When I’m 64

I was at the supermarket just now when I overheard a couple, probably in their 60s, negotiating (they called other  “Mama” and “Papa”!!!),

“It’s okay, Mama, we’ll just get this one (points to a pack of batteries in their shopping bag). ”

“No, Papa, I’ll get the cheaper one.”

“But Mama, I’m paying for it.”

“That is exactly why I need to get the cheaper one. I don’t want you to spend too much of your money on a pack of batteries. I’d rather you spend it on something else.”

“Oh alright Mama. Wait… does this mean I have to pay for your shopping later?”

They both giggled at each other. They were such a cute couple and so full of love. You know the type — sharing a drink in the park, holding hands till they’re 100.

I left the store feeling warm and fuzzy inside.

Desktop Cleanup Part 2

So I got to cleaning the bottom right quarter of my desk. All pens and pencils in this quarter are now in the pen holder. All empty wrappers are gone. Papers are now kept neatly in a folder. I found 3 CDs, 2 pen caps and $2.20 under the mess. The cat? He got back on the desk after the cleanup, so my phone is still on the floor (he pushed it off again, the little brat).

I’m working on the bottom left quarter now. My cat doesn’t look too happy with the ruckus.

Micromovements
1) Remove one of the mugs (I think I only need one)
2) Put markers into pencil case
3) Throw away empty snack wrappers.
4) Remove all but one folder.
5) Put all loose papers and clipping into one folder.

Related posts
Desktop Cleanup
Inspiration: SARK

One Promising Month

Growing Happiness turned 1 month yesterday!(I wanted to update earlier after solving my computer problem but then my server decided to take a vacation)

OK Computer

Thank God. Resuming transmission soon.

OK Computer, Not

Dear Secret Law of the Universe

Please, please, please restore my computer’s health.
Thank you very much.

Desperately yours,
M

Desktop Cleanup

MicroMOVEMent is a term coined by SARK for the method of dividing a main task into a number of tiny tasks(in chunks of about 5 minutes or less) in order to accomplish a goal. Instead of looking at the big picture, you break down the process into very small, very manageable steps. This way you’ll feel a sense of achievement for every little accomplishment, which in turn, will motivate you to move closer towards achieving your goal.

I am running out of space to work so today I want to clean my desk. My working space is 1.5m by 1.5m ….hang on a minute, let me confirm that. Nope, it’s 78cm by 60cm. No wait, that’s still not right.. I’ve included the area under immovables such as the monitor.

Ok, my effective workable working space is 35cm by 78cm, that’s less than 15in by 30in, which is small, but it’s something I can live with provided things remain in their respective places as shown above. Pens and pencils in holder, Copic markers in pencil case, pieces of papers and news clippings kept neatly in folders.

But no. In reality, my desk is an untidy mess of loose papers, uncapped pens and markers, empty snack wrappers, receipts from 2006 and 2 mugs(one for coffee, one for “other”). My Wacom tablet, something that came to my possession less than two weeks ago, is now buried somewhere underneath this behemoth pile of junk. And on top of it all there’s a CAT.

Why do I even need a cat on my desk? It doesn’t even remotely qualify as office equipment. It just sits there purring and blocking my screen. The worst part, it never fails to push my phone off the desk. Every single time. On purpose. I’m not talking about the phone accidentally falling as the kitty shifted its huge, lazy bum around. No, it literally uses its paw to push the phone down thinking, “Oh look, a phone, let’s push it off the desk.”

What I’ve drawn above is in fact a less-cluttered representation of the actual state of my desk. The pile (sans cat) is about 4 inches thick. I feel thoroughly overwhelmed each time I tried to bring myself to tidy up the mess. So I am giving micromovement a try.

Today, I’ll concentrate on the bottom right quarter of my desk.

Micromovements
1) Remove sleeping kitty.
2) Put pens into pen holder.
3) Throw away empty snack wrappers.
4) Neatly stack loose papers on top of tablet.

We’ll see how it goes.

Related post
Inspiration: SARK