December Organizing Challenge
Posted on December 12, 2023 by prairiemoonquilts in Studio Organizing ChallengeI’m so glad I posted that last challenge — you all have so many good ideas for how to store rulers!
I’m only posting one challenge this month because . . . at the end of the month, we will be doing The Final Countdown! I’m always so excited for that, since it gives me a fresh start on the new year. I hope you’re ready to do it with me this time. I’m trying to dream up some good tasks.
Meanwhile, here’s our challenge for this time . . .
Sort through the office supplies
You know . . . tape, staples, paper clips, rubber bands, sticky notes, extra pens and pencils, envelopes, scratch pads, file folders, markers, push pins and tacks . . . all that little stuff that we tend to ignore but sometimes use.
This is gonna give us a clean start in our desk areas for next year. It may not seem to have much to do with sewing or quilting, but honestly, I use tape, staples, push pins, and lots of sticky notes while sewing, so trust me, it’ll help clean things up.
What I’m doing is getting rid of the pieces and parts I know I’ll never use — I have a HUGE drawer full of extra pens and pencils that I will never work my way through in what’s left of my life — they’re going!
Then I’m trying to organize what’s left into a smaller area all together so that when I need to find something, I’ll know right where it is, and exactly what I have. I started on this a few days ago, and it’s already feeling better in here.
I have to get a bit more ruthless with what I have left and then get it organized into my office area, while still keeping a few useful things in the caddy on my cutting table where I use them. But I probably don’t need five staplers!
How about you? Are you a collector of office supplies like me? Do you need to weed some of it out to reclaim some space? Do you have so much of it that you’ll never use it in your lifetime?
I boxed up a lot of my excess and donated it to the teachers at one of our local schools. They’ll stand a much better chance of using it up than I will, and I hope they were glad to get it. Maybe you know a student or teacher or even a homeschool parent that can use some of your extras. You’ll feel better when this one is done, I promise!
My ‘office’ stuff is fine as it is. But I just finished some of cutting down the scraps which had taken over a usable area! Still need to do triangles & some donated to me squares but progress is being made and it feels good! Have a good holiday!
will do… I actually have tamed my extra office supplies. I do hide the scotch tape this time of year… as everybody “needs” it to do their wrapping. It is a one way trip out of my room ,never to be seen again.
Gee… I just started working on this! Bought 3 long plastic little boxes to hold pens/ pencils in my sewing areas! You are right and timely!!!
Thanks!
I have a pirate mug that all my pens and pencils go in. As you say more than is required, although the pencils get used a lot. Pens for quilting are in a little box in my sewing table. As for sticky note pads – if I need, I will pounce on my husband’s desk and whip it away! I do usually return it though.
I have a section in my shelves that contain my artist’s paraphernalia, so that is all under control, although I have no idea where my craft knife went!
My weaknesses are office gadgets, sewing gadgets, and kitchen gadgets. I have two small metal buckets on a shelf. One says home (stay home permanent markers) and one says welcome (fabric markers). They both could use a cleanout.
My entire career was in education, so, as a former teacher, I thank you and anyone else who follows your suggestion for donating pens, pencils, etc. to your local school. There are ALWAYS kids who never seem to have a pencil and school systems are so under funded when it comes to supplies like staplers. Get in there, ladies, clear out & donate!
I need to get all of my office supplies gathered into one place. Right now I’m always searching for what I need and can’t always find it. A good project for me to do on this rainy day.
I certainly have excess office supplies, too. This will be a good challenge to work on. And I’m soooo happy you’re doing the Final Countdown Challenge again! My sewing space has become more like just a storage space this year, for various reasons, so I really hope to get it back where I can sew again. Thank you for doing it again, and hope you and your Cowboy have a wonderful Christmas!