Confessions of a Professional Organizer: The ‘Nerdy Things I Do’ List
In honor of Glee starting a new season tonight, I thought I would be completely transparent and admit that I am a geek. Not a computer geek, but a nerdy geek. Been one all my life. And now, after years of pain and discomfort, I’m willing to celebrate it. Here’s my list of the nerdy things I do to make my life easier:
Nerdy Things I Do
I keep a pair of slippers in my car and slip off my heels just before driving home from an event.
I keep moisturizer in my night table and slather my hands with it before I go to bed.
I keep a zip-lock bag of almonds in the glove compartment of my car and sometimes in my purse, in case I get hungry between meals.
I keep an ‘environ sac’ rolled up in my purse in case I forget to take my canvas bags out of my trunk when I go grocery shopping.
I email my kids when I want to remind them about booking their dentist appointment (or other similar things).
I bring baby wipes on the plane whenever I travel, and I wipe down every surface around me.
I always use the bathroom before leaving the house, whether I have to ‘go’ or not. I always ‘go’.
If I’m going out the next day, I pick out my outfit the night before. I have been doing this since kindergarten.
If I’m going to a special event, I start planning my outfit a month before.
I eat the same thing for breakfast almost every day: fruit mixed with plain yogurt, topped with granola.
I actually schedule coffee meetings with friends, sometimes weeks in advance.
I show up at least 15 minutes early for everything. If I’m driving somewhere, I double the expected time it will take (to allow for traffic).
I call my office number when I’m out and leave reminder messages for myself.
Not sure if I’m looking for sympathy or camaraderie, but I feel so much better now that I’ve got that off my chest!
Oh no – I’m a nerd too. I pretty much have the same list, except for the slippers and being 15 minutes early!! Friends and co-workers always refer to me as “the prepared one”.
Yeah, I always “go” before I leave the house. I also “go” just before I get on my horse (sometimes twice in case we do jumping).
Since we moved from Montreal, I’m arriving 30 minutes early because I’ve overcompensated for Trenton traffic.
I’ve never learned to drive in heels and go the Officers’ Mess fancy dress parties in sneakers & put my heels on just before I get out of the car.
I’ve started using Lysol or Javex wipes instead of baby wipes. Especially in hotel rooms.
I HAVE to turn off the water main in the house if I go away even if just for one night!
Great list Hellen! I’m exactly the same AND a computer geek too as you know!
Instead of kids, substitute two Siamese kitties. I have to do a “snout count” every morning before leaving for work – to make sure no one snuck into the closet when I got my jacket.
I always have to “go” before I leave anywhere – including doing the laundry downstairs. I mean “what if” I get stuck in the elevator????
Every day I have my organic cereal for breakfast and then pick up a jumbo Timmy’s coffee (double milk) on the way to work.
I always carry enough kleenex tissues on me for about a dozen people. I rarely use tissues when I’m not in the office or at home.
I have to check my alarm clock radio at least 3 times before I go to bed to make sure the alarm is set for the right time. I always wake up before it goes off.
You’re not alone Hellen! We all have our lists. That’s what makes us interesting.
🙂 Linda
So I guess you hit a lot of birds with the same stone Hellen.
That list applies to me too! But I always believed it was something everyone, absolutely everyone had to do! hahaha
this list does make you a nerd; it makes prepared. good job!
Thanks for the list. i will try to incorporate a few into my routine.
I call myself a domestic geek. I get it completely.
Oh, and I only change the right shoe when driving. : )
I always joke that I should’ve been a Boy Scout because their motto is, “Be Prepared.”
After locking my keys inside my car once too often, I had another set of keys made, which now go in my pocket before I leave the house. This has saved my bacon on several occasions, and was well worth the trouble.
The keys have to be on my person, because I’ve also locked my handbag in the trunk many times.
I really like your list Hellen – a little bit of preparedness reduces stress.
One of the favourites on my list is to make up a thermos of tea and have the rice bag by the microwave to warm up with after getting home from work in the winter.
