I've been lucky to have, generally,
a positive outlook on life. I know this is a blessing, because it makes living
so much easier and certainly more tasty. I do see very clearly , however, some
profound flaws in my personality. I think I know many of my weaknesses, and I
do not like them!
Early on, in my adult life, I tried
to completely change my personality so that I could get rid of those
weaknesses. Those attempts usually lasted something like 3.5 hours, then I was
back to my old self. Now I know that I am a complex person and my weaknesses
are part of the tart that counter-balances the sweet in the recipe of me. So
I'm OK with it in general. I've come to accept my weaknesses and try to work
with them, or at least around them.
One of my most annoying weaknesses
is my inability to maintain order in my space.
I don’t know why it is I tend to create chaos everywhere I go. Physical chaos, I mean. I hope I don’t create chaotic relationships…
but maybe I do. Eeek!
With regards to the untidiness, I
generally try to be clean. I mopped my
floor today, and I know how to scrub a bathroom, etc. It’s clutter that has a hold on me.
So here, in response to my deep
weaknesses, are 3 little tricks I pull on myself to make myself functional and
at least somewhat acceptable. You may not need them. But someone you love might.
1.) Rule Of Three
Let's say there is a random sock lying
in the middle of my bedroom floor. Let's say, on my way to the bathroom, I look
down at the sock and say to myself, “I should pick that up.” But I'm on my way
to the bathroom and that can sometimes be urgent. Later I'm walking through my
room again and I notice the sock. Again, I think I should pick it up, but
frankly I don't feel like it. The next time I pass the sock on my bedroom floor
-- the third time -- I am required to pick it up and put it where it belongs.
My reasoning is, if that item has taken up so much brain space that I've
thought of it three times, then I need to deal with it and get it out of my
head. I recognize that not every thought that comes into my head needs to be
acted upon right away. But if it's come to my attention three times, then it needs to be
dealt with. That's the Rule of 3.
2.) Rule of 10
Let's say my bedroom, with the sock
on the floor, has more than just a sock on the floor. Let's say the bedroom is
a disaster! It's so bad that I'm overwhelmed with trying to deal with all of
the things that are in there. I might explain that our bedroom is right off of
the family room in our house. We entertain quite a bit, and we don't seem to have a lot of downtime, so everything in the family room, kitchen,
dining and living rooms, that need to be quickly cleaned up for company, ends
up in our bedroom. When I don't have a full day of emotional or actual time to
devote to cleaning up that space I invoke the rule of 10. I simply have to
touch 10 items and put them in the place where they belong. That's all. It's
quite doable.
3.) "Everything you do is something
done."
When things get really bad and my
brain space is even worse, I repeat this little mantra: “Everything you do is
something done.” Quite literally I speak it out loud. Then I just let my hand
touch one thing and deal with it. When that's done I let it touch something
else and deal with that. There's no order or logic to it, but it keeps a
scatterbrain moving forward.
There you have it, my tricks of the
trade. I wish I was a more organized person, I really do. I wish I could be
spontaneous and creative as I naturally seem to be, but still have a good sense
of order in my space and in my time. But alas, it is not to be. So I'm grateful
for my simple little tricks to try and keep me and my space at least semi-sane.
If you have the same sort of
personality flaw, add this to your personal HOPE CHEST.
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