Our lives can be so busy sometimes that, perhaps, we don't get to the organizing and cleaning that needs to be done. When the house is in disarray, or we notice the laundry is making its own small country outside of the hamper, stress levels go up.
Mess and disorganization upset our mindset and cause us to feel out of control.
Then there are those extra curveballs that we're not expecting.
Perhaps guests drop in at your house unannounced. Maybe your boss wants an on-the-spot update on your work. Has an appliance ever broken down and now you can't use it until it's repaired?
The good news is...
1. Organizing your home and workspace helps to alleviate stress and invite calmness.
2. Being organized can help you feel more prepared, and less stressed, especially when those curveballs appear out of nowhere.
There is no doubt in my mind that being organized and having a state of serenity go hand-in-hand.
Last month, Sally’s husband told her he wanted to invite their dear friends, Mike and Suzy, to their house for dinner soon. This sent Sally into a state of panic!
Sally had a disorganized mess of a kitchen and a clutter-filled living room. She tried to make any excuse possible to deter anyone from visiting...ever.
Her husband accepted this in the past. But this time, he really wanted to have guests over again. It had been years since they hosted anything.
Sally called me up and wanted to pay for a virtual organizing consult focused on how she could "say no to having guests over."
When I asked her if she really didn't want to have guests, she said, "No...I do. In fact, I love Mike and Suzy. But my house is an embarrassing mess and the thought of having them over is stressing me out."
It was that response that prompted me to schedule that consultation with Sally. But rather than giving her a plan for "saying no to guests," I instead gave her a plan to get those rooms in order.
The first thing I had her do was set up that dinner date on the calendar, exactly two weeks from the day of our consultation. Having a deadline is important. It acts as a motivator.
Then, I gave her a daily plan that covered each day for two weeks. It included a 20-minute organizing project per day to get these rooms back to an organized, presentable state.
It took a bit of effort, and a daily check-in consultation with me, but she did it...in time for the dinner with her friends.
The morning after she hosted that dinner, we did a final consult.
She said, "I can't begin to tell you how calm and happy I felt when my organizing project was complete. Not only did I feel so amazing having guests in my home again, but I also felt a sense of calm and tranquility when the mess was gone. Plus, this has even improved my relationship with my
husband!"
When I think about serenity, the words relaxed, calm, peaceful, and tranquil come to mind.
When I think of the way to get to serenity...that's through being organized.
Organizing your life brings you serenity...and gives you a calmer, more positive outlook, towards everything.
