A Clean Slate
Thursday, when I knew all of the folders/docs I'd had on my work computer were not going to be recovered, I told a colleague I was going to look at the situation as an opportunity to start with a clean slate. While I lost years of documents that pretty much told the story of my time at the college, do those documents really mean all that much? After all, I've already reached the top rung of the ladder regarding my teaching position -- I cannot go up. Thankfully, I cannot go down, either.
I've reached a holding pattern.
The clean slate just might be exactly what I need to move out of the holding pattern, move along the path that will be the next part of my life journey.
As part of my clean slate state of mind, I went into work yesterday and set to work eliminating things that have been taking up space. I had two boxes of stuff -- trinkets students have given me over the years, pens, markers, paper clips, and a bunch of other little items I no longer need/use/want -- sitting next to one of my chairs (seriously, the boxes have been sitting there for two years, ever since I pulled them from behind my office door with the intention of removing them from my office entirely) that I finally sorted through and whittled down to less than half a box. The rest I put on the donation table that students can visit and take what they might need for school. I pulled more than ten binders off my shelves, emptied them, shredded the docs, then set the binders in a box in the Writing Center, with a note for students to take a binder if they need one. I removed books I've read from my shelves and took them to the book-sharing shelves in the main hallway.
When those things were finished, I rearranged my desk, cleaned my desktop, monitors, tower, and speakers, moved the filing cabinet (which I haven't opened in probably eight years), and took out a chair I don't use except to put my purse on every day (I'm wondering how long it'll be before facilities comes knocking on my door to tell me I can't take furniture out of my office -- they have a thing about us doing that). With the chair gone, I'll have to hang my purse on the back of the door, out of the way, which is what I should have been doing all along. Now, my office looks clean and functional. All the clutter has been removed.
The next step is to change out the decor, at the very least what's hanging on the walls. A colleague and I have joked about going into our offices one weekend and painting the walls. Right now the walls are an ugly gray. I like gray walls, but this gray is really uninspiring. In fact, it's downright depressing. I am truly considering buying some paint and at least painting two of the walls. Another thought I had is to buy some removable wallpaper. I bought some for the kitchen as the backsplash over the stove and sink, and I love it. Easy to wipe down and it adds a nice touch to the space.
It's interesting how an uncluttered space affects the mind. For me, it's like a weight lifting off my shoulders. I can breathe. That's how my office now feels, and I'm really looking forward to being in my office tomorrow.
I've reached a holding pattern.
The clean slate just might be exactly what I need to move out of the holding pattern, move along the path that will be the next part of my life journey.
As part of my clean slate state of mind, I went into work yesterday and set to work eliminating things that have been taking up space. I had two boxes of stuff -- trinkets students have given me over the years, pens, markers, paper clips, and a bunch of other little items I no longer need/use/want -- sitting next to one of my chairs (seriously, the boxes have been sitting there for two years, ever since I pulled them from behind my office door with the intention of removing them from my office entirely) that I finally sorted through and whittled down to less than half a box. The rest I put on the donation table that students can visit and take what they might need for school. I pulled more than ten binders off my shelves, emptied them, shredded the docs, then set the binders in a box in the Writing Center, with a note for students to take a binder if they need one. I removed books I've read from my shelves and took them to the book-sharing shelves in the main hallway.
When those things were finished, I rearranged my desk, cleaned my desktop, monitors, tower, and speakers, moved the filing cabinet (which I haven't opened in probably eight years), and took out a chair I don't use except to put my purse on every day (I'm wondering how long it'll be before facilities comes knocking on my door to tell me I can't take furniture out of my office -- they have a thing about us doing that). With the chair gone, I'll have to hang my purse on the back of the door, out of the way, which is what I should have been doing all along. Now, my office looks clean and functional. All the clutter has been removed.
 |
| A dash of color and easy care. What's not to like? |
It's interesting how an uncluttered space affects the mind. For me, it's like a weight lifting off my shoulders. I can breathe. That's how my office now feels, and I'm really looking forward to being in my office tomorrow.
Comments