Is your home organised, with everything in its place and a place for everything?
I can honestly say that it normally is. As life however would have it, I sometimes do run around in circles trying to get everything done that needs to be done in a day. The most important thing though is to get back on track and not let procrastination and clutter take over.
Normally there are pointers showing that things are starting to go wrong, head them off and nip them in the bud before they get totally out of hand; it could be junk mail piling up in your post box or toys accumulating in the lounge.
A pointer of mine is a little plant; the “Ceropigia woodii (String of Hearts). According to the February newsletter of Random Harvest, “it should be in every home as it is such an easy growing trailing succulent plant with spots on the heart-shaped leaves.” Note though that by nature it is a trailing plant, it has no desire to climb or to wind itself around anything. I decided that I would like mine to grow in an upright circle; a symbol of wholeness or the circle of life. During Easter I place either a bunny or eggs in the trough, and during Christmas a little angel. My Saturday morning routine includes carefully tucking in the prolific new growth of my “Ceropigia” back into the circle before watering it and my other pot plants. When things get hectic, I neglect to do this small task and before I know it, the beautiful little circle turns into a Medusa head with unruly twigs pointing in all directions and eventually cascading down the windowsill. Inevitably it is more than only that, more ‘things’ have not been attended to and inevitably need more urgent attention.
There is only one conclusion: my life is out of balance. I have overcommitted to my business or my social responsibilities and have neglected my home and office.
At this point I emphasize with my clients that are overwhelmed with situations in their homes and offices, as pointers start piling up that ‘things’ are out of sync.
So what to do now? Do I run for dear life, as Medusa slowly but surely spreads its ugly tentacles through my whole house or do I take action? Do the latter!
- Make time to address the problem. Tame the horrible ‘Medusa head’; again transform it to the ‘dear little Ceropigia’, gently tuck in the new growth into the beautiful circle. Stand back and admire it; at least the reminder of my life in disarray has been put back in order.
- Make the conscious decision to change things back to normal. Start now!
- Find the reason why things are the way they are and motivate why you would want it different.
- Take back your life bit by bit. Prioritise what needs to be done.
- Tackle one area or one thing at a time.
- Be opportunistic. Break down the big project of getting back on track and do something, even if you only have five minutes to spare.
- Put things back to where they belong.
- Toss stuff that causes indecision.
Do not be too hard on yourself or wait for the correct mood. It took time for your life to become unstuck and it will take time to put it back on track.
Slowly but surely order returns. Stand back and look at what you have achieved. You have gone the full circle from being disorganised to being in charge once again.
Heidi Meyer
Professional Organiser
Copyright © 2009 Cloud 9 organised