Courting Disaster
I'm not sure what is worse: finally recognizing all the clutter in my life or figuring out how to contain the beast. My apartment, car, workspace, nutritional habits, finances, and personal feelings are so jumbled and messy these days. I blame it on work..on other people..but the truth is I seem to thrive on it. I draw useless debris like a moth to a flame. My job is not the problem; it's just another log to throw on the fire that's burning out of control.
The other day I got so tired of looking at the crap on my workdesk that I threw everything out that I could, gave away supplies that were otherwise useless to me, and started a filing system. With any luck, maybe I'll even stick with it. This little sense of tidiness in my small space, though, makes me feel a little more productive. There is comfort and peace in the simpleness.
How does the clutter begin? It's a collection of moments of carelessness. It's a feeling of 'I'm tired, I'll deal with this later,' or 'I may need this so I don't want to throw it out.' It's emotional attachments. One thing becomes a pile of things. The next thing I know, a place that once felt clean and wonderful turns into shambles. The kitchen sink is full of dishes, my car is trashed, my credit card bill is ungodly, I've gained 10 pounds, and I'm exhausted and stressed out. Everyone is on my case. I am a fire ball waiting to explode...a full scale tornado...
Maybe if I just hold on, though, the storms will pass. Maybe there is a light hidden somewhere in the darkness.
I want to start a massive assault on clutter. I want to run at it with pitchforks and drive it back into its evil cuccoon...to grab a hold of it with both hands and contain it somewhere safe. I know I have to start a bite sizes, though. Last week was my apartment, yesterday was my workdesk and my refrigerator, today was my purse, and tomorrow? Well, that's still undecided. One day at a time, I think. In the meantime, I do small things. I remove papers and debris from my desk BEFORE they pile up. I keep my work email Inbox organized and cleaned out. The dishes are always done before I go to sleep. Upon waking, one of the first things I do is straighten my bed so that I will have some place soft and appealing to retire at night. I have tried planning meals for a week and attemping to prepare them in advance so that I won't have any excuses to go out to eat when I get home. I've found a place for the army of shoes that used to be next to the front door. I've launched a full out search for a different job. Slowly, as the clutter disappears, so does the feeling of hopelessness. Each bag of items I've tossed out feels like a weight lifted from my shoulders. I can breathe a little easier. I don't wake up each morning feeling so much like a trapped single girl courting disaster.
What have you done lately to reduce the clutter in your life?
The other day I got so tired of looking at the crap on my workdesk that I threw everything out that I could, gave away supplies that were otherwise useless to me, and started a filing system. With any luck, maybe I'll even stick with it. This little sense of tidiness in my small space, though, makes me feel a little more productive. There is comfort and peace in the simpleness.
How does the clutter begin? It's a collection of moments of carelessness. It's a feeling of 'I'm tired, I'll deal with this later,' or 'I may need this so I don't want to throw it out.' It's emotional attachments. One thing becomes a pile of things. The next thing I know, a place that once felt clean and wonderful turns into shambles. The kitchen sink is full of dishes, my car is trashed, my credit card bill is ungodly, I've gained 10 pounds, and I'm exhausted and stressed out. Everyone is on my case. I am a fire ball waiting to explode...a full scale tornado...
Maybe if I just hold on, though, the storms will pass. Maybe there is a light hidden somewhere in the darkness.
I want to start a massive assault on clutter. I want to run at it with pitchforks and drive it back into its evil cuccoon...to grab a hold of it with both hands and contain it somewhere safe. I know I have to start a bite sizes, though. Last week was my apartment, yesterday was my workdesk and my refrigerator, today was my purse, and tomorrow? Well, that's still undecided. One day at a time, I think. In the meantime, I do small things. I remove papers and debris from my desk BEFORE they pile up. I keep my work email Inbox organized and cleaned out. The dishes are always done before I go to sleep. Upon waking, one of the first things I do is straighten my bed so that I will have some place soft and appealing to retire at night. I have tried planning meals for a week and attemping to prepare them in advance so that I won't have any excuses to go out to eat when I get home. I've found a place for the army of shoes that used to be next to the front door. I've launched a full out search for a different job. Slowly, as the clutter disappears, so does the feeling of hopelessness. Each bag of items I've tossed out feels like a weight lifted from my shoulders. I can breathe a little easier. I don't wake up each morning feeling so much like a trapped single girl courting disaster.
What have you done lately to reduce the clutter in your life?