A Day Offline Is A Productive Day - Or - I Got My Cabinet Organized

Spending all day Tuesday off the computer was the best thing I could have done!  I was able to totally focus on my paperwork attack!  And since I wasn't distracted by the computer (thinking I need to check comments, twitter, facebook and getting sidetracked) I even got other things done!  I did my daily reading, some cleaning, some laundry, put homemade applesauce in containers to freeze, made Chex mix in the slow cooker, made cornbread, sorted paperwork, sorted paperwork, and sorted MORE paperwork - LOL!

I didn't take a before pic because it was just TOO scary!  But I did get an after pic which made me feel better!

 

Not bad, right?  Now let's pretend that there are not still sorted stacks of paperwork on the dining room table waiting to be filed away in the appropriate spots.  Sounds like a Friday project...

I'm wondering if I need to do the totally offline thing once a week so I accomplish more.  We shall see!  Did you accomplish a lot this week (I know Kim did; I'm talking to the rest of you!)?

Have a fabulous day!  And stay tuned - the Chocolate Friday post is up next!

Making My Home Sing ~ Battle of the Paperwork

I thought I better get back with it and attempt to make my home sing!  My original plan was to call this "Paperwork Week" and stay off the computer the rest of the week, but that isn't very practical.  However, if I post the next couple of days, it will just be some quick pics and a few words.  I've GOT to keep my focus on the paperwork because it is attacking!

I have a cabinet about to explode with all the unorganized cookbooks, recipes, stacks of miscellaneous paperwork shoved in when no time to organize, etc.  It's scary.  I can't share a before pic with you - it's that bad!  Too embarrassing and I know hubs would not appreciate it.  Just imagine a large computer cabinet (no computer in it) with doors that fly open and paper starting to shoot at you from every direction!  That would be close.

Since I can no longer locate things I need in there, I know it's past time to organize.  Also, I need to find tax paperwork which I have conveniently mixed in.  Speaking of taxes, do you realize all the stuff that bloggers have to show on their taxes?  I just discovered that even not-for-profit, hobby bloggers have to show the value of all items received for reviews as barter income and the value of giveaway items should also be declared.  You can deduct some expenses like giveaway shipping, etc. but still - ugh.  And you certainly can't pretend like you don't remember receiving those items when you've blogged about them for all the world to see, including the IRS!  If this is news to you - here are a couple of links for you to look at with some good info here and here.   But enough with the bucket of cold water!

I'm going to attack the paperwork - all day Tuesday.  That means I'm going to go offline that day.  I will attempt to stay off the computer all day so I won't get sidetracked - no e-mail, no blog reading, no commenting, no twitter, no facebook (hands shaking in anticipation of withdrawal).  If you don't hear from me on Wednesday, you'll know that the cabinet got me.  :)  I'll try to have an update for you on Thursday.

I hope to be so organized when I'm done that my home is singing an opera - LOL!  Oh and the dishwasher repairman is supposed to show up tomorrow morning - that'll make ME sing!  Only 26 days without an operating dishwasher.  Sigh.  Bright side - 26 days without any other large appliance in our kitchen would be slightly more difficult.

Are you a super-organized paperwork person?  How are you making your home sing this week?  Stop over at Mom's The Word to see how others are making their homes sing and tell Nan to get well while you're there!

Have a marvelous Monday friends!

Procrastinator's Party: The Project Proclamation

Melissa at The Inspired Room is having another Procrastinator Party. Nice of her to have another one just for me! This week you have to announce your project with Before pics and then you have until the 20th to get it done and post the After results.

I really wanted to choose a more exciting project, but I felt that I must choose the project that I truly will keep avoiding unless I am "forced" to finish it. Yeah...it's back. The File Cabinet.

I chose the File Cabinet project for the last party and then realized that it was actually a 3-phase project. I successfully finished Phase 1 and this is the After pic. I had grand plans of finishing Phase 2 and Phase 3 during the following month. Um, no. That did not happen.

I did take up Phase 2 during my crazy Housecleaning Week, but didn't quite finish it. So here I am...again.

My official goal is to finish File Cabinet Phase 2, which is finishing going through the drawers and sorting/organizing everything in the hanging files. I also want to finish Phase 3 which is to set up a system inside my house to handle the paperwork before it goes to the file cabinet.

Whew - there, I said it! Now I have to DO it! :)

DISCLOSURE: This project will be at least partially powered by Starbucks and chocolate which will not be given to me for free unless somebody is feeling sorry for me. The coffee and chocolate purchased with my own dollars will not in any way affect my ability to honestly and accurately report the After results which may or may not include successful completion of aforementioned project. In case you were wondering. ;)

There. Now I'm all official-like. Heh, heh.

Have a fabulous day and go start your own procrastinator project! Stop by The Inspired Room to see just how many procrastinators are out there!

Project Procrastinators Party ~ The Results (There Really Are Results! Woot!)

It's hard to believe, but I have results to post about my project on the day that it's due! Woo Hoo!

2 weeks ago, you saw the before pictures of my filing cabinet project. Not a fun project to work on and not one that would beautify my house in a decorative sense, but one that would beautify in a streamlined, organizational sense.

