STEP ONE:
Make a date with the cluttered area ASAP!
I had a counselor tell me that if I don’t plan things, they won’t happen. He was so right! The magic of having a plan and putting it on your schedule for a specific day and time is key to getting a project done.
Last week I set a date with my bedroom closet. It was beginning to get out of control.
I let my good habits slide.
Why? Because I allowed myself to become overbusy. This one habit can wreak havoc in a short amount of time. When we overcrowd our days, we often leave out the “cleaning up after ourselves” part.
I started to throw things into the closet and close the door instead of taking the time to put things where they were supposed to go.
I let it become an overwhelming task instead of a simple task by letting it go for several days. If you don’t maintain inward serenity, it will soon affect your outward serenity.
STEP TWO: Analyze what went wrong.
In trying to improve our behavior, it is crucial to realize where things went wrong and how we will do better next time.
If we don’t do this, we will wind up right back into all the bad habits that got us into our messy houses in the first place.
Don’t be hard on yourself. Realize you are not “Sylvia Slob” anymore and that you have come a very long way on your journey to Serenity. Also, realize that you are not and will never be “Miss Polly Perfect,” which is okay.
Don’t focus on the one messy area and call yourself a failure. Instead, look at the other areas of your home and realize how much you have changed for the better.
STEP 3: Make a plan for change.
Think about ways you can prevent the mess you just cleaned up from happening again.
Realize that change is a process, and it will take some time to establish good habits and routines that will keep your home looking good on the inside (closets and drawers) as well as on the outside (what people can see – your tables, desks, counters, and floors).
“And every day, the world will drag you by the hand, yelling, “This is important! And this is important! And this is important! You need to worry about this! And this! And this!” And each day, it’s up to you to yank your hand back, put it on your heart and say, “No. This is what’s important.”
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