Do you open your closets and sigh at the consistent disorganization? Do you step into your garage and shudder at the mess? And, how is your office/desk looking? If you are facing a lot of clutter and mess in your life, it may be affecting you in ways you do not even realize.
If you are finding it difficult to concentrate and prioritize your efforts at work, it may be linked to many things that are messy around you. Often, if things seem overwhelming, it may be because in the back of your mind, you feel covered up in clutter throughout all aspects of your life.
What to do if this is you? Start with one thing you can quickly and easily organize, something that is not so overwhelming. Perhaps it is a junk drawer in your kitchen, where you throw things and forget about them. Take an hour and purge things out of it that you don't need, and organize what you do need. Then, set some goals for each day of the next few weeks, such as:
Weeknights: Closets, one or two each night.
Weekend: Garage/shed
Weekdays: Office, one hour a day until clean.
And so on.
As you organize, think of three buckets: Keep donate, garbage. Decisions, at first, may be difficult, but you'll begin to pull the trigger more quickly as you go. (Also, get the kids involved--it's good for them to help with these activities and work on their own spaces!)
You will not believe how free you will begin to feel, and you will notice that you can concentrate on your work and family more fully, because you are not thinking about the mess and clutter in your home or office. Even if the mess is shut behind closet doors, you know it's there, and it definitely can affect your level of anxiety. It does seem true that when we are able to purge physical things that no longer serve us, we will begin to purge things that do not serve us emotionally as well.
Goodbye clutter! Hello freedom!
Susan O'Brien, Owner of imPRess, LLC