Now, had I shed my procrastinator ways, I would have realized sooner than *ahem* yesterday that this was such a huge project that it should be multi-phased. I have decided there are 3 phases. And after more than 8 hours (yeah, seriously) of work, I did complete Phase 1!!

Phase 1: Empty and sort all boxes/bags of paperwork in house and garage and get them into file cabinet in hanging folders. DONE!

Phase 2: Further sort and organize inside file cabinet and label all hanging files. Due: 5/28

Phase 3: Shred all old paperwork and set up organized system in house for paperwork that can be easily transferred into file cabinet on regular basis. Due: 6/11

Look at me, acting all organized - LOL. I have to do that to keep myself accountable. I think this project will actually get finished. What a relief!!

OK, you want the pics as proof - I know.

Here are the boxes and baskets I emptied out (plus 2 or 3 sacks). Yes, the amount of *stuff* was rather disturbing. :)

I came up with this much garbage!



All this stuff needs to be shredded. We have a shredder, but I haven't decided if I want to risk burning ours up or take it all to a local company that shreds it in a couple minutes for $10 per box. It would take me a loooong time to shred all that doing it 4-5 pieces at a time.



And there's that beautiful file cabinet!! Not gonna show you the inside, but there are lots of hanging files and a few things stacked up on the sides and in the bottom. That will all be taken care of during Phase 2!

I feel SO much better having that done and actually look forward to finishing it. It's nice to have it all in one place and I did clear some space in the garage and quite a bit of space in a spare room closet, which is great.

Yay for procrastinators getting things done (even if it all happens at the last minute, as with me!)!! Thanks Melissa for forcing me (she even cracked a whip at me on twitter, though she did offer chocolate at the same time) to work on this project!!

How did your project go? If you didn't participate, are you motivated to start a project now? Go check out all the results (or excuses) at the Project Procrastinators Party!

I've linked this up to Your Life, Your Blog over at Real Life. Link up your favorite post from the previous week!

Don't forget, tomorrow is Chocolate Friday and you need to link up some chocolate posts to reward me for all my hard work - LOL! :)

And Cake Week starts Monday! I think we all could use some cake as a reward! Get ready for some great recipes and get your own cake posts ready to link up here next Wednesday!

Have a fabulous day!

Not My Procrastination Project Post; I'll Get To That Later

Remember that The Inspired Room had everybody sign up with their Procrastination Projects? Well, the results are due today. I WILL post the results today, but nobody said what time I had to do it - heh,heh. I'm finishing up Phase 1 of my project and will take pics to post. What kind of procrastinator would I be if I had finished early?

While you're waiting, have some cake! It's cake for a whole week right here, starting Monday. My button may not be great and my cake pics not magazine-worthy, but I can tell you that the cakes I'm sharing are fabulously delicious! And you'll have your chance to link up your own cake recipes...and there will be giveaways. I appreciate it if you spread the word - it's so much more fun with lots of people coming by!

See you later with some project results. And see you tomorrow for Chocolate Friday!!

Project Procrastinators Party ~ The Before Pics

Melissa at The Inspired Room is having a big party - the Project Procrastinators Party! I thought it was so sweet of her to host a party that was obviously in my honor, but then I discovered that I am not the only procrastinator out there. Shocking! :)

Starting today you can link up your post with a before picture of the project you're going to work on (or leave info in comments on her post). In 2 weeks, we will post what we accomplished along with any after or progress pics. This is just the "kick in the pants" that I need to get a project done!

Choosing a project was difficult since I probably have hundreds - LOL. I already decorated for Spring and redecorated a room, so I finally decided to ask for an idea from the person who would be most pleased (other than me) by a completed project - my hubby. He said "paperwork" and I knew exactly what he was talking about. I agreed and asked for the OK to show the before pic (not his favorite thing) which he agreed to. He probably would have agreed to anything if it meant that I would finally do this project! Hmmm, thinking back, I should have worked some sort of Starbucks supply for the next 2 weeks into the deal...

The paperwork project is actually a large file cabinet in our garage that is...empty. The paperwork is in many boxes and bags both in the garage and some closets. The goal is to get the paperwork in an organized fashion and actually store it IN the file cabinet - a novel idea! Just so you know, I convinced hubby that I had to have this file cabinet over a year ago in order to house all the paperwork. We found it on Craigslist for an excellent deal - hubby was kind enough to buy and move the cabinet in order to make the paperwork project happen. Shame on me for letting it go so long!

Here is the cabinet - large, 3-drawer lateral file - yeah, that's it behind all the boxes of paperwork.

Yes, there is more paperwork and that is not even all of it, but I won't show you any more!



I have even had the necessary supplies for well over a year.

Are you as excited as I am to get this project done? We will actually be able to find papers that we need and emptying all the boxes and bags will free up some space in the house and garage. It will be like a weight off my shoulders. Yay for Melissa's party!!

I hope you'll come up with a project and join me in the Project Procrastinators Party! Check back in 2 weeks to see what I've done!

Have a blessed day and don't forget that tomorrow (Friday 5/1) is Dessert Friday! You can post about chocolate or any dessert. I will be talking about favorite dessert memories from when I was a kid. Feel free to do a post about your favorite dessert memories and link it up tomorrow!