I’m sure I’m a nerd also because once I left home without “going” and prided myself on living dangerously – had a hard time finding a bathroom and won’t do that again!
I totally thought I was the only one that switched shoes when driving! So glad to know I’m in good company.
I love this post! My favorite nerdy practice is keeping a small zip top bag in my pocketbook with the following: bandaids, travel packets of antibiotic ointment, and individually packaged eye drops. This bag of “just in case” stuff has saved me and my family and friends on many occasions. I keep a tissue in my pocket at all times, for spontaneous nose drips, wiping pollen off swings, etc. (only good if you remember to remove it before doing laundry!) Baby wipes will be a part of my life forever more, even though my son is 6…they’re just too handy. I keep them in the car and in my day travel bag on trips.
Oh I can totally relate to so many of these things! I HAVE to have kleenex with me, purell and wipes, and a plasic bag every day cause for some reason with a child you never know when you’ll need it…can be used to hold wet clothes, as a barf bag, to carry things he brings to a store then doesn’t want to carry, etc…
Instead of your almonds I keep protein bars everywhere to eat when the sugar crashes.
I am proud to be a nerd!! lol
It feels good to come out of the closet doesn’t it? Although I suspect your closet is pretty neat and tidy so not a bad place to be.
By the way, we have the same breakfast!
Well I guess I am a nerd too! I do almost everything on your list but instead of baby wipes I use disinfecting wipes! My purse also weighs a ton because of the need to be prepare for anything!
Hmmm. I really don’t find those things nerdy at all….I see it as being wise, prepared, organized….so that you’re free to live life fully.
Whew. Nice to know I don’t have OCD (well, hopefully…), I’m just a geek! I make my bed in the morning when I wake up before I even head to the bathroom. As soon as I’m done in the bathroom in the morning, I clean out the kitty’s box, clean the toilet and wipe down the the vanity with a Lysol wipe. After I get dressed, I immediately set out my complete outfit for the next day.
When I get home from work, I immediately take my shoes and socks off (shoes in their shoe holder spot, socks in the outerwear laundry basket). I put my purse beside my desk, take my jewelry off and put it away, put my cell phone at my desk to charge (when it’s done charging, it goes to sit with tomorrow’s outfit). I also charge my iPod, if needed. Then I start a load of laundry and my nightly list of chores. My life is like the movie “Groundhog Day”.
I have Lysol wipes and disinfectant spray under every sink in my house and at my desk at work. I can’t stand people who sneeze or cough without covering their mouth!
These lists make me envious. All these habits that seem second nature to you are mostly foreign to me (except the wipes! where would we be without those?). I have to ask: what are you all doing reading Hellen’s blog and site?! You don’t need her help. You’re mini Hellens! 🙂 Joking aside, if all this is part of being a nerd, I want in the club!!! I can imagine a much tidier house and an easier time getting places with such exemplary “girl scout” habits. Bravo to you all!
Thank goodness there’s another one of out there! I was getting paranoid reading all of these responses about how everybody else was just as organized as Hellen. I’m glad to know that someone else needs her help and isn’t quite so OCD. I mean, really folks. Wow. Do all of you really do that stuff?
Hi Hellen, I have to say YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!! I have to laugh, no wonder I love your Neat show, we have alot in common (laughing as I am writing this), Nerd to the 3rd power over here. I wrote a little blurb over on my blog yesterday and you were my inspiration for my post on decluttering. You Rock, From one nerd to another, By The Way I thought everyone was like we are, hmmm maybe we’re not nerdy after all. ; )
I have a very similar list, but I like to think it makes me meticulous and organized — not nerdy. 🙂
But I do have a few differences:
I don’t need slippers in the car because I never wear heels. Fashion be damned — if a shoe’s not comfortable, I’m not wearing it.
I don’t just slather lotion on my hands before bed, but my feet too.
My bag of raw almonds is in my desk drawer.
And here’s my nerdiest admission: I don’t have to set out my clothes the night before because I have a Monday outfit, a Tuesday outfit, etc. I took to heart what Hellen said on “neat” about people wearing 20% of their clothes 80% of the time and really downsized my wardrobe. Perhaps 20% of my wardrobe is worn only occasionally, but I wear most everything else often.
