I was at a friend’s home waiting for her to come out of the house so we could go shopping. The man next door was using a leaf blower to clean off his drive way. He was blowing dirt, not leaves. As I sat and watched him I thought why I hadn’t I ever thought of that. A leaf blower was just that to me. It was to blow leaves.

I live in the second driest state in the United States so I am always looking for ways to conserve water so I don’t use water to clean off my drive way. I had been sweeping it with a large broom. This was an Ah-ah moment. I bought a blower and cleaned off my driveway with it. I read somewhere that the noise from the blower is someone’s pet peeve. Every time I use it now I hope it isn’t a pet peeve of my neighbors.

When I use it I have to attach an extension cord. I can always find one because I have a basket on a shelf in the garage (one of my organizing ideas a few years ago) that has worked as well as hanging it on a nail. (That was a little side tip). Anyway, when I was getting out the cord I was thinking how nicely my husband puts the cords back and I like that. I try to do it as nice but frankly that is why they are in a basket, they are contained and I don’t have to be so careful winding it up when putting it away.

I guess my professional organizer mind kicked in and I thought of the different styles of organizing. I like the way my husband puts the cords away but other things he does drives me crazy. He often does not put things away where they belong. I have learned to live with it and I quietly put them where they go so he doesn’t have to ask, “Have you seen the hammer”?

What organizing style do you have and how do you help others to stay organized?