On Order, Organization and all things January

January 3rd, another starting pistol; another Pavlovian response:

It must be time to de-clutter, organize, and get ready for income taxes.

Don't throw the baby out with the bath water -- this one happens to be true.  I don't know if it all has to happen in January, but it is as good a time as any, and I don't know anyone who doesn't benefit from de-cluttering, organizing and just plain cleaning out.

Both husband and I thrive on order and cleanliness.  The difference in us is that Steve can walk away from it, sit in the middle of it and pretend it isn't there if a football game is on, and won't have his moods affected by it.  It has taken me years of therapy and training to switch from "loving" it to "requiring it" .  Even then, a flesh eating bacteria wouldn't seem quite so bad on a day that my house was just cleaned -- and if the windows were done; forget it -- let's just say that would be a good time to tell me someone died!  I'm hopeless, I know it. 

Having admitted that, my primary motivator for order vs chaos is much like that for truth vs lying -- I can't lie because I don't have enough brain cells left to remember the lie -- I can't add any more stress to school mornings which by design elicit stress.  "Where's my? . . . has anyone seen my?  Mom, did I tell you I needed . . .?  Forget the Nanny reality shows, I watched enough people start their day like this, we knew we wouldn't survive it. 

So another one of The Things -- Pay on one end or Pay on the other:

The Christmas Decorations/Income Tax boxes (which is not a coincidence they are together) Closet is a perfect representation of All Things. 
1.  TAKE EVERYTHING OUT OF IT --
2.  Physically clean or sweep it
3.  Only put the stuff back you want for next holidays, FOR SURE and start that stack for removal of what you don't
4.  Take one of the income tax boxes that is older than 6 years and use it for this year, which means cleaning it out.  If you don't use this system, it's a good one to get a box, permafile or otherwise and have it ready and empty in these first days of January so as the stuff arrives you need for filing taxes, you'll have a place for it.  p.s.  I've always wanted an accountant like that guy who see on television who you just throw everything in this big box and give it to him -- they don't exist.

So that's my rule of thumb and it works for me --
Empty the space and clean the space -- it is always a good place to start.

As for school, that's another post . . .