Office Update

Regular readers will recall a blog entry from last month about my home office. I lamented that I had turned my office over to the neverending stream of clutter and disarray that comes with the end of a semester. I vowed to stem the tide of clutter and reclaim my space. This weekend, I set my entire iTunes library on random play and got to work. Nothing like listening to Frank Sinatra smoothly transition to Blink 182 and back to the Shirelles. The random holiday tunes were always a nice surprise.

I'm happy to report that after 2 days of solid effort, I struck floor . . . and table top, desk top, and couch. And so, without further ado - the before and after transformation:

First, the "under the table" mess that was my dissertation and teaching files, complete with overflow files and huge stack of trash:

And now:Note the absence of overflow files on the floor. The file cabinet and file boxes are sporting a new filing system that might actually be functional. Especially note the missing huge stack of trash. It only took 18 months, but I kicked that pile to the curb - or to the recycling bin. I also cleaned out a file box. Not sure what felt better - throwing out the many, many, many chapter drafts of my dissertation or throwing out all those job rejection letters. Oh, who am I kidding? Of course it felt great to throw out rejections. I actually said out loud, "You kicked me to the curb? I'm kicking YOU to the curb!"

Next, the table over the file boxes:

And now: Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is a table surface. Amazing.

Working my way around the room, I faced my de facto file system:

Now: There it is, in all of its horrendously upholstered glory. (Almost makes me want to put all the crap back on it.)

Last but certainly not least - the centerpiece of the office: My desk. (Trust me, things got much more out of hand after I took this picture):

Now - drumroll please . . .

I've added a recycling bin under the desk. Between that new addition and the shredder in the corner, I'm hoping to stay ahead of the clutter for the summer. Wish me luck!