One thing: My desk

I don’t have an office or anywhere Pinterest worthy where I sit and work. In reality there is a desk that sits against a wall near the girls bedrooms that mostly gets “stuff” put on it, mail and the like and where my laptop sits and re-charges. It’s where I end up filing away all our paperwork and bills and important paper “stuff” and where anything that gets sent to me gets piled up. It also houses the printer, my least favourite of all the devices in our home. I actually have SUCH an aversion to printing stuff that I just avoid it like the plague. Whenever I need to print something it’s usually out of paper, or toner or just won’r work and it needs moving and plugging in, it’s just a plain old pain.

I actually blog or write on my laptop at our dining table. There’s light, I can be around the kids if they need me and there’s space, because, you know my actual desk is covered in “stuff”.

The piles have been gradually been getting worse since the end of last year. It got close to the end of term so I thought oh I’ll just leave it, and then more mail came in and more “stuff” until it resembled some kind of derelict paper and dust wasteland. It most definitely got added to the #onething pile.

For those of you not playing along, #onething is where I do just ONE THING from my to-do list, but not your every day to-do list. Oh no, this is the list of non essential items that sort of kind of need to get done but it’s no biggie if they don’t get done until next week, or next month, or um, next year. Those things. Just one. Every week.

But this week I could not stand it one more minute. The girls were back at school and I had to clear the decks so I could mentally clear my head and get back into work mode. Clear desk, clear mind and all that?

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So I cleared it of everything. I chucked. I filed away. I replied to mail and email. I created neat piles. I got Rob to construct a bookcase thingy that I bought and I got that desk SORTED.

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And best of all? I got that printer sorted. It’s in a spot where it’s now plugged in. It’s easy to connect to my laptop and printing should no longer be the hassle that it was. In theory anyway…

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What a relief! Things put away and ordered a clean desk top and a space to sit and write and do work if I wanted (she says as she writes from the dining table around all the chaos of family life).

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Because I know I will be asked…
The ladder book case was a ridiculous $49 from Kmart
The baskets were $8 each from Big W
The basket things that are behind my laptop holding stuff were from Barbara’s Storehouse

What was your one thing this week?
Anyone else an aversion to printing like me?
Is your desk Pinterest or dump worthy or something in between?
Go choose something, right now, just have a look around and there will be something waiting…

Comments

  1. Oh you know how much this pleases me. Look at that space Bev! Look at it! I love my desk space and recently moved the desk to facing the window. Wondering why I didn’t put it there two years ago when we moved in! X

  2. That’s a most excellent One Thing achievement. Paperwork is the worst.

  3. Lisa Aherne says

    Oh how good does that look! I struggled yesterday with piles of paper, wool and knitting needles, and heaps of recipes printed from various websites. I finally found my desk. I am vowing not to print off all recipes that I think I may make one day. They never get looked at. That can be my ongoing #onething. I do have some of your recipes, I wrote them out.

  4. My one this is kids clothing, or more specifically, my youngest child’s clothes. I started in the holidays but the ‘one thing’ has stalled at child #4 … The other 3 were easy. Eldest (girl) had simply grown out of things so they were passed down to #2 (also girl) and eldest had new clothes that fit purchased. Those that were too small went into a tub for younger sibling. Simple. #3 is the only boy so it’s just a matter of finding out what in his drawers fits and donating what doesn’t to charity or younger cousins. Buyin new clothes that fit. But #4 has drawers overflowing already thanks to wonderfully generous mother who has bought loads of clothes for older girls (some of which they grew out of after 3 wears) and TWO nappy boxes full of clothes she’s growing into ready to go into that packed cupboard!! It’s a task that requires me to sort her current cupboard contents first and then lay out every thing she fit into in piles of tops/bottoms etc to work out what she will and won’t wear and if one child actually needs 42 tshirt wen we now live in SW Victoria where summer occurs for about a week a year compared to when the bigger girls were that size we lived in SW NSW where winter only appeared for a month… I need an uninterrupted day but every time I start I end up with a 4yo ‘helper’ assessing items by upending the piles, tossing clothes everywhere and generally doing my head with yelling ‘but I LOVE this!!!!’ when I try and extract clothing that is too small from her drawers…

  5. Printers are the work of the devil I am sure! At least now you can reach it easily to give it a good whack when it doesn’t work. Well done on your one thing. X

  6. I just did this as well and it is amazing how much more productive I feel, compared to working on the dining room table!

  7. Look at YOU all tidy and uncluttered. Inspired. That’s what I am. ?

  8. Janelle Lea says

    My one thing this last week was our school cupboard,i feel like i can think clearer with out all the clutter.Now more room to order a whole heap of new school books for later in the year (we homeschool).This week i want to work on cleaning out bathroom cupboards so they actually close lol.

  9. Sally Taylor says

    I wish I could attach a photo here – to shameful on FB where my MIL will see it. My desk is a fucking shambles and I am organizing the school fair (big enough job anyway but ours turns over 150,000!!!). I need to pull my self together. Where did you get the stand for paperwork from? I have a similar one but not as high and everything bends over and it makes me go crazy!

  10. Ha ! go kmart I have two of those shelves fantastic one for hubby. Looks great very inspiring

  11. Looks absolutely wonderful. This definitely needs to be my one thing this week. I’m back to uni in 2 weeks & with two little girls at school this year i need some serious organisation to happen. I love the way you have used the space. I’m thinking maybe i could use a nook in our hallway? Thanks for the motivation Beth ?

    • Hive it a try – there was a nook in the hallway that just works – it’s not huge but it does the trick for me. Good luck back at uni!

  12. I think this one thing counts for at least 8 one things. I actually accomplished a huge one thing cleaning out our room downstairs and putting aside 7 garbage bags full of clothes and toys to donate.

  13. Definitely Pinterest worthy now!! <3

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