After reading every book out there on home organization without much success, and even plotting ways to save up to hire a personal organizer, I have finally crawled out of the abyss of chaos and am living in a peaceful home. Being packrat by nature, this has been an embarrassing progress, but I know I'm not the only one and I hope I can encourage others trying to change their habitsf .
This lesson I've learned probably isn't what you want to hear, but it's a fact: it is always going to be work. But it's work that comes with fulfillment. It yields peaceful days. It takes awareness throughout the day, but that awareness isn't even on the same scale as the energy it took to keep up with the stress of cleaning a house for company just a 6 months ago.
Six months ago, company coming meant tossing everything in boxes and hiding them in my bedroom. I hid dirty laundry in the dryer. I hid dishes in the oven. I also ruined more dishes than I care to count when I forgot and preheated that same oven the next day.
If you're where I was, you're thinking that a steady spacing of awareness isn't going to cut it. It might maintain the current level of chaos, but you have a HOLE to dig out of. How do you deal with THAT?
I'll share what I can. My mental breakthrough might not be your mental breakthrough, but I'll share just in case.
We'll start with this for now:
The very idea that paying careful attention throughout the day could only maintain but not fix your problem is dead on and is key to getting your life together. It doesn't dig you out of your hole, but if you focused on being aware of your home and your habits throughout this entire day, you would be able to prevent it getting worse today, wouldn't you?
Let's face it; not worse is an improvement. Start there. Honest. Just start there. You'll be amazed at how quickly it tunes your thoughts to notice your habits and what needs changing.
This lesson I've learned probably isn't what you want to hear, but it's a fact: it is always going to be work. But it's work that comes with fulfillment. It yields peaceful days. It takes awareness throughout the day, but that awareness isn't even on the same scale as the energy it took to keep up with the stress of cleaning a house for company just a 6 months ago.
Six months ago, company coming meant tossing everything in boxes and hiding them in my bedroom. I hid dirty laundry in the dryer. I hid dishes in the oven. I also ruined more dishes than I care to count when I forgot and preheated that same oven the next day.
If you're where I was, you're thinking that a steady spacing of awareness isn't going to cut it. It might maintain the current level of chaos, but you have a HOLE to dig out of. How do you deal with THAT?
I'll share what I can. My mental breakthrough might not be your mental breakthrough, but I'll share just in case.
We'll start with this for now:
The very idea that paying careful attention throughout the day could only maintain but not fix your problem is dead on and is key to getting your life together. It doesn't dig you out of your hole, but if you focused on being aware of your home and your habits throughout this entire day, you would be able to prevent it getting worse today, wouldn't you?
Let's face it; not worse is an improvement. Start there. Honest. Just start there. You'll be amazed at how quickly it tunes your thoughts to notice your habits and what needs changing.
I have recently come to realise that I need to be intentional about doing things such as putting things away when I am finished. It is so easy to walk away and leave the quilt on the sofa but I have learned to fold it and put it on the pile.
ReplyDeleteThis has taken me so long to learn! I still have lots to learn. That one item misplaced tallies up to 50 by day's end and suddenly the house is a disaster. But no more! We're seriously a long way from perfect, but perfect isn't my goal. :D
DeleteYa'll know my motto...two minutes now or two hours later. Forgive me...we all know I'm twisted that way. Just yesterday Farm Boy was remindin' me of my illness. Heeehehehe!!!
ReplyDeleteNo, I didn't know it was your motto, but it sounds like a good one! Not at all twisted, just good sense.
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