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 The world from a short person's POV - not Australia or New Zealand. |
Random thoughts, pointed comments, and whatever else crosses my mind 
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| "You can't fix it till you know what's broken." Julie Morgenstern The system you design needs to fit YOU; it is very personal. We aren't talking about a quick tidying up of your linen closet; we are talking about changes that will create the time and space you crave to live a productive life. To start, let's look at some of the obstacles that could be holding you back from even starting the process. There are many reasons people become disorganized. Until you determine how and why you got to the place you are now, you will just be spinning your wheels addressing the wrong issue. Many people assume that they don't have enough time to keep on top of things or enough space to keep everything they think they need or that they are just sloppy. And they are sure that their friends and family think the same way about them. This is not the best mindset for achieving success. If you see your current environment as a criticism of who you really are, you will probably dread the tasks necessary to make any real change. According to Julie Morgenstern, causes of clutter occur on three levels. Most will see one, two or three operating in their life. It is worth identifying and understanding how they function in your life. They are Psychological Obstacles, Technical Errors, and External Realities. Psychological Obstacles: Some people thrive on chaos. If it doesn't present itself, they will create it. They may keep making efforts to become organized but never finish or if they finish they will find a way to sabotage themselves. These people love the thrill of coming to the rescue and creating order out of chaos. They thrive on solving complex problems. If you have an emergency, this is the type of person you want around since they are hands-on doers. But then something catches their attention and they are off to some new activity, organization, meeting, hobby. They can set up good organizational systems but have trouble staying with it. Is this you or do you have someone in your life who lives in chaos? There are others that some would call collectors, to be polite or hoarders to be direct. Once they identify something or activity that excites them or creates a sense of security they start collecting. They spend their time, money and energy on amassing things or participating in one activity to excess. You have probably seen shows on TV that show people who are hoarders and the destruction it can cause for them and their family. These programs show the extreme but many other people come close. Look in your closet. How many pairs of shoes or handbags or t-shirts do you own? Do you have every kitchen gadget available or more than two or three sets of dishes? Would your Christmas and other seasonal decorations fill a basement or storage unit? Here is something to think about: the more stuff you have, the more time you spend organizing, cleaning, storing and worrying about all of it. Did you ever think you might outgrow it, lose interest, have difficulty finding replacement parts or just not really have the time to enjoy whatever you have collected? If you collected the items as an investment, did you think they might lose their value? I have known people who would fit all these categories. (A friend collected every Beanie Baby she could find as an investment for her granddaughter's college fund, only to have the monetary value disappear over time. She finally gave most of them away to several family shelters.) If you have ever helped a family member clear out a parent's home of 40 or 50 years, maybe you experienced what I am talking about. It is very difficult to set up a system that works for you if your goals and priorities aren't clear. People without clear goals can often feel scattered in a hundred directions. Almost everyone goes through a lack of clarity at some point. Without determining what is important to us, we get distracted by what others tell us we should have or do. You have to know and own your priorities, your goals. Many of us have difficulty letting go of things because we have given them a personality or life of their own. They can hold a tremendous amount of meaning for us. They might represent a happy time in our life, or remind us of an accomplishment we are proud of or provide memories of the person who gave them to us or the place where we bought them. Objects can come to define who we are. At times we can accumulate things that no longer "bring us joy." For now think about how you define yourself, your goals and priorities and what might be holding you back. Are you afraid to let go of the chaos in your life; have you been collecting items that no longer give you a sense of security or pleasure; are your goals and priorities undefined; do you give too much meaning to things in your life? Knowing who you are, what drives you, how you cope with routine or unexpected situations is crucial to developing a plan of organization that works for you. Any system only works when you give yourself permission to be who you are. Your system needs to be set up according to the way you think and relate to your world. If you want to make changes in your life, you need to give yourself permission to take the time and effort required. Remember it is all about you and how you want to live. Others can advise, suggest techniques and lift the boxes, but you will have to do the heavy lifting. I welcome your questions, comments, and feedback. Next, we'll try to look at ways to overcome these obstacles and then move on to Technical Errors. |
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Fire dancers!!! Wow! What fun! You really are in Paradise! So happy you for you! 
But I wish I loved it. That would be SO HANDY! So, I've been working on positive self-talk regarding cleaning. I smile when I say these things and I say them out loud if I'm alone or in my head if I'm not. I say things like, "I love to clean. Cleaning is fun. Cleaning makes me happy. I enjoy a tidy space." Blah, blah, blah...
Sure, it's dumb, but if it works, it doesn't matter. 
). 
I'm the prime example of someone who needed her own advice over 40 years ago. 