In the comments the other day I had some questions from Emily which I'll answer today.
Q: What's your approach to a project that really needs a lot of work - say for example a closet that's been neglected for a while and really needs to be reorganized how do you tackle it at first?
A: Don't have a lot of those :) BUT I love a big project and always organize some cabinet, closet or other at my mom's house when I visit her.
I start out with taking everything out of there and while doing so do a bit of sorting right away, like tossing broken things in a trash bag, sorting out things out that are no longer needed which can go to charity or which really belong in a different area altogether and making little piles of like things so it will be easier to put them back.
Then I clean the space and if needed add shelf liner. I also hunt for containers if there are a lot of smaller things that need storing. At my mom's house I look in her kitchen cabinets for jars, bowls, glasses etc that can be repurposed and in the garden shed for unused crates, pots, old shoe boxes etc which can be used for organizing. I try to find things without ugly labels and also if I have a choice I try to get matching ones, like all white or all clear or all baskets.
The next step is to do the main sorting and if applicable folding. When it comes to clothing I like too use matching hangers and for clothing stored on shelves I fold them like they are folded in shops. All neat and even so they make nice piles. I know this is sick but I hang and pile clothes by color, from white all the way into black. I guess I've worked in retail for too long... When I sort things that are not clothing I simply put like things together such as terracotta pots to one side, white pots to another side, glass vases together etc.
When putting things back I try to assess how much space is needed for each group of items. I also think about putting the most often used items in the area where it's easiest to reach them. Seldom used items can go in harder to reach spots. Taller items go towards the back and smaller towards the front. Little things go in containers. I almost always line things up in straight lines, it just look so much neater than random groups.
When I'm done I close the door, reopen it and go aaaahhhh!
Q: Do you cook dinner every night?
A: Nope! I don't cook. Martin cooks almost all our meals (from scratch). I say almost because I do make lunch on weekends but I wouldn't really call it cooking. Lets say I put food on the table if I must.
Q: How do you approach your email inbox? Sit down at one time and respond right away?
A: At work I usually read all e-mails in the morning and answer them straight away unless they need more attention than just a quick answer. In this case I "flag" them and get back to them within a day or so. I check my e-mail all the time, which I've heard is not good time management to do so, but I still do it.
At home I also check my e-mail all the time because it's where I get all your comments and I love reading those :) Also I can answer the comments via e-mail which is great. I delete the comments from my in-box as soon as I have read them and answered those that need answering. E-mails which are not blog comments I also read right away and if they only require a quick answer I'll do it straight away. I then file them in folders in my Hotmail if I want to save them. I don't have a lot of folders, just four or five. I try to answer all e-mails within a couple of days but sometimes it may take a little longer if it's not urgent.
Q: How do you manage to post a blog entry EVERY day!
A: I blog Monday-Friday and it's just something that I've grown used to doing this past year. Sometimes I have lots of ideas for posts lined up and sometimes I have to think a little bit harder about what to write. I keep a list of ideas and requests as I get them or come to think of them and Martin also comes up with quite a few topics that he thinks you'll enjoy. I guess because I always have so many projects going on I always have something or other to take photos of and to write about. The writing itself usually takes place right after work and around dinner time, before eating and after washing up. If it gets to late I'll post it in the morning so I can check it without being too tired.
There you go!
If any of you guys have other questions I'll be happy to try and answer them, either in a Q&A like this one or in separate posts.
~
oh, I thought the request for Swedish words was really funny so here's today's Swedish learning experience:
closet = garderob
kitchen = kök
@ = snabel-a
