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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

The Uncluttered Mind

Some people's brains work in an organized fashion. They see a goal and deconstruct it into the correct steps that should be followed to reach it.. And they do it quickly and without a lot of stress.

Yeah, that's not me.



I have so much going on in my mind all the time that I get bogged down in the quagmire pretty easily. This is true of my thoughts and true of my physical surroundings. If you think my blog posts are all over the map, you should see my house. Ugh.

In order to keep moving forward, I need help. I need an uncluttered space in order to maintain a relatively uncluttered mind. If my space gets messy, I get overwhelmed and demoralized. I truly can't decide where to get started, so I'll spend 4 hours Googling about nothing (or Facebooking) rather than get up and get started. Which of course makes it all worse as another weekend drifts on by without getting the important things done and myself organized and ready to tackle a new week.

This affects working out. It affects planning meals. It affects planning for a cruise in less than two months (and I don't have the passports done because I can't find a birth certificate!) It affects living life to the fullest while I beat myself up for not doing what I am supposed to be doing and punish myself by not going out and having fun all weekend. I'll sit in a panic all weekend thinking about what I SHOULD do, and not do it, and not have fun either. Why? I truly don't know (Hey, I'm not the psychologist, I'm the patient!)

Regardless, what I have figured out in my life is that it's okay to get help when help is needed. There is no shame in gathering resources today to help me be more productive and happier tomorrow.

To wit, (yes, I said "to wit") I have hired a housekeeper to come once per week starting next Saturday. She will come for two hours every Friday which should help motivate me to maximize my weekends rather than waste them. It should help my mental state - walking in the door at the end of the workweek and NOT have to face the weekend with ALL the chores looming overhead. I'm pretty excited.

Of course, being the perfectionist I am, I am going to have to clean my butt off before she gets here. Well, I don't want her to see how bad it can get...she may never want to come back! :-)

My plan is to keep the environment uncluttered and get that support so I can spend the weekends having fun, getting groceries for the week and actually planning meals ahead, and living a more purposeful life. (Crossing off those items on the to-do list).

The results are going to show up in my workout routines, my eating plans, my overall ability to deal with the hectic crazy schedule I have and help my son stay focused and organized also. I think it is going to be money VERY well spent.

For me, an uncluttered space = an uncluttered mind = a much calmer, more balanced Carly.



p.s. I found this out on the Web and thought it very helpful and truly describes one aspect of my personality. You might like the link:

"Another reason clutter collects is indecisiveness or deferred decision making. This is especially true of perfectionists. Think about it: If you’re a perfectionist, you want to do everything just right–or not at all. So if you haven’t got the time to organize your filing cabinet, you put it off and keep putting it off. Judith Kolberg, Director of the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization, says, “Often, our best intentions are left in stacks.”
Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/why-clutter-happens.html#ixzz2JSHUEVAp

5 comments:

  1. I hated our move :-) BUT I LOVED the fact it forced me to wholly declutter!!

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  2. I moved mid-June and am already ready to declutter. Of course, I brought more than I needed as I downsized.

    Project Decluttering coming up.

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  3. Confirmation that we are indeed related!!or you have a camera in my house and you live in my head!! I totally relate to what you are saying. A few years ago I would have argued that it is wrong/lazy to get someone in to clean for you if you are able to do it yourself. Then I worked all week and cleaned and ironed all weekend, which put me in an even worse mood if that is possible, and wasted time I wont ever get back, so I applaud your decision to get someone in to help. If it frees up time to spend either on your own, with family or friends and makes for a calmer Carly then I think it will be money well spent. I told one of my daughters, who is constantly stressed and can never find anything that if she could de clutter her house her mind would follow, why cant we take our own advise? I am off to find the phone book, it must be here somewhere. Did you find her under "cleaners" I might need someone with training in specialist grime.

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  4. P.S. I also used to tell everyone that it might look like a mess but I knew where everything was..............another lie!! I am not going to confess to the dates on some of the stuff in my cupboards, but there is sure to be an unexplained explosion one day. D

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  5. I looked online (Google is our friend) and found what I think is the perfect company. Housecleaning service that does it all - organizing/decluttering, vacuuming, dusting, laundry, will even wash and put away dishes....whatever you need. Many cleaning services require you to basically clean the house before they get there, and then they "deep" clean and spitshine stuff. That's not what I wanted or needed.

    When I lived in Maryland I had an organizer who helped with the big tasks of organization. She helped me create a place for everything so I could then put everything in its place. And we purged a lot together. She came about once every 3 months or so, sometimes longer.

    Good for you...just do it!

    P.S. I also would judge people who got the extra help - even while my own place stayed a mess. It's amazing how judgmental I can be looking outward. I can get mad at my son for leaving his dishes in the living room while I simultaneously have some sitting next to my desk. Ugh..that's another issue altogether.... :-)

    ReplyDelete

Sorry to make you type in the "word verification" but I have been getting a ton of spammers lately. Just type in the word that you see and it should go through.

Thanks!
Carly

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