In a Rut? Clean it Up!
April 29, 2010
by Jodi Granok - Organizing Magic, LLC
Yesterday, my husband commented to me, "Sometimes, I feel like we are living in squalor."
I
knew exactly what he was talking about. Don't get me wrong. We have a
nicely organized home, and for the most part, we keep it clean as
well. But sometimes our lives get a bit hectic, and it is reflected in
the condition of our home.
Perhaps this has happened to you. You
have a clean and tidy house, and then you have a few hectic days in a
row. Or a few weeks. Days where you are out all day, or you rush home
to grab a few things and then rush out again. You come home at the end
of the day, too tired to do your 5-10 minutes of daily organizing
maintenance. "I'll put those clothes away tomorrow." "The dishes can
wait one more day." Sound familiar?
The next thing you know,
each room brings a sigh of disappointment. "Ugh! This room is a
disaster!" "It makes me tired just looking at it!" "I don't have the
energy to deal with this right now." And the snowball of clutter and
disorganization continues to grow.
This morning, I got up and
looked around our house. It clearly needed a refresher. There were
mini-piles building up on surface areas throughout the house. Laundry
piled up in the basement, dishes piled up in the sink and on the kitchen
counter, paperwork piled on the table, etc. We even had a few items
that hadn't been put away after returning home from our trip last week.
I
don't know about you, but I find it hard to work and be productive when
my surroundings are cluttered. It saps my energy. It pulls my mood
down. I get distracted easily. So today, I realized I needed to give
myself an intervention.
I turned on my iTunes, hit "shuffle", and
got busy reclaiming my spaces. Choosing one room at a time, I put
things where they belonged, wiped down surfaces, threw trash away, and
dealt with decisions. A lot of clutter is created because of unfinished
projects. For example: I had a pile of paperwork because I needed to
do some data entry in my computer before filing the forms away.
Each
time I finished a room, it made me feel great. My success gave me a
burst of renewed energy that I took with me to the next room. This is
the type of snowball effect I enjoy! I am always amazed to see how
quickly I am able to restore order in my home. It takes a lot LESS time
to get my house straightened up then the hours I spend procrastinating
about doing something with my mess!
I am thrilled to be able to
spend the rest of my day working on new ideas and projects. My
organized space gives me a creative boost, and inspires me to move
forward and make a difference in the world.
If this column
sounds familiar, why don't you target one room in your home tonight and
see what you accomplish? I would love to hear your success stories!
© Organizing Magic, LLC - 2010. All Rights Reserved.
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