Geek Living : the clean space conundrum

Back to school time is almost upon us all!

Not that I've noticed as it's been school, school, school for me for most of this calendar year.

Anyway, with the advent of cheaper school supplies and office goods, it got me scouting for organization and home decor solutions in order to help me when I start the most despised task of cleaning my home.

I mean, have you ever tried cleaning your room, home, whatever, and found yourself discouraged because you don't have a place in mind to put a particular item?

It's a killjoy, and it ruins a mood that only rarely comes to most people outside the germaphobes.

An urge to clean.

And as someone whose entire mood is driven by a need to organize, it definitely does not leave me in a good place, in that I stop and simply give up on the attempt.

Which is why my home is more often than not, half-clean, with bits and pieces here and there in better shape than other places.

My biggest challenge right now (compared to every other problem here in my place right now when it comes to home decor) is finding a spot for my school supplies/papers related to work, school and life. For awhile its been piling up and collecting dust on my desk, then on top of my giant 4x4 bookcase, and now, in an attempt to force myself to really focus on a final solution rather than these temporary ones, it is now in a box to the side, waiting for me to go through it in order to organize it.

So the plan, for starters is to get one of these:

It's a 3-shelf bookcase from Walmart in black oak. It's similar to the BILLY bookcase from IKEA except its shorter and costs $27 dollars compared to IKEA's $79 dollar price tag.

I've been looking at it for awhile as a potential hallway piece to organize my shoes, keys and mail (which is another organizational problem entirely) but the issue of the papers have kind of bumped this on the wayside.

The plan right now is to place it next to my desk facing outward and place my printer and router on top of it. That stuff is actually collecting dust on the floor right now.

So really, this bookcase will kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.

There is going to be one major change to this set up though. I'm going to dump the third shelf, so that instead of a 3-shelf bookcase, it will be two shelves. Part of this is because of the binders I have for school and other things will need more space than 3 shelves can allow.

The other is because I think two shelves look better and cleaner. At least it does to me.

What else is a part of the plan?

The desktop file (in brocade white) from The Container Store is not only stylish, but a must for me. I've been trying to decide how best to file certain necessary papers that can't quite be hole punched and placed in binders (legal papers come largely to mind, mot to mention job related papers) and the filing book I have right now just doesn't do it (and it's a tad unsightly to boot). As soon as I get my bookcase, you can bet I'll be ordering this.

Then there's the DOKUMENT letter tray in pink by IKEA. Of course, I don't think I'll be keeping it in pink as that bright colour would really stand out in my decor. The plan will likely be to trot outside and spray paint it either a minty green or a nice blue.

As for the coloured boxes, those will likely be the last purchase made for the shelf decor and those would likely be purchased at the dollar store. I'm looking for a colourful look that appeals to my decor and I'd probably be keeping stuff like business cards and other assorted office supplies in there.

Keep an eye out for back-to-school sales all around and don't forget, a more organized space makes for a more organized mind. Or whatever...