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My family and I were at the San Diego County Fair in search of the latest home improvement gadget. As we left one of the exhibit halls, my husband stopped abruptly.
“Where are my sunglasses?” he asked.
“On top of your head,” replied a woman passing by.
“Thank you,” my husband said, slightly embarrassed.
Another question my husband asks regularly is “Where are my keys?” I usually reply, “I don’t know,” or “I saw them in the bedroom,” or “Why don’t you just put them in the same place every day?” If it takes him more than a few minutes to find them, I usually join in the hunt. When the keys are found under a piece of mail or in the pocket of his pants, he teasingly blames me, as if I spend all my time concocting places to hide his keys.
Before you think women aren’t as absentminded as men, allow me to confess something I misplaced that was far worse. I used to have this terrible habit of walking up to my car and placing my purse on the roof of the car while I opened the door. (Can you see where this is going?) One day, I got in my car, slammed the door shut, and drove away. When I got home, I realized my purse was gone and what I had done.
Someone had witnessed my purse fly from my car. He thought perhaps I had thrown the purse out of the car as a desperate attempt to get someone’s attention, and so he made an effort to find it. Maybe this was the big clue to an abduction case. He took the purse home, figured out my phone number, and called. It wasn’t a kidnapping after all, just a brainless blunder by a perfectly safe woman.
Do you ever go through your day and wonder, Where is my head? Maybe you can’t find your keys, bills, or favorite necklace. Or maybe you’ve misplaced something big like a purse. As you grow older, you can feel more forgetful. But many times age has very little to do with your frustration about finding things. Your problem isn’t a memory issue; it’s an organizational issue. Surrounded by too much stuff, it’s easy to think, I’m losing my mind. But Marcia Ramsland, author of Simplify Your Life, says, “It’s important to realize you’re not losing your mind. Your system is broken. It’s not a character flaw or an age issue. It just means you’re handling more things and you need to create systems to deal with the changes in your life.” 13
What kind of systems work? Marcia uses the acronym PUSH to help women simplify their lives.
P is for Project—A one-time focused investment to simplify an area of life
U is for You—You’ve got to organize in a way that makes sense to you
S is for System—Create a dependable plan that maintains the project you just completed
H is for Habit—A valuable personal daily routine to stay organized14
After interviewing Marcia about organization, I was convicted, motivated, and then empowered to do something with all my piles of junk around the house. It was time for a PUSH. I went to work on the clutter in the family room and ended up with three bags of stuff to give away. It felt great.
As we get older, we accumulate more things from each season of life: college yearbooks, binders from various seminars, training manuals, awards, photographs, sentimental gifts, and much more. According to Marcia, the key isn’t just organizing your stuff—it’s being able to simplify and let go of things from the past you don’t need. I love her simple adage, “Use it or lose it.”
But what if you’re a pack rat or treasure hunter? What if you can’t bear to part with that ticket stub from ten years ago, the rock collection your son once held dear, and the dress you wore to your high school prom? Keep repeating Marcia’s adage, “Use it or lose it.” Take pictures of your beloved items before you toss them or give them away. Here are three specific examples to help you get started:
1. After teaching organization for more than 24 years, Marcia had accumulated a lot of paper. She handed her son four inches of paper, and he returned 20 minutes later with all of those papers scanned onto a small flash drive. So far, she’s gotten rid of 66 pounds of paper in her files by scanning them and keeping them electronically.
2. Wondering how to sort all your jewelry? Look at your current jewelry area and ask yourself, “What would I like my jewelry drawer to look like so I can get dressed quickly?” Maybe this means putting your everyday favorites in a jewelry box and putting the rest of your collection in a shoebox. Whatever doesn’t fit in the shoebox is given away. If your jewelry has sentimental value, take a picture of it before saying goodbye.
3. Are your bookshelves sagging with too many books? When Marcia had to move, she realized how expensive it would be to pack all her books since she was paying by the pound. Her library contained 440 titles; she decided to pare that down by 50 percent and gave away 220 titles. Instead of mourning the loss of all those great books, she created a goal to strive for and felt wonderfully satisfied when she achieved it. Plus she thought of those books blessing someone else who would read them.15
Simply reading about getting organized isn’t going to magically turn your house around, but it is a start. Your next step is to get rid of clutter and put systems of organization into place that will work long-term for you and your family. The first area to tackle is your kitchen and family room since you likely spend the most time in those places. Begin by putting things away after every meal and eliminating the clutter in the family room that hasn’t been touched in ages, such as old magazines or newspapers.
About those troublesome keys, take the advice of Karen Ehman, author of The Complete Guide to Getting and Staying Organized, and have one special place for your keys. Karen’s keys are always in one of two places: in the ignition or hooked to her purse. I had to ask if she ever misplaces her purse, but she has a particular place for that too. Karen says,
If you don’t have a plan for where your keys go (or whatever item), you’re just going to set them down wherever it’s convenient and then you can’t remember where you put them. For me it’s helpful to free up brain space and put them in the same place. Being organized boils down to being prepared.16
Are you ready to free up some of that needed brain space?
Thought for Rejuvenation
Do you ever feel as if you’re losing your mind because you can’t find something? List three specific areas in your home that frustrate you the most.
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Act of eXpression
Take one of those areas and spend 15 minutes today decluttering that area. Brainstorm a way to make that area easier to organize for you.