I Can't Find My High School Diploma!

Session three of a Getting Organized at Home class I took last year made us face some of the external realities and psychological obstacles that get in the way of effectively managing our home environment. Who knew that a class on home organization would go beyond just sharing helpful tips and processes!?

Here are a couple of "external realities" that can effect our progress in this area:

Unrealistic workload: with downsizing and technology, people are expected to work more and faster, sometimes with fewer resources. At times, we must admit this is self-imposed, as we say "yes" to so many things, and don't realistically track and estimate how much time something really takes. I recently read a great article about "hidden tasks," you know, things like "walking to my office from the parking lot and stopping to talk to someone" that take up time that we forget to add to our calendar. (I'm not suggesting you write all that in your calendar, but instead, observing that we forget to allow 5 or 10 extra minutes to get to places or allow for delays and interruptions. and then are continually running late or feeling stressed.) Ironically, I can't find the article now. When I do, I'll post it for you.

Speed of life/technology: briefly mentioned above, we sink into the technology black hole, wanting to learn every feature of our new Droid (ahem) so that we can be especially efficient. Just because a gadget has a feature, doesn't mean I have to use it, unless it truly will help me with something I already do, or want to do.

Then there are some psychological obstacles to getting our home in order. Oh boy. Do any of these resonate with you?

Need for abundance: some people, having grown up feeling deprived of something, may keep lots of things because of the false sense of security and abundance it brings.

Conquistador of Chaos: there are people who thrill to conquering a task. They enjoy the victory so much that they will actually create new bits of chaos so they can stay on that "high" of being a warrior against it. They fear being bored.

Sentimental attachment: there's nothing wrong with keeping some meaningful items, but some of us go overboard. Some can't part with any schoolwork from a child's life, or every knick knack great-grandma handed down. We must remember that these things are just that--things. Things that someday, will be gone. The memories don't have to be. I somehow cannot find my high school diploma, cheerleading letter, or academic achievement pin. Yes, that bothers me. But, does it change the facts of my high school experience? No. I still was on the cheerleading squad. I still graduated. (As an affirmation junkie, I find it humorous that I can't find proof of graduation, academics and sports involvement. Go figure. Maybe there a lesson there?)

Homework for this week is to answer some personal questions about challenges, fears, and myself. Hmmm...I thought this was supposed to be a class on organizing my house? Maybe it starts with my getting some order in my heart.

Special thanks to Stephanie Baker, Christian Life Coach, our teacher.

Fixing Trouble Spots

To become more organized, you should occasionally give yourself a checkup. Sit back and think about the one, or two, areas of your life that cause you the most stress on a regular basis. For example,

• I routinely arrive late to work/school.
• Our kitchen never seems to get cleaned up.
• My mail piles up on the counter.

Now, begin to think about a workable solution. Keep in mind that the solution must work FOR YOU, even if it is not exactly logical (i.e. your mail sorting place may be the bathroom!)

For the above examples, see the following possible solutions:

Routinely late: do you continue to work on tasks until right before you leave? Begin to stop yourself at ten minutes before your leaving time. Use that last 10 minutes to gather items, shut off lights, warm up the car, etc.

Messy kitchen: last week we talked about an ABC list. Does "clean the kitchen" need to be on this after dinner, before bed checklist? Can you occasionally use paper plates (if you will be arriving home late) or re-train family members to put dirty dishes in a dishpan with soapy water?

Mail piling: you may need to have a sorting station nearer to where you pick up the mail. For example, if you have a recycle bin in your garage, flip through the mail before going into the house, depositing junk mail promptly into the bin. If you have a p.o. box, you could sort through your mail at the post office and not even bring home items you don't need. Another solution: don't retrieve the mail until you also have two minutes to sort it into proper categories. Have spots on your desk for items needing action, separating bills and receipts if necessary.

It takes a little thought and investigation, but when you apply a solution to the actual trouble spot, over time it will become less of a problem and you will feel less stress if you forgot to brush your teeth at home!

The Secret to Getting Organized...at least one, anyway

I've got a secret. I can tell you the key to being organized. Well, okay, maybe a little more organized than you currently are. Ready? All you need is your ABC's.

Your

After dinner

Before bed

Checklist

Checklists are nothing new. flylady.net recommends an evening checklist. I think that certain key things help you be more organized on a regular basis, and the ABC list is one of those.

Notice that this list begins "after dinner." For those of you (like me) who are not night owls, it is best to get some of this list done right after you finish eating. Others can wait until the 15-30 minutes before bed. Be sure to attach this process to your best energy level after dinner.

Create a list of 5-10 (no more than ten, no less than 5) items that, if they were done when you woke up, would make you smile and feel that little sense of relief. These will be different you than they are for me. They will relate to your lifestyle and schedule. Here are a few ideas:

• lunches made
• laundry done
• dishwasher empty
• clothes laid out for next day
• desk picked up
• menu figured out for next day
• personal grooming completed
• appointments confirmed/calendar updated
• outgoing items packed (i.e. mail to send out, items to bring somewhere, etc.)
• gym bag ready
• phone, laptops, etc. charged

You get the idea. Not all of these suggestions will apply to you. For example, if you have time after getting kids off to school, you may do some of the chores in the morning. But if you have to be gone all day, you will love to have these things done before you go.

Your ABC list will probably be modified from time to time. It's important to have a list that reflects what is most valuable to you. When you get up in the morning, it will be a great feeling to have these things done, especially if you happen to sleep in! And if your plans happen to change (i.e. a morning appointment gets cancelled) you'll have even more time to do something else to--gasp--maybe even get ahead!

What should be on your ABC list?