Execution: All or nothing?
Hopefully you’ve had a chance to attack your problem area over the past week! Did you use an all or nothing attitude? I know most of us want to just “get it done.” We are sick of looking at it or hiding it and just want it done and over with! But will that attitude solve “long term” the root habits to cause the problem; probably not. Sigh.
I know; why can’t anything just be easy? If this series was just about cleaning we could have been done with two words, “clean it.” You certainly can do that, but isn’t that what you’ve done a million times before? We all have busy lives, family, work, children, pets, and many combinations of all of these. We need solutions that will solve or at least control the chaos.
Someone asked me what to do if everything is all over the place. My suggestion was to pick an area or set a box, basket, whatever in one place and drop out of place items in it as you find them or need a place to drop something. What to do when it is full, empty it, or find another basket. One blog (I’m sorry I can’t credit her as I don’t remember which one it was) suggested that you never leave a room empty handed! Brilliant! Baby on one hip, grab an item out of the basket at set it in the area it belongs. Yes I know, eventually you will have piles in many rooms. Well, if you enter the area/room pick an item and put it away. Eventually, room by room things will be back in their proper places.
This of course leads us back to the problem of “too much stuff.” Basically, I asked you all to pick an area, drawer, whatever to work on. I chose a room to use as an example and gave you the basic “types” of personalities associated with organizing. Hopefully you have identified your style, most people are blends. If you’ve identified your style, you should have picked up your area to the point where you could leave the door open and have room to work. I further asked you to start with one thing to purge. A drawer, basket, dresser, box, you get the idea. Work your way around the area until you come back to the beginning. You should have the basic containers for “keep”, “donate”, and “toss”. The idea is to reduce the amount of “stuff” you’ve accumulated. Things you have not worn or used in a specific time frame unique to you, commonly, six months, a year, a season, and so forth.
Don’t “key” in on finishing everything in a day. Remember so many of us have limited amount of free time, there are no organization “cops” out there judging you on completing anything in a specific amount of time. The goal here is reducing the clutter and accumulation of “stuff”. If it takes you a week to get through a drawer/dresser or whatever, go with it and be kind to yourself and the limitations on your time. Babies need attention, a path needs to be maintained through the toys and adult clutter, meals cooks, dishes done, laundry done, you get the picture.
Here is a snapshot of my home as it is today. I usually do all the laundry over the weekend, didn’t happen so I am playing catch up. The dogs (I have two Scottish Terriers (brothers)) Angus and Fergus who are in need of a day/week of beauty. The floors (I did clean the kitchen floor yesterday) are in need of …everything. Christmas tree is still up, I have company coming next month, you can write your name in the dust in the master bedroom; the master closet remake project is nearly complete. The rug from the closet is currently residing in the family room. My henna basket is hanging out in the same area and my wraps (from said henna) are hanging out in the master bath. The kitchen is in disorder and I need to go to the grocery store. I may not have babies at home but between myself, my husband, two 20+ lb. tuxedo cats and two adorable pups, other family demands (my Mom, my son and his new wife, my in-laws and adopted family all live close by), I might as well have babies. We all have outside demands on our time, mine are not unique. I don’t work outside of the home; the point of this is to let you know everyone has challenges.
One of the best pieces of advice in one of the organizational blogs was this, “never take out more than you can complete in the amount of time you have”. In other words, make sure you have enough time to empty the drawer, sort, clean, restock, and close the drawer in the amount of time you have. In doing this you are obviously not adding to the chaos. Been there, should have written a book… ( You really don’t want to have “more stuff” to pick up to continue on with your day.
This is not an “All or Nothing” project, it’s a process. It’s a learning process; personally I’ve learned that my husband and I are pen-a-holics. We have boxes and boxes of pens. I buy mine, he is usually given his. One of my tasks this winter season (it’s going to be 65-68 degrees today) is to gather the boxes, vases, glasses, etc., test each pen and toss, donate, or keep. I have to work one container at a time so I can work through each. Will they build up again, sigh, probably; once again I will redistribute the kept pens and for as long as possible will refrain from buying any more. We try to control this by keeping them in specific containers (which will be reduced by half), once full I have to establish a time frame for sorting once again. We really like pens, pencils, markers, etc. What do you collect/accumulate?
My hope is that you will release yourself from the “All or Nothing” mind set. You will only defeat yourselves before you begin. I don’t know anyone who has a “perfect” home. I can walk into the neatest home and find an area that needs work. Perfect is a myth. It’s a fantasy. Sorry but that is the truth, so why not cut yourselves a break! It’s always been and will always be a work in process. The level you take the organization process is strictly personal and ever changing. Why not try and enjoy the process!
Ok, so keep at it and relax we all will get there!
Michelle :D
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