I guess I’m a nerd also. One little nuance, while I am doing life, I listen to Elvis radio. No matter what the job, listening to Elvis puts a smile on my face and makes me happy.
Okay, here’s a tip when using public washrooms. Before I even go in I have paper napkins/TP (eco-friendly recycled paper, natch) out and ready, along with little pieces of soap wrapped in paper (you know – the slivers of soap left that you are reluctant to throw out). So, if there is no soap in the dispenser I’m ready. If there is no TP, I’m OK. And especially if there is no paper towel (and no air dryer) I have something to dry my hands with and open the door. I am re-reading this and it sounds weirder than I thought it would but it almost always saves me every time I am out!
@Suzanne- I didn’t start out that way in life, trust me. 🙂 My bedroom was so bad as a teenager that I would lock my mother out of it, so that I couldn’t get in trouble for the mess. But I read a book by Elaine St. James a few years ago, called “Simplify Your Life”, and that really got me going on purging my stuff. Watching “Neat” was a big motivator, too! Then I joined this email list from a woman FlyLady. She gently but firmly kicked my butt into shape, regarding housework and even more organization of my home. It took a good year or two for all my daily habits to stick. My motto or goal in life is to be prepared for all eventualities- daily things that come up and emergencies. It makes me much more relaxed about everything to know I’m prepared, for both the best and the worst.
I also do most of the things on the list. Funny how simple things become huge in our lives. I also participate in pro-ative “going”, setting out the clothes, calling work with messages for myself, making lists, making a travel packing list and packing the list to make sure everything comes home with me (even I shake my head at that one). Similarly to the women who shuts off the water valve before going away for a night, I cannot go to bed or leave the house without checking the stove elements (even if I didn’t use the stove). I need the comfort of these personal checks and balances, nerdy or not.
Thanks for the encouraging reply and recommendations, Liz! I’ll check out that book. Tried Flylady but didn’t have the patience for it. Knowing that it took you a year or two for your habits to stick gives me hope. Haven’t seen an episode of ‘Neat’ in ages – doesn’t seem to air on HGTV Canada anymore. I really miss it. Just ordered Hellen’s book (on my to-do list since it came out!).
@Suzanne- You’re welcome, Suzanne! In addition to Hellen’s great book, the only other organizational book I’ve found to be truly helpful is Julie Morgenstern’s “Organizing From the Inside Out”. There are some really terrific ideas in there, and she has a list of websites at the back of the book which are motivational and helpful, too.
Great List Hellen…give us some more!
One thing I always carry with me is a small pair of scissors in my purse. Do you know how many people have borrowed them and said, “Great Idea to have in your Purse”
Can’t wait to read your book, I am number 26 at the library.
Great idea Ann, but make sure you take them out before you go through security at the airport!
Didn’t know my book was available at the library! Which one?
Suzanne – you are so right! I would absolutely love to be one of these “Nerds”.
I found Neat on at 3:30 am
if you have Telus tv search their guide
unfortunately i am asleep then
wonder if you are planning a DVD or …? I too think your list shows you are a practical, prepared person. I plan all my visits with friends way in advance and write them on my calendar and do some of the other things on your list. I guess my view of geeky is more like -I collect action figures from Lord of the Rings-which i did not see on your geek list -but which is on mine 🙂
I enjoyed Flylady’s assistance and Julie M’s and try to find inspiration for dealing with my clutter where I can. My boyfriend thinks I am nuts because i can watch “Hoarders” and jump up all inspired at the commercials to tackle clutter. I see the people on the show and think they are so brave to put themselves out there and I want to honor their bravery by wrangling my clutter into submission.
Helen you have been a great inspiration to me as well. I enjoyed your book. I am looking forward to the next one -and hoping it is much longer because I love reading what you have to say. I borrowed my copy from the library in Burnaby, BC.
I send emails to my spouse for the household – one per email so he can mark them each completed when done. Glad to see I’m not the only one!