A few thoughts
I like piles.
Well, I don’t really like piles, but I am quite the expert at creating piles. Every once in a while I will have a burst of organizing genius and make themed piles—piles of paper, pictures, school papers, items to be donated, gifts to be given, miscellaneous things, and clothes to be returned to stores. (I have more, but this list is getting embarrassing). I occasionally straighten the piles and even clean under them, but the piles remain.
Over the last three months, I’ve been getting annoyed at these piles. They stare at me and mock me. In all honesty, because I don’t work outside my home, it is a lot of mocking. No more! I’m breaking up with my piles…but I have said that before. So this year, I decided to try something different. I have five new thoughts I’m thinking, and they have been quite helpful. I’ll share them in the hopes that one or two (or all five!) will help you, too.
Do one thing at a time. Just one thing. I get overwhelmed fairly easily. When I have a lot on my plate, I struggle knowing what to do or where to start, so I do nothing. It doesn’t make sense, I know, but it is what happens. I love a new project, but looking at the entirety of it overwhelms me. I put post-it notes around my house that say “one thing at a time",” and that reminder inspires me to break down the project into little steps. Then I do just one thing. I even do this with cleaning—specifically bathrooms. I hate cleaning bathrooms. I hate it. So I think of one thing I can do—like simply cleaning the mirror or the toilet—and I do that. Do one thing at a time.
Done is better than perfect. Do you believe that? If you struggle with perfectionism, ask yourself to define perfect. What is the perfect you are striving to achieve? How will you know when you have made it? Is your desire for perfection making you a bit controlling? My guess would be a resounding yes. Perfection is subjective. None of us will ever be perfect—neither will our spouses, our kids, our friends, our jobs, our homes, or our pets. Nothing will be enough. Perfectionism is a lie. Done is better than perfect.
You have plenty of time. Oh boy! I have loved to tell myself there isn’t enough time, but that isn’t true. If you don’t believe me, try tracking your time for a few days (just like a food journal). Pay attention to what you are doing every 24 hours. It is eye-opening. Time is not the problem, you are. You cannot do everything., at least not at once. Learning constraint is such an important skill. Pick the things that matter the most to you and let the rest go. For real—when everything is equally important, nothing is. Choose your priorities and spend your time there. You have plenty of time.
Motivation is not necessary. But it feels like it should be, right? Wrong. If we wait around for motivation to accomplish a goal, we may find ourselves waiting for a LONG time. I am never motivated to get rid of the piles around my house. Not ever. I don’t love making all the decisions about what papers need to stay and what can go and then where to put the papers that made the cut. I despise the whole process. However, I’ve discovered that I don’t need to be motivated at all. So what do I do? I schedule time in my calendar and I work through a pile even when I don’t want to. Motivation is not necessary.
Don’t put it down, put it away. This thought runs on repeat in my brain. Remember, I am an expert at creating piles. And every pile begins when you put something down instead of putting it away. You can imagine the amount of time wasted in my house by looking for lost shoes, glasses, phones, keys, books, and anything else. It’s A LOT of time! The other problem is that my mind is as cluttered with piles as my house. So much valuable brain space is wasted on thinking how I need to put such-and-such away every time I walk past it. We all have more important things to think about! Don’t put it down, put it away.
Are you a pile creator, too? If so, I hope some of these thoughts can help you like they’ve helped me.
Just stop with the piles.
