My life is a constant yearning to be more organised. I don't think I am too terribly disorganised but there is plenty of room for improvement. I spend so long organising drawers and cupboards perfectly but no one else seems to understand my system. I have always collected vintage tins and like to put them to good use so my drawers and cupboards are full of them. They cheer me every time I open the cupboards! I can't understand why no one else seems to be able to remember where things are. This was a recent conversation I had with my younger son who was looking for batteries for his TV remote control. I said "They are in the Queen's Jubilee tin in the second drawer down." In the Golden Jubilee tin not the Silver Jubilee tin" I called after him. Silence for a while then he called back "They're not in here." "They definitely are" I shouted back "No they're not" Off I went to the kitchen. "Well of course they're not in there" I said "You're looking in the Queen's Coronation tin!" "How would I know that?" youngest son exclaimed. I felt like saying "How could you not!" I'm beginning to think maybe my system is too complicated for everyone else.
After a a visit to my eldest son's flat in Hastings last year (in that short little window of time we had some freedom!) I was amazed at his organisation skills. It was beautifully organised, everything in it's place and totally minimalist. I'm not kidding myself I could ever be minimalist but I am well aware I should have a clear out. It's ever so hard at the moment as charity shops are all closed but I have got together three large boxes and I'm going to fill them with things that I will take to a charity shop when restrictions lift. This is where the 15 minute rule comes in.
If there is a job you keep putting off as you feel you don't have time or it's too tedious, in my case sorting out things to get rid of, just put aside 15 minutes a day. No matter how busy you are you can nearly always find 15 minutes in the day. The trick is to be quite firm and stop after 15 minutes. If I spend 15 minutes each day all the way through lockdown adding to the boxes I will have cleared out so much. In fact the way things are going with this lockdown I may be well on my way to becoming minimalist! Apparently you can write a novel in the 15 minute rule within a year. So anyone out there who always says "I would write a book if I had the time" give it a go.
Another box I have put aside to add to is items to take to the caravan. This is much more fun as I am so looking forward to going to the caravan with all the new items. I have bought a new stick on battery operated light for the toilet as the light in there is so dim. I say new but it is a genuine 1970s one which will look the part perfectly.
