Tag Organized Chaos

Fertile Fields of Clutter

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Do piles seem to produce at an alarmingly fast pace in your workspace? Do you sometimes look at your desk, kitchen, or closet and think, “Where did all this come from?”

Well, you, my friend, are in luck!

Your piles present you with the distinct privilege of being someone who can move mountains. Those mounds of miscellaneous papers, projects, and housework are your key to making things happen. You have fertile fields of clutter.

Albert Einstein is often referenced in discussions about cluttered desks due to his quandary about the relationship between empty desks and empty minds. I have always embraced this sentiment when surveying the insanity of my office; however, Anne Lamott helped me to appreciate my cluttered chaos in a new way when I read her book, Bird by Bird.

“Clutter is wonderfully fertile ground – you can still discover new treasures under all those piles, clean things up, edit things out, find things, get a grip.” – Anne Lamott

These words make Lamott an Einstein in my mind.

Continue reading “Fertile Fields of Clutter” →

Links to Happiness

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I’ve never worked in a paper clip factory. I never thought about what it would be like to make paper clips all day long. I had not considered what it must be like to have a career solely based on those cartons of curved, organizational magic… that is until I opened my most recent box of paper clips.

Upon lifting the lid to a brand new box, I discovered a very long chain of clips connected to one another. Surely, this is not a normal product of the paper clip making process. Someone somewhere took the time to construct this impressive chain of fasteners. Perhaps their intent was to frustrate the recipient of the chain, or maybe its creation served to pass the time during an unfortunate shut-down at the plant, or it could be that the chain’s maker was just trying to make a connection with someone else in a unique way. Whatever the reason, I was now the intrigued owner of a very long paper clip chain.

When I showed my daughter, she said, “That’s cool, but now you can’t use those paper clips.”

“Why can’t I use them?” was my reply.

“Because then you wouldn’t have the chain anymore,” she stated and walked away.

I guess she was right. I needed a paper clip, not a chain of them, but there were Intentergy moments in those links.

Continue reading “Links to Happiness” →

March Positivity Challenge – Make Your Mess Less

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White Puffy Clouds

We all know life is messy. Many of us feel like there is just too much going on in our lives. Our mole hills really are mountains and a simpler existence would make getting through the day so much easier.

This month let’s make our mess less.

Each day in March, I encourage you to toss out, donate, or give away at least one thing that you no longer use or that just takes up too much space in your place. Once you start the process of picking out the excess, you will find the act of eliminating the unnecessary empowering.

Don’t know where to start?

Consider your closet or dresser. Anything you didn’t wear in the last year is perfect for purging.

Give the kitchen cabinets a sweep. Gadgets, pans, or expired products provide instant pitches or pass alongs.

What about your catch-all drawer? I am certain there are some Box-tops to go to education, coupons that no longer count, or just some stuff that would benefit from being organized.

A large part of March makes up the Lenten season and I always use this season as a chance to challenge myself to get rid of the excess in my home. Continue reading “March Positivity Challenge – Make Your Mess Less” →

Foggy Minds – Wise Words Wednesday

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Foggy Minds – Wise Words Wednesday

mind-fog

Clearly I cannot take credit for this image, but I can thank the nice people at Pinterest for providing such terrific inspiration for today’s post. Thank you, Pinterest.

Life is chaotic. Holidays are crazy. My brain is foggy.

So many people I have spoken to lately seem to be suffering from foggy brains also. I don’t know if it is the cloud of too much to do, or too many things to remember, or just sinus pressure that is affecting us but there are some serious cases of foggy brain going around.

The treatment for foggy brain is different for all of us. We all have our pressure fronts that move in an out. We all have precipitation and draught issues, but there are a few simple things that can be done to relieve foggy brain symptoms.

png 1 Rest: take time to clear you schedule and mind.

png 1 Hydrate: drink lots of water and healthy stuff. Wine may dull the fog but only adds to the befuddlement later.

png 1 Be Kind: show yourself kindness and demonstrate compassion for other foggy brain sufferers. You never know what might be clouding their thoughts. 🙂

png 1 Prioritize: organize your to-do’s. A game plan will always give you a clearer perspective.

Energy with clarity is much more powerful than the fog on your brain. Give your mind some positive purpose, dispel the clouds of confusion, and you are sure to see a sunnier view.

By: Melanie A. Peters

P.S. I am not a trained meteorologists. I do not fully understand the science of predicting foggy weather; I just understand what it is like to have a foggy brain.

 

The Psychology of Making Lists

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The Psychology of Making Lists

the-psychology-of-making-lists

Last week my sons tortured my daughter telling her that she was on the naughty list. Hubby and I kept reminding her that their lists didn’t matter and encouraged her to not worry about it. (We also told the boys to stop being pain-in-the-rears.)

This week as I sat under the hair dryer of my magician beautician Abby, I showed her my To-Do list. Abby commiserated with me on the need to make lists and just how quickly those lists grow.

More importantly we discussed how making lists boosts our self-esteem and motivates us to do more.

Are you a list maker?

Well, if you are, excellent! The next few pieces of information will support your productive habit. If you aren’t a list maker, maybe you will find some solutions to your chaotic craziness in the advice provided about the psychology of making lists.

In the Pyschology Today article, “How Making Lists Can Quell Anxiety and Breed Creativity: Six benefits of a small solace-producing obsession,” Dr. Carrie Barron explains some very powerful benefits of list making. Continue reading “The Psychology of Making Lists” →