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Spirits of Organization: Past, Present and Future
Clearing Life’s Clutter for Focus Today
Ebenezer Scrooge may have spent a terrifying night struggling with the spirits of the Past and Future. We, on the other hand, can find ourselves wrestling with both Past and Future each day of our Present.
Living in the Present is becoming a lost art for many of us. Future tasks clutter our minds while physical clutter overwhelms our spaces. What has happened to make it so difficult to be present in the moment?
The Future and Cluttered Minds
Each day you are confronted by a lengthy list of pending tasks. In an attempt to accomplish as many as possible, you often resort to multitasking. With your mind firing in all directions, you are constantly thinking ahead to the many things still to be undertaken. The fact that multitasking is actually inefficient and that you get less done when you try to accomplish two or more things at once does not always deter you from trying. With the multiple demands on time, you are so busy thinking ahead and becoming stressed by the barrage that you have no time to enjoy the present moment.
The Past and Cluttered Spaces
Two situations contribute to the accumulation of "stuff."
- Not being fully present in the moment, you may need to keep reminders of the events.
- Being so busy, you might not have time to sort and clear out the clutter of past possessions and activities.
You know that possessions are out of hand when you think about buying a bigger house to contain all your things. If you are not able to move, you may have a storage unit...or two...or more. You have too much when you start feeling overwhelmed or guilty at not being as organized as you think you should be.
If the Future or the Past is affecting your Present, start to make changes. Clutter, whether it is mental or physical, is a result of postponing decisions. Resolve that you will:
Make a decision immediately on every item or activity that comes into your life.
Mental Clutter
- When do you have a reasonable chance of doing this?
- Assign a date and place it in a tickler file, either paper or electronic.
- What are your priorities for today?
- If you keep reassigning the action date, ask if it really needs to be done.
Physical Clutter
- Do you need it?
- Do you love it?
- Does it have a home (a place where it fits into your space and life)?
- Why are you keeping it?
- When would you use it?
Three scenarios that occurred recently illustrate examples of clearing away clutter.
My friend, Abby, told me about her decision to give away her wedding dress right after she was married. Family and friends were horrified. Where was the sentiment? Would it be bad luck? Yet Abby felt it had served its purpose, and she had wonderful photos. Why should she keep it? It probably would not fit her later. Did she want a daughter to feel required to wear it? Abby went ahead with her decision, is still married sixteen years later, with two sons and a beautiful, uncluttered house.
Another friend, Jane, had two daughters getting married with big weddings in the same year. That added to a backlog of organizing tasks that she had to put aside. When all the daughters were in their own houses, Jane and her husband were ready to tackle years of accumulated possessions. It was slow progress. Jane involved her daughters in some of the decision-making and found that they were decisive in tossing many of their own mementos that the parents had kept all those years.
After my mother died, my stepfather brought over artwork that had been done by my brother, sister, and me in our early school years. None of us were gifted artists. We laughed together and then later discarded the papers that had been stored for decades. I could not imagine passing on to my children the burden of my untalented art.
Some of these situations may not reflect your thoughts and lifestyle, and there is nothing wrong with that. Certain mementos are wonderful keepsakes. What you have to do is answer the questions for yourself and make decisions that correspond with your needs. The key is:
- MAKE THE DECISION. Do not let items accumulate just because you do not want to deal with them now.
- GET STARTED WITH THE PRESENT. Do not worry yet about what has already accumulated. It is too big a job to expect to do everything at one time. Instead take each new item and give it a date or a home. Later, as time permits, you can tackle other areas of disorganization bit by bit.
The admonition to "stop and smell the roses" needs to be recalled frequently. If you are struggling with the Past and Future, make "ENJOY THE PRESENT" one of your goals for the New Year.
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