The Dumping Area

Ladies and Gentlemen, the election is over and we can get back to our normal lives. There is just one problem. This is still a messy town. Boxes are still stacked, clothes are lying around, dishes are in the sink, the mail is piling high and don’t look now, but the holidays are just around the corner! Relax people. Take a breath. There is no need to flip out. Here is a little advice from a guy who has learned firsthand from the best organizer around!

Before I get started, allow myself to introduce……..myself. Mr. Boutique is a very I’ll get to it later…kind of guy. I’m quite sure you know the type. Perhaps even you know a Mr. Boutique. Now, there is nothing wrong with being that kind of person as long as later doesn’t become next week or next month. Because after that, all you are going to want to say is fuhgeddaboutit!

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So how does a young guy like me take my laid back approach into an apartment with the Washington area’s hottest professional organizer?? It’s easy. Simple compromises are out there people, but you have to go find them!

My biggest enemy in our apartment is my book, magazine and newspaper collection. I am a graduate student and I like to read read read! However, sometimes I’ve got books here, magazines there and newspapers (they’re new everyday) everywhere! And don’t even get me started on the mail. I come home from work at 6:30 and there is a stack of bills, catalogs, campaign literature, and on and on it goes! Who wants to deal with that?! Not me.

Here is where it gets tricky. Since I refuse to put everything away exactly where it came from every time I pick something up, I designate an area where I can leave things. Let’s call this a “dumping area.” While many may immediately think this means the bathroom, it does not. My dumping area is a section of our dining room table.

At least once a week, I will go to this area and see several books I may have picked up, magazines I might have read and of course, mail I still need to sort through. From there, I can return the books to the proper room or location. The same with the magazines, and I can categorize my mail into things that need to be shredded, thrown away or replied to. It is important to limit yourself to ONE dumping area. If you have several, you have nothing but piles of crap all over the place and that defeats the purpose of this exercise. Going through your designated area will only take you a few minutes. My experience doing this has kept my girlfriend and I very happy.

This is a very simple way to keep your easy going lifestyle without having things strewn throughout your home. Give it a try. If you think this is a dumb idea, don’t do it. I’m not the one that has to live with you. But if you are looking for a way to keep things simple, I think you should listen to Mr. Boutique. He’s no sneak!

Enjoy your Turkey dinner. I’ll see you in a few weeks. ;-)

- Owen Patrick

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