How To Unclutter Your Mess: Getting Organized Will Help Your Writing
I love books, but I hate the clutter. Book and paper clutter is both the bane of my existence and my pride and joy. Since my living room is large, I have six tall bookcases where the books are neatly stacked and alphabetized (NOT!), plus boxes filled with more books. The problem is, I have absolutely nowhere to put them. I already have two tall bookcases filled with books in my bedroom. I love to read, especially when it comes to the Victorian Era. I am, after all, a historian. Not everyone loves to read, but most writers do. I’ve found, when talking to other writers, that book clutter and paper disorganization, and disorganization in general, often pose serious problems to the writing process. This article will examine some common problems and ways to get yourself organized so the writing process becomes easier for you, and hopefully for me too!
As for me, I am surrounded by a literary blanket of books, all within reach. It’s like a nervous disorder. If a book is too far away, my eyes begin to twitch and glaze over! There’s never too much knowledge to consume. The problem is, this clutter seems to keep devouring my work area, like a Pac-Man with a belly full of power pellets munching on blue ghosts. Sadly, my work space is losing this game.
Geez… my apartment is starting to look like a library with heart disease, its arteries clogged with a messy build up of cluttered papers, books and book cases. So how do I go on a book diet without sacrificing my literary inspiration? What health regimen can I put my apartment on? This has to affect my ability to write, having to navigate the Cape Hope of book clutter every time I try to work!
Sometimes, I wonder why I am still saving the boxes from those books that were shipped to me several months ago. Maybe I subconsciously plan on moving when the books take over my apartment, finally consuming all of my remaining living space. GAME OVER. I can see the conversation with my realtor now:
Realtor (puzzled look on his face): But Ma’am, you already have one apartment. They’re expensive in New York. Pray tell, what do you need two for?
Me: For my books.
Realtor (puzzled look on his contorted face): Come again?
Me: My books are growing in numbers like rabbits on Viagra. They’re spreading like a virus. I think they are plotting to take over the World.
Realtor (puzzled look on his contorted face as he slowly creeps backwards towards the door): Uhm… Kay? I just remembered, I have another appointment to show a house in Jersey, I better get going. I don’t think the other applicant has a growing army of books intending to enslave the planet. I think that might be a code violation in New York City or something.
Me: Hey, leave me your card will you, I’m going to need more apartments soon, those books are spreading fast. They’re insatiable. It’s unbelievable. I think they have their own account with Amazon so they can purchase more of themselves or something. Maybe I better not give them my new address, eh?
Unless you want to endure a scene like this, or as in my case, many scenes like this, it’s best for you, your co-inhabitants, and perhaps the known Universe if you simply keep your book clutter under control. Try boxing and storing books you’ve read numerous times. Second hand stores purchase old books as well, and you can always sell them on Ebay. You might be surprised to find that you can fetch a pretty penny for your old books, and it will clear space for you to work. Writing is cathartic, but it’s a hard thing to accomplish if you don’t have adequate space to sit down and work. It’s hard enough to write as it is, any added distraction can kill your effort, and a growing legion of books consuming your working area is certainly a distraction.
The biggest key to successful writing lies in getting organized, period. If you have clear, concise notes, an outline, and good research that you can easily access and read, half the battle is won. You have to be able to find your research to use it though.
As for me, I’m so grateful for my post-it notes. They’re a life saver and a space saver too. They are splattered all over my desk and tray table, reminding me of what to do or where I left off with my work. They help me stay focused. It will help you write if you can find some system too, like my post-it notes, to help you keep focused on the task at hand.
Wait a minute, where was I??? Oh yeah, this post-it note says I was talking about the importance of utilizing notes to keep track of where you are in your writing. See. It works.
Sometimes my desk looks like a landing field for post-it notes. Every day I struggle with the burden of navigating paperwork clutter, since I am constantly writing. Sometimes my bills get trapped inside the clutter. Only when threatened by late charges do I dare try to locate them. Bill collectors don’t like the “my paper clutter ate my bill” excuse. Not even a little bit.
So now my living room and my dining room have become my office as well as my writing area, since no one comes to visit me anymore. Maybe they do and they’re lost in the clutter, I’m not sure. Anyway, I just leave the mess right where it is. Still, every so often my son passes by, always adding his two cents: “Hey mom, when are you going to organize this mess?” I answer “It IS organized and don’t touch a thing. I know exactly where everything is…” Someday I promise myself that I will get to cleaning it.
Does that have a familiar ring? It’s incredible how amidst so much chaos, one can still be organized, right? I have the option of cleaning up the clutter, or as a last resort, I can always try this, building a new addition above my living room. I’ll just keep adding on more floors as my clutter keeps rising. Of course, that could get expensive, unless you’re related to William F. Lamb, the guy who designed and built the Empire State Building. But that’s not practical, is it, and it doesn’t help my writing one bit. Instead, it’s best to incorporate cleaning up as a precursor to writing. Every time I’m ready to sit down to write, I’ll clean for 15 or 20 minutes first. Not only does that clear a space for me to work, it gets the blood and brain pumping. A clear mind and an alert body make for a great writing experience.
Oh well. The biggest thing when the time comes is to clear your space, organize your notes, and get down to the business at hand. Sometimes the hardest part is getting started, getting those first words written down. The best thing to do is to write a few sentences about what you see in front of you or whatever you are thinking about. You can make a game out of getting started, like trying to describe an apple without any descriptive words such as those detailing size, texture or color. Something like “Eve’s delight and Adam’s bane sits comfortably in its perch within my fruit bowl, so delicious and so ripe, I may eat it to the core.” You can try any exercise that might work to get yourself started. Once you get going, throw your openers away and get down to the act of writing itself. When you’re writing and when you’re finished writing, there’s nothing more satisfying. I like to describe the dangerous wall of books and what they are doing as they creep ever closer towards me. Whatever works!
Speaking of which, the books have finally completely surrounded me and my pets, ominously closing in. I think they’re ready to attack. The phone is ringing off the hook (probably some bill collector angry about a bill buried in the post-it junk yard on my desk). Forget writing. Forget work. Forget organizing. I’m going back to bed.
Maybe I’ll just read a book. Now that you know how to organize yourself and are ready to write, maybe you’ll write a great book that I can read someday! Good luck and good writing.
