Friday, July 20, 2012

Obsessional behaviour

I used to call my father-in-law Supersonic Sid. I say used too because he's no longer my f-I-l, not that he is late! Anyway, Supersonic Sid had a way of going full tilt at a job that was admirable, but did end up with physical injuries of various family members conscripted to help, and usually of Sid too. But big jobs were done. All tools, materials, and personnel assembled at the same time, job undertaken and then all tools, leftover materials and old materials returned to the right place or dispatched. Job done. Generally straight, done to lockup, but done. The same about the little jobs, almost unnoticeable, minor, inconsequential jobs. He love going on holiday with m-I-l, in a converted minibus, across the Nullabor to Kalgoolie and Perth. Over the years he had bought video cameras updating to the next one and passing the older one onto one of the kids. When we had baby one, we were issued with said old video and issued instructions about care and use. We opened the case it came in and there it was in pristine condition. All stuff In the right space, all cords wrapped neatly and secured with rubber bands, manuals, labelled tapes, leads to go to the television....it was perfect. Over the time we possessed said camera, we lost rubber bands, leads, lense caps, tapes, even the bag (but that was found in a cupboard behind some shoes), and dad would ask to borrow it and when he returned it, it was like new again. MOTH and I chuckled, thinking how clever we were that dad would fix it for us, but this morning I was thinking that Dad's way was pretty clever. I was preparing for starting the second clue of shawl and literally spent half an hour finding stuff that should have been easy to find. Stuff like place markers, needles and the sort. I realized that stuff inside stuff inside stuff doesn't work if you want to be efficient and effective. That labeling things and replacing things when used, broken or lost, would in fact have made the first half hour knitting time instead of stomping and muttering time. Then I can start jobs, even big ones and do them like Sid (sans injuries). So big decluttering going to happen. Prepare a list and do it I say.