Neat Freak or Crazy Person?

I am an organizational neat freak. I even think that might be an understatement.
The inside of my car always looks new. It is cleaned out every day and every compartment is filled with the appropriate materials and nothing more.
My closet is organized by season and then by color. It honestly looks like a rainbow. Shannon, my roommate in college, rubbed off on me and has got me obsessed with having to need all plastic hangers so that every piece of clothing hangs uniformly from the rack.

If I didn’t know myself better I would diagnose myself with an OCD.

I don’t keep junk and I always have lists. I have an excel spreadsheets that I utilize for budgeting and tracking and I even have a calendar to track my workout schedule. My T-shirts are organized in my dresser by “event/organization” (ADPi, NC State, volunteer, workout). They are then sorted by short-sleeve or long-sleeve and then by color.
When I leave a room, I have to leave it clean and neat. I am constantly picking up and straightning up if things are out of order. Besides my OCD, I think this has to do with having roommates for the past 8 years. When it is not just YOUR personal space, I feel obligated to keep it tidy.

For me, it just makes life easier.

Therefore, when I saw this, I just about had to sit down before passing out.

click to view larger

AHHHHHHH, a bright light is shining all over this organizational system and it is screaming: “Buy me, buy me, use me, and hang me on your wall.”

I saw this organizational system in the Pottery Barn catalog yesterday and I fell in love. We are moving into our new apartment this week and I HAVE to have this over my new desk in my new room.
There is just one problem: Pottery Barn is taking me to the cleaners with this thing!
To build a daily system just like the one in the picture above it takes:

1 Linen Pin board ($54)
2 Cork Boards ($34 each)
1 Office Organizer ($54)
1 Letter Bin ($54)
3 Magnetic White Board Calendars ($54 each)
6 Top Display Rods 24” long ($20 each)
All of this coming to a grand total of: $512.00

That is ludicrous! RIP OFF!
Therefore, my new “art and craft” for the next two weeks – build my own “daily system” to go over my desk that looks just like this but at a cheaper price…

Ready. Set. Go