Progress

The surface of my desk is now nearly clean.

Though I must stress nearly. And I should probably point out that the floor of my office is now covered with nearly a dozen piles of paper, all of which require filing.

Thus I've come to a conclusion: I hate housework.

This isn't exactly news to me. I've already hired out the yardwork, hired out the heavy cleaning. Monica will be here tomorrow to take of the floors, the dusting, the bathrooms.

But I need to figure out a way to get the rest of it done. I am, as always, drowning in paper. I have a small planning desk in the kitchen, which holds mail, notes from school, coupons, brochures, and items of that ilk. My upstairs office (alternately known as the guest room, as it holds the futon; the workout room, as without a basement, the elliptical must live here; and the library, as it has two walls of bookcases) has the filed-away paperwork (of which there is plenty) and my myriad notes and interviews and files for projects on which I am working - of which there are also plenty.

Lucky for me, I have no shortage of ideas. Unluckily, I am a paper person. Meaning I cannot merely put these into electronic files - I like the use of actual paper and pen. Which means all this paper takes up a lot of space. And while I like to think I am organized, sadly, the reverse is more likely true: I cannot keep things tidy. I mean, they're tidy enough - trust me, as I've seen what a truly untidy office looks like. There is no pathway to the door lines with piles. But my desk is never clear of paper. At present there are no fewer than five post-its, a pile of CDs, a pile of computer CDs, pens, a pile of really relevant papers, a pile of school notes, and qutie a large pile of notes that holds log-in/password info for all those online sign-ins that I cannot remember without help.

This is a vast improvement from earlier today.

There are a couple of closets I need to get on. We've only lived here 20 months, and I've cleaned these closets before. How often must I do this task?

I'm thinking that what would really help is daily help, someone to come in, put things away (in a logical place, such as where I would have put it had I actually gotten around to it), unload and load the dishwasher, fold and put away laundry, and do a general once-over. Leaving me time to read and envelop myself in the creative process.

Wish me luck - I'm adding this to my Christmas list.