BETWEEN THE LINES: CREATING THE ILLUSION OF ORGANIZATION ISN'T EASY

As organized as I am, even I didn't observe National Clean Off Your Desk Day Monday.

And I'd guess most of the nation didn't either.

When I first read about Clean Off Your Desk Day, I was amused. I think it's rather hilarious that there is a national observance for cleaning off your desk. It's something I try to do every day.

Then I began to wonder who would observe such a day? How do you go about creating a national observance like this? How messy does a person's desk have to be before she thinks about cleaning it off?

I checked the home page for the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) but found no answers to my questions.

NAPO, which created the holiday, says a clean desk saves time, money and energy and relieves tension and stress.

So, the more I thought about National Clean Off Your Desk Day, the more it made sense. If your desk is in such a mess that you need a special day just to clear it off, you probably should celebrate.

But should we just stop with desks? What about National Clean Out Your Car Day? Or National Clean Out Your Garage Day? Have they thought about National Clean Out Your Closet Day?

Actually the NAPO sponsors a Get Organized Week later in the year, offering tips for anyone who needs organizational help.

Several of my co-workers think I should be a member of the NAPO. For some misguided reason, they think I'm the most organized person on the planet.

It's all a misconception, let me tell you. I just have the appearance of organization. I'm afraid by the professional standards, I'd be a mess.

For example, I keep all sorts of junk in my personal files. So, as part of the annual "it's-a-new-year-let's-get-organized-again" effort, I cleaned them out over the weekend.

I had to throw away scraps of paper with phone numbers I didn't recognize, bank statements from accounts closed three years ago, and scraps of paper with writing I couldn't even read.

I have so much stuff left, that I need a filing cabinet but that's another project. Maybe if I didn't keep everything from letters and cards to ticket stubs, I wouldn't have this problem.

In the other rooms of my house, I believe in stacked clutter. The basket beside the chair holds all the magazines and newspapers. A drawer in the kitchen holds note paper, pens, and other assorted junk. It makes the room look clean and organized but still has a lived-in feel.

My closet is the only truly organized place in my home. It gets cleaned out about every two months. The clothes are organized according to color and style, which makes getting dressed in the morning a little easier. All the white blouses are hanging together, all the skirts are hanging together, etc. All my shoes are on a rack, arranged by color.

Proper use of closet space has always been important to me. Maybe it goes back to my teen years when I didn't have a bedroom closet. Our house was a constant remodeling project so I lived without a closet for several years and then once I had a closet, the doors were purely optional.

Over the years I have discovered that the answer to getting organized isn't really in eliminating junk. It's learning how to hide it.

It might be a little late, but here's the answer to cleaning off you desk -- stacks.

Stacking the clutter in a basket or hiding it in a drawer works for me. My co-workers still believe I'm organized and I'm happy to oblige.

I've mastered the desks and closets, now if I can just get around to cleaning out the car.

~Laura Johnston is a copy editor for the Southeast Missourian.