:)

Dec 13th, 2007
Greatfullivin (2 comments.)

Good Job!! Getting the clutter done is always a job I dislike. We always have magazines and books sitting about. Maybe I will be more inspired now! Thanks!

Dec 13th, 2007
Damozel (3 comments.)

I did decluttering last week and it’s already piling up again! :( I use baskets as a solution to the little wheels off things (channeling doug Adams) and the bits that I don’t understand but feel I need to think about….

I hope you get some of that antibiotic into the cat! Easier said than done, that. Easier said than done.

Dec 13th, 2007
Rasmenia (8 comments.)

Ha ha…you’ve got me cracking up over “snaffled”. Oh, yeah…I am definitely liking this new word & will be jumping on each opportunity that arises to put it to use. :)

Dec 13th, 2007
Claudia (4 comments.)

My work area is in the middle of our family area so frequently has every thing from wine glasses to shoes laying around. There’s nothing better than a little lovin’ declutter time! Good for you for giving yourself this gift.

Dec 14th, 2007
Rian Fike (5 comments.)

That was really fun to ride along with!

Dec 14th, 2007
Angela at mommy bytes (1 comments.)

I love to declutter! But it is so hard to get going.. Good job.

Dec 14th, 2007
maryt/theteach (2 comments.)

Very funny! Some good cleaning up tips! :)

Dec 14th, 2007
Joely (6 comments.)

I’m absolutely horrid at managing clutter. Happy TT!

Dec 14th, 2007
Edward (1 comments.)

Wow seems that you arranged it in a very good way, mine is messy all the time…

Dec 14th, 2007
nicholas (17 comments.)

We have a load of those little ketchup and mustard sachets in a drawer. I don’t know why, because we never use them.

Dec 14th, 2007
Simone's Butterfly (1 comments.)

Man - I have to do that.

Dec 17th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Hi Robin

I think most RVs work on the principle of being outside most of the time. ;) Ours is 26′ long, so somewhere in the middle. The big 40′ ones are really intimidating to me.

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Sandy–oh, I hear you there! *grin*

Freecycle.org is your friend. ;)

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Adelle–be careful, it might actually happen. ;)

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Hi Vixen

I can’t find my Christmas tree. ;) Don says it’s up on top in the storage shed, but I don’t do ladders. ;)

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Hello Dawn

Yes, clutter is an unending disaster, I think. It just seems to grow…it’s amazing. ;)

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Lynne: big plastic bags and a ruthless attitude. That’s the only way. ;)

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Amy: nope, not possible to win. But you can at least carry on valiantly battling *grin*

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Randilin: so, how did it go?

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Hi Di,

I did actually run a contest to give the books away, but nobody was taking. I think the contest was too complicated and clashed too much with Christmas though. I’ll try again in the New Year. :)

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Matthew: oh, so that’s where that guy went. If you dig hard enough you might find Elvis…

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Pussreboots: Looks like I’ll have to be doing the same. ;)

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Lesley: I’m not sure I could let anyone else declutter for me. Although it must be said that this tends to lead to more stuff being thrown out. ;)

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Sarcastic Mom: Thank you!

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Kayla: Borrow to your heart’s content. :)

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Justin: I prefer a clean desk, but life and my general messy proclivities do seem to get in the way most of the time. Oh well…I try. ;)

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Maribeth: I’m hopeless with coupons. I never remember to actually use them, let alone put them in my purse. ;)

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Greatfullivin: It would be fun to just have a big bonfire sometime. ;)

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Damozel: clutter is an endless plague. The only way, I think, is to just do it at the time and on a daily basis…

The antibiotic thing is working a bit better than I thought. It’s liquid so it’s reasonably easy, not as hard as pills. Pill would be a wrap-in-towels and hold down job. ;)

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Rasmenia, it is a good word and should be used frequently. ;)

Dec 19th, 2007
Randilin (2 comments.)

>Randilin: so, how did it go?

It went great, I have a post about it in my blog. By the time I was done the desk was basically bare. Except for a Clifford the Big Red Dog stuffie that was sitting on my CPU protecting my desk while am away.

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Claudia: I would go crazy if it got as bad as it did in our old home. I still have boxes of paperwork that I need to go through with a fine tooth-comb. Sometime in the next year I am truly looking forward to having a huge bonfire. ;)

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Thank you, Rian :)

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Angela: ooh, someone who likes it? I don’t like the fiddliness of it, but I like the end result.

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Thanks, Mary. :)

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Joely: I don’t think it comes naturally to anyone, to be honest. ;)

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Edward: good luck with your desk, if you ever try to tackle it. ;)

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Nicholas: We use them, usually, though I often end up throwing a bunch away. There is nothing worse than a packet of ketchup that has gone off…blech. Just…blech.

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Simone: good luck!

Dec 19th, 2007
Linda R. Moore

Ooh, I missed this one first time round. I’m glad! The hard part is always keeping it that way, but hey, at least we started. :)

Jan 11th, 2008