Skip to main content

Messy Thinking

Listening to Jody Moore and Brooke Castillo has provided a lot of "aha" moments, but the biggest insight is that our thoughts are the drivers of everything in our lives.  This concept has blown me away the past few months. If I want to change anything, I do so by first changing my thinking. And so with this in mind, here are a few thoughts to look at when it comes to keeping a tidy home:

"It is just one thing."--Not true! That cup in the sink will become 20. The outfit left on the floor cause your bedroom to look  like the changing rooms at Old Navy if not addressed pronto!

"I'll do it later."--This is my favorite phrase, but it causes so much trouble in my life. Trevar has been the biggest teacher of the phrase, "Do it Now!" I used to put off unpacking from a vacation for a day or two, but after being married to Trevar I have followed his example and unpacked almost as soon as my feet enter my house. Sometimes I have wondered if I am subconsiously racing with him to see who can be unpacked the fastest. But have said that, it feels wonderful to not be be burdened by the task.

"I need it out.  I use it."--Yes, you do. But trust me, you will thank me when you have a clean countertop, or floor, and vanity. I seriously fought keeping things off the counters for about ten years of marriage. (Toasters, mixers, hairdryers, curling irons, blenders. . .) But Trevar finally won me over. It is amazing how much room you have and how pulled together the space looks by keeping your stuff out of the way! (A picture of my bathroom today. I  pick up after myself even when Trevar is out of town! Yay, me!)

 "I might need this. . . someday!"--Yes, there are times when I have thrown things out or sent an item to DI that I regretted later. (Yes, like the cord to your favorite griddle!) but for the most part, I think we are burdened down as a society by too much stuff. My grandparents, on the other hand lived during a time of stuff scarcity and struggled to make do with what they had. But that is not the challenge that we face. Trinkets, freebies, swag, prizes, sales, and cheap crap all act to weigh us down. Average home sizes have been growing for decades in an effort to house all of our garbage. I have appreciated organizing guru and best-selling author,  Marie Kondo's sage question," Does this item spark joy" ?  If not, THROW IT OUT!

So a quick recap, here are a list of new thoughts to try out if you want an orderly home and life.

"Do it now."

 "A clear counter is a clean counter!"

 "Less is more."

 "Little actions add up."

 Good luck my friends, clean up the thoughts and the actions will follow!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Race

My thoughts are over the place but I must write down a glimmer of insight that I had recently as Caleb's junior high track meet. The event was the 1600 meter race. As I watched these young boys labor through the four laps I found myself cheering everyone on. There is so much emphasis on winning in our society, but as I watched i realized that out of the hundreds of competitivors, only a small number would even make it to the podium, let alone place first. With those statistics in mind, I realized that for the boys I was watching, they were giving their all for a race they would most likely, never win. So why run, I wondered? And that is when my thinking shifted. I realized that these boys were running to win against themselves. And so, with each weary boy that passed by me, I saw them winning against fatigue and doubt. Each boy became their own champion. I stood in the stand and cheered each as each participant passed by me. I realized then, that such is the way of life. It is not...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Best Advice I Could Ever Give

A daughter called the other day feeling frustrated and frazzled. The little grandkids were at it again--destroying any possible dings of clean and order my dear daughter had worked on that Saturday morning. As my daughter expressed her frustrations, I immediately jumped into "solving" mode. Perhaps she could install child locks on a few doors, place excess toys out of prying little hands and keep important things out of harm's way. I started to offer suggestions, and then stopped myself.  Instead, I listened and expressed sympathy. I told my daughter I understood her feelings--I had been a mom to toddlers once upon a time. I told her I could give her a lot of advice--which she may or may not use. Instead, I told her the best counsel I could give would be to study the situation out in her mind, turn the matter over to Heavenly Father and listen.  I shared my experience of being at the end of my rope back in the day, praying, and pleading for help. My home was in a state of...
Post a Comment
Read more

Screaming How We Feel

Meta communication--the idea that we are communicating volumes through our facial expressions and body language, and voice tone. It is thought by some psychologists that this form of communication is acatually louder and more persuasive taht actual words. The other day, I sat down to watch TV--a rare occurance. I sat and watched a drama. I could watch for very long because the acting was absolutely HORRIBLE! The actors were saying all the right words and trying their best to convey the seriousness and gravity of the situation, thought  their character would respond, but there was a lag and delay in how their body reacted. I could tell that they were not feeling  the depth of the situation, but were merely moving to their next line. The distortion was very subtle, and if you were caught up in the show, you would probably not notice it, because you would be filling in the emotional gaps that the actors had left.  It was maddening to me. I could not stand it and had to t...
Post a Comment
Read more