As a twenty two year old I still find it hard to keep my room together. As a twenty-two year old writer my room is riddled with mugs, notebooks and pens—and I mean that; every corner has a mug. Do not get me started on my bathroom. However there is at least once a month when I’ll come home from work and spend hours tidying up. Then once every three or so months I actually dust. Now I used to never worry too much before or during the time I was away at college. We had a cleaning service that would come in and clean up every week. So bathroom cleaning wasn’t really an issue for me. Now that we no longer have that service I am forced to put the cleaning onto myself.
Honestly, my parents wouldn’t do it anyway. Why should they? It’s my bathroom. I’ve learned over the past two years that I’ve been home, small tricks on how to get myself to stay orderly. Or at least as orderly as one twenty-something could be. With school starting up again for me in a couple weeks, I got the motivation to tidy up my desk and room. Christmas had certainly done a number on it. There were boxes, glitter, and presents scattering the floor and, really, I need that to walk. Hopping over such things to get ready for the day is probably a safety hazard. So without further ado, let’s get this first article started!
One of the easiest ways to get me productive is to clear my desk. Do I use it all the time? Absolutely not. Nothing will beat the comfort of my mattress. However, there are times when I just cannot focus and cleaning off my desk puts me into a mindset of “Okay let’s do this”. Having the space to put my laptop and the best lighting in my room is a sure way to get me typing or writing or really whatever it is I have to do.
Speaking of cleaning; I have this wonderful habit of doing it whenever I’m stressed or upset. I will spend an entire day dusting, reorganizing and tossing things to just feel better. Next time you feel upset or so stressed that nothing will calm you down, take a rag and some Pledge (or Windex, if that’s what you’re into) and attack the world. Somehow cleaning my room or space just instantly keeps me calm. I’m focused on the amount of dust or crap I have so much that for a while I forget everything else. Not to mention, I put on some music to blast while I work. A combination of both these things gets me to a place that is peaceful and put together. For me, I feel like I’m taking back control of my life. I’m saying to everything that’s wrong, “Sure, that thing bothers me but you know what? I can see the surface of my desk and my bookshelf is organized so nothing can get to me. I have control.” So as I’m rocking out to Bastille, I’m doing something productive that requires little thought and taking complete control.
For some reason I have this problem in my bedroom where the corner that my bed is in has the worst lighting. Of course, that’s where I spend most my time so you can understand my frustration. No matter where I sit on my bed I just feel a little too darker than if I were to sit at my desk—which stated above I do not use as often as I like. So as of today I moved one of my laps to sit on this small shelving unit I use as a nightstand. The mismatched décor bugged me a little at first but I’ve gotten used to it. So I highly recommend getting or somehow (legally) obtaining a lamp or lighting of some sort for near the space you frequent most. Being able to see is a positive step in being productive.
I am a huge fan of lists. Notebooks within my room are filled with them; the notes app on my iPhone has more than I realize. I just really like having a place with all the information I need to know on it. Everything I will forget throughout the day ends up on these lists for me to go back to and figure out my life. I write with multiple people a day and end up needing to keep track of who is owed; therefore list. I need to get things from the store? List. Now there are multiple ways to keep track of things. For one, using your mirror and some dry erase markers are great. I use my door mirrors of my closet to plan out chapters and plots of my novel. When I was in high school a lot of my math was done on those mirrors. When I’m packing for conventions, I write everything I want to remember on there.
Another way is using a chalkboard wall decals. They are peal and stick and affordable. I’ve had mine for years now and never had a problem other than losing chalk. It’s right by my bed so all I have to do is look up and there are my lists. Since I’m on my bed a lot, it’s very handy to just put a note there and go back to it.
My most common method of keeping a list is by notebook and pen. While it is easy to lose track of where I put a specific list (I have too many notebooks/pads), it provides me with the most working space. If I have to make a long list, this is my method of choice. I can put it all in one place and not have to worry about erasing it.
Now back to my nightstand/shelving unit—I will refer to it as nightshelf. There are three shelves to it and they all serve purposes. I’ve found the best way for me to put things where they belong is to make sure that the items I use most are accessible and their homes are as well. On my nightshelf I have two small containers. I acquired them at Target for $1.00 each and they are amazing. In one I have all my pens, highlighters, and various miscellaneous things. In the other there are my electronics. I have my Wii remote (because Netflix is a god send), regular television remotes, mouse for my laptop, scissors, flashlight, and a handy hammer that has various screwdriver heads in it. So as you can see, all the things I use the most go there. Putting my most used items in a place close to me stops me from putting them down somewhere and never putting them back. They are there, I know they are, and I can quickly reach over and put them back.
What are some common problems we all seem to have nowadays? Passwords. Those evil little things that are required for our own privacy and safety. And what is just as easy to lose as bobby pins or flash drives? Passwords. How have I learned to deal with my many password ridden accounts? A password book. Now, personally I don’t really trust using an app or electronic means of saving them other than auto save on web browsers. So I have a password book that I write down all the account information I need to know to login correctly. I write down the site, the username, and the password and tuck it away in a place I’ll remember. It’s very convenient when my computer bugs out and deletes saved logins. Now there are electronic means of saving them. My Windows 8 laptop has the ability to get an app for it. So would any smart phone or tablet. Personally that’s putting a little too much trust in another person or company for my taste.
