Being Organized, part 1

Eye Talk by Annie Schlesinger

When I had the idea to write about being organized, I checked the topic at the Talking Book Library – there were 18 results – on BARD there were 19. Since I am organized and believe it is very important, I am going to share some of what I do. I also read about the subject; there are common themes in the literature.

I have a routine for many things, and if I don’t follow my routine, I have trouble. When I walk into my apartment, keys, sunglasses, purse, white cane and now mask, go in their place. I keep items in the same place all the time. If I have to look for keys, etc., it creates anxiety and wastes time.
A routine for medications can be a lifesaver. I use a container with days of week sections for my vitamins. Several prescription med containers are set out in a tray on the table every morning; then the med container is returned to storage when the med is taken. According to where the container is, I can tell if I have taken the medication. My morning and evening eye drops have their places and move when used – I call it my geographic memory. When I do something every day, like medications, I sometimes can’t remember later if I took them. Now I can check container location and have some certainty.

My clothing is labeled and hung in its designated section of the closet. I label with braille using puff paint to make the dots. I learned braille letters and numbers and can use it for writing addresses and phone numbers. There are several methods of labeling: safety pins can be used. For some things I use the Pen Friend which allows me to record information on a sticker.

As I lose more of my vision I am clearing out unnecessary items. It’s difficult; lots of good stuff that I wanted at one time. But now it’s clutter and too much to manage.

I am still working on how to manage my appointments and mail. I am using the iPhone and hope will be the answer. Then there is the kitchen, ordering medications, taxes and probably more.

I believe in working out the best system for me and sticking to it. It may take some experimenting but it makes life easier.