Why is it that when you go to put things away, the item never seems to finish or stay where it belongs? You definitely remember having that item in your arms, stacked with other things, and yet where, oh where did it go?
The towels for the bathroom are not near the shower when you go out. The linen closet was full of everything BUT towels. You shake your soaked head in amazement. How did the pile of bills and magazines end up there?
And where did the new cleaning spray bottle go? It’s certainly not under the sink where it was supposed to be. Oh, but I found the shampoo and nail polish I bought weeks ago and couldn’t find.
You know how it works: you start in one room, closet, or drawer, and before you know it, you have the whole house in an uproar of clutter and heaps. Nothing is where it’s supposed to be, and in every room you walk into, you find more stuff that needs to go somewhere else.
Like that junk drawer in the kitchen that has everything in it that you didn’t know what to do with, so you put it in there. Batteries, rubber bands, pencils, hair clips, light bulbs, nail clippers, toothpicks, duct tape, tools, recipes, warranties and the list goes on. A dizzying jumble of unrelated things.
Then you realize, as you go round and round, that each room is a lot like the junk drawer: a mind boggling jumble of unrelated things. And, nothing seems to be where it’s supposed to be.
In fact, you no longer have a clue what things should go where. Your mind races with the insanity of how hard you work to maintain it, and the hours and hours you’ve already spent organizing it, storing it, throwing it away, or hiding it.
How did it get out of control and disorganized so quickly? I’m pretty sure, you tell yourself, I’ve been constantly putting things away or throwing things away.
All that hustle and yet so little to show.
Is it possible that you have confused the constant movement and hustle and bustle with true progress? Perhaps you have made the same mistake as many of us, which is assuming that movement equals productive action.
It really is a common mistake and very easy to fool ourselves into believing that we are really making progress.
How can you know if you are? Ask yourself this simple question: and, be honest, this is not a test: is my destiny getting closer?
You may need to redefine what being productive really is and what it means to you. And in doing so, consider doing only those things that have the most impact on your default outcome.
Which means that you have decided, planned and are clear about your outcome. But what if you are not clear? Well then, start there. That would be your first productive action. To get a clear idea of what you want it to be or want it to look like.
Watch out… the moment you decide to focus and take productive action, you will most likely stumble and experience these five spoilers. They will definitely throw you off track.
Saboteur #1. sedatives Those things that overcome you. I’m not talking about what your drug of choice might be here, but all the other things that sedate. Activities like social media, watching TV, talking on the phone, playing games, or even reading a book. Keep an eye on what your favorites are and be on the lookout when they pop up and steal your progress.
Saboteur #2. Bright shiny objects. Or, as my friend used to say, “Look, there’s a chicken!” In other words, anything that distracts and grabs your attention that seems much more enlightening than what you’re currently working on. An example of this, when ordering, is to search for and buy that perfect container to help you organize yourself. He hasn’t even been clear on the outcome or has started to purge and yet he immediately goes to the container store.
Saboteur #3. Dreamland. You spend hours and hours dreaming about what it will look like and never take productive action to achieve it. There hangs the vision board you created, and yet you are no closer to the vision on it. Don’t get me wrong, dreaming and planning (and a vision board) is a necessary and most critical first step. However, at some point it is necessary to take an action step to achieve this.
Saboteur #4. Information seeker. You are driven to search and collect more and more information or inspiration before you even start. And, the meeting never ends. You take another class or workshop, read another “how to” book or watch another video, AND you never get a single step closer to the result you want.
Saboteur #5. Endurance. At every step of the way you are met with opposition, challenge and obstacles. That could be frustration, fatigue, anger, or other dramatic events that hold you back. Most likely, your mind is screaming at you, “This is taking too long. I’ll never make it. This is useless! This is too hard.”
No matter which saboteur shows up, chances are all five will at some point or another recognize it for what it is. Discomfort. Or, maybe even fear.
Unfortunately, there are no magic answers to ward off discomfort and fear. However, the best and most valuable guide I can give you to defeat the spoilers, is the one you gave me to guide me. Two, simple ideas.
First: get comfortable with the uncomfortable. Anything worthwhile in life will push your comfort zone. He takes a deep breath, admits that he feels downright awful, and moves on.
Second — Do it with fear. When fear rears its ugly head, face it, deny it, and keep digging in. Like the boogeyman under the bed, he is rarely real.
And in turn, as you chase away those spoilers, you’ll experience how purposeful action is the best way to get rid of clutter and stay tidy.