Let’s go back to those lost flash drives, shall we? I have this habit of losing them. This past November when I participated in National Write a Novel Month I did something that helped both my memory and my productivity. I put my flash drive on a chain and put it around my neck as I was working. Then when I finished I hung it up on my lamp for it to be there when I next used it. Having it literally around my neck made me feel important and motivated enough to keep writing. Even now with November long gone, I still keep it on that chain to ensure I know its whereabouts.
Let’s take a moment to talk about cleaning products. For me, I tend to stick to my basic Pledge and Windex habits. I know them, they know me and they get the job done. But when it comes to my bathroom and miscellaneous tasks, I need to expand my pallet of cleaning products. The pipes in my house have a very nasty habit of taking the kitchen sink water from upstairs and flooding my shower downstairs. I end up cleaning it once a day. Therefore having my cleaning products accessible is a necessity. My lazy butt does not like having to look for things or go out of my way. So I’ve forced myself to put all my cleaning products in one place in both my bathroom and my bedroom. One drawer of my desk if devoted to rags, Pledge and Windex. In my bathroom, under the sink is where I keep the Tilex, paper towels and Scrubbing Bubbles. Putting them in the rooms they are most used and needed is easier than having to search out to find them. When it’s time to clean, I simply go to their homes and get to work.
Recently—as in today—I’ve managed to do something I have never done before: cleaned my garbage bins. Not the large ones outside; the small ones within my room. Over the years, guck and grossness have taken home at the bottom of these plastic garbage cans. I always put it off for another time because it was too gross to deal with. Today however, I was ambitious. So I took out the bags they held and put them in my shower and bleached them. After an hour with water and bleach, I did minimal scrubbing and they look just like new! No longer shall I look at the ickiness that was my garbage cans.
Now what should we do with all those papers piling up? I want to introduce you to something that will help completely. Becoming a young adult has forced me to collect bills, pay stubs and various other important papers—but mostly bills. The one thing that I needed to get all these papers out of the way was an expandable folder. All of my school papers, work papers, or general ‘being an adult’ papers are there. I can easily get to them and they aren’t scattered on my desk. Plus not having a file holder or desk organizer gives me more room on my desk. Can you say killing two birds with one stone?
Have an important schedule you want to follow or need to know? Put it on your wall. I currently have a list of the days schools are closed for my babysitting job posted up as well as the schedule of classes at my gym. One makes me cheerful the other makes me judge myself.
Want some quick tips? Well you’re welcome.
- Hang a pen or marker beside your calendar. This way should you need to make a quick note its right there.
- Keeping a pad and writing utensil nearby is great for making quick notes, inspiration or ideas.
- Never hold off writing something down later—even if you are lying in bed. You will forget about it until it’s too late or if at all.
- Keep a garbage bin nearby where you work or spend most of your time. There’s a reason that nearly every room in a house has one. It’s better to have thrown it out right away than to make a pile and forget about for a week before tossing it.
If you don’t have enough time or energy to really maintain a space (or you’re lazy like me), then devote once a month to do tidying up. Hang up those sweatshirts and put those shoes in the closet. Is your sink looking a little too similar to the art classroom of an elementary school? Then clean it! It really only takes at most an hour to thoroughly clean your space.
Use those boxes that are lying around. I use leftover boxes or ones that were gifts for storage. My lotions and perfumes are in a photo box. My snacks are in a box that once held a package I ordered. Random jewelry and hair ties are in a box that I decorated. Use.them. They are more helpful than you initially think!
Lastly, there are a few small tasks you could do if you want to waste time or use your free time. If you just don’t have the energy to do a full on clean-attack of your space, these are just a few suggestions.
- Go through your lotions and perfumes. Chances are you’ve got a few that are empty or you never use. I even saved some that I knew were empty just to make sure I didn’t forget their names when I went to buy more. Solution: Write a list either on a notepad or on your phone for when you’re shopping next. Give away any old perfumes or lotions that are in good condition that you don’t use or want. Throw out the rest.
- Remember when you were either too lazy or didn’t have enough energy to search out batteries? Remember when you ended up taking the batteries out of one remote and putting them in another? Now is the time to put batteries in any of the electronics that were sacrificed.
- Test your pens. Go through them and throw out the dead or nearly there ones. Save yourself from the frustration of searching for a pen and finding most of them are dead.
So there you have it. Some tips to get things tidier and less safety hazard. I’m a lazy person, therefore, anything to minimize the effort in the long run is appreciated. Remember, an open space means more room to move which leads to things actually getting done.
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Everything I might need in a rush or just in general goes right beside my bed. Easy access!
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Keeping this orderly is simple and useful. If I need it, its there.
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My chalkboard is one of the ways I keep track of what I need to do without having to search through my notebooks.
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Not having them in a drawer means my lotions and perfumes are at my fingertips and not spilling and making things gross.
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My most used bracelets or hair things are in this box. It’s both convenient and pretty.
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My desk drawer of cleaning supplies. If I need it, I know they’re there.
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Cleaning my bathroom is less of a hassle if what I need is right under the sink.
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