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Are you Hypothetically Happy?

10/30/2016

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​Hypothetical as in debatable, imaginary, pretending, assumptive, in theory – you are happy because you are not unhappy.  Now, please don’t misunderstand me and think that because you are not on a constant high or in an incessantly euphoric state (potentially very annoying) that that translates as fake happiness. 
 
The question is meant as a probe to help you, as objectively as possible determine whether there are things you could do quite realistically to boost your happiness. 
 
Consider the trouble spots of your average day.  Getting up, deciding what to wear, preparing breakfast, lunch, dinner, coordinating appointments, errands, relationship time etc.
Could these daily life moments be made more manageable by some routines, systems, de-cluttering, donating, less shopping?  For the average household the resounding answer is YES definitely. 
 
So what is blocking you from getting this organisation in place?  A lot of my clients find that there is just physically too much stuff to manoeuvre around to get to a place where they feel they can even start.  Some have limited mobility, some have limited motivation on their own, some are embarrassed, some feel asking for help is a weakness, some think they can do it themselves – yet they don’t.  Whatever the reason, how much time are you willing to let pass before you give your happiness a top up? 
 
A professional organiser can provide you with motivation, resources, encouragement, focus, no judgement, and time. 
The cost can be a set amount for a set amount of time or perhaps a package deal or maybe an ongoing payment with each paycheque so it is a do-able expense for your budget.  Take some control – check out your options and help yourself today.  Please contact me and allow me to be on your side.
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Cleanliness is next to…….Impossible

10/23/2016

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​After an internal chuckle – you may glance fleetingly at the disarray that surrounds you.  What do you see if you slowly pan the room?  Not bad?  A mess?  An insurmountable task?  Peu importe.  The fact that there is any mess, which of course there is if like me, you are human, the question to ponder is what level of cleanliness are you comfortable with?
 
Life is busy and as a general rule we do the basics to live in comfortable and clean surroundings. 
Take vacuuming for a start – a weekly hoover, we do the middles and a few corners maybe.  Why?  Because the effort involved in removing everything that is against a wall in order to get behind it is exhausting.  That is so if we only have the average amount of furniture, cable boxes, routers etc against the skirting boards.
 
Step it up a notch – piles of books, magazines, toys, bags, instruments, bumf.  How often do we feel the urge to call on our extra power to move it all, vacuum behind, around and on top of and to then put it back against the wall as a clean pile?  Probably once a year- if that.  Be honest.
 
Now let’s consider books – they look tidy in a row or a pile.  But tidy is not the same as clean.  Take one out and run your finger along the top.  Look on the shelf around the space the book occupies.  Ugh.  More dust.  Sneezing yet?
 
Clothes – the piles (folded or scrunched) behind the ones you wear 80% of the time.  Do they smell fresh?  Would you wear them directly if need be or would they need another wash to freshen them up?  What about the shelf or drawer where they live?  In need of a wipe perhaps?
 
Kids bath toys – one of my personal bug bears.  How could they attract dirt?  They’re cleaned every day at bath time.  Really?  Dare – remove the bath toys from their container and behold the murky mess that awaits you.  Gross.  Moving on.
 
Take a gander at your silverware drawer, your pots & pans drawer or cupboard etc.  Crumbs, stains and daily grime gather and multiply. 
 
One that always surprises me is the window dressings.  Be it curtains, blinds or shutters they need special attention.
 
So after taking into account all these areas that we are accustomed to seeing and assuming they are clean because of course we are clean people, the question is – Am I as clean as I thought I was?
 
Quick solution – Now that these lurking minefields have been brought to your attention you will probably commence the intense cleaning operation.  Do so for about 10 minutes and then pause and take stock of your feelings at that point.  Mine vary on a rainbow of irritation, annoyance, rage, frustration and then eventually – action. Eliminate the causes of these negative emotions.  Do it while the feelings are rife and demanding an outlet.
 
Create some boundaries for yourself – limit yourself to half a dozen mags, the rest go to recycling.  Books – keep only one shelf of ‘to be reads’. 
Plants – only your favourites can stay – they cannot all be favourites. 
Toys – decide on a reasonable amount and put some away to recycle when the kidlets are bored of the current ones.
The rest can make another child’s day a happy one.
 
And so on and so on…
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Cathartic Liquidation

10/16/2016

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​Are you stuffed with stuff?  Are your kids/mate stuffed with stuff?  Choose 2 words to describe the feeling of being stuffed to the gills with stuff. 
 
Shall I get you started? – overwhelmed, tired, overwhelmed, cranky, overwhelmed, claustrophobic, stressed, out of control, stupid, ashamed?  Are any of these descriptives remotely linked to positivity or contentment? 
 
As Michelle Obama recently screamed, “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!”
 
We live in a world of instant gratification.  This may take its form in a variety of ways.  It may be an immediate response to an email or a social media post.  It may be tidying up and seeing clear space on the floor.  A more patient and infinitely more satisfying form may be that of the achievement and completion of a cathartic liquidation of your possessions. 
 
Think of the criteria that will be your bar during this process.   Will it be to let go of a certain number of objects?  Will it be to see the floor?  Will it be to let go of painful reminders of the past?  Will it be to be able to clean with ease?  This is for you to decide and manage so that it will impact your life and day to day peace of mind. 
 
Re-think your reflex reactions.  Example:  every time you purge a certain shelf with books and chachkies on it you never contemplate a certain item for the donate pile.  Dare:  contemplate it.  You don’t necessarily have to let it go but the process of at least considering it will be helpful now and in the future.  It’s a brain train that will stand you in good stead.
 
Take your time, prep yourself with realistic goals, put on some music or a comforting show and get started.  Warning:  it won’t be a transformation like on TV but it will be a personal transformation for you.  Let’s be clear about reality; the before and after shots that we are accustomed to seeing in a 30 minute programme is the twin of seeing size 0 pre-pubescent models in the glossy mags and then berating ourselves for not matching the absurd ideal.
 
Psych Psych Psych.  Go for it and please share your progress!
 
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Disorganization Denial

10/2/2016

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What do you avoid or deny by allowing yourself to be perpetually disorganized?  Bragging about being disorganized is like bragging about being busy – it’s really up to you.  Do you enjoy the constant state of disarray or demands on your time?  Would you rather be able to function with less stress and have time for what is actually deserving of your time?
 
When we keep ourselves so busy that we can’t keep up the daily pace of life as far as order is concerned, what are we really sacrificing?
 
The most glaring is space – the more disorganized we are or even feel, the more our personal space, physical space and mental space will be affected.  The visual noise of stuff everywhere screaming at us is annoying to say the least.  The enjoyment of every activity is marred by the guilt of not dealing with the mess.  It’s a challenge to feel serene in our personal space because it to is dominated by disorder.  It’s a fact that the health of our mental space is greatly altered by the lack of peace in the physical realm.
 
Time – never being able to focus and enjoy single tasking because there is no room to allow such pleasure.  It becomes a luxury.  Everyone has their version of luxury.  It may be champagne, caviar, a bubble bath, a nap, reading or just being still.  Why deliberately sabotage ourselves – what advice would you give a loved one that you observed doing this? -  Listen to your own advice!
 
Money – love it or hate it – it’s here to stay.  Be your own champion and stop wasting your working hours by wasting your money.  Buying something you already have because you can’t find it or to get it is too much hassle and involves moving too many items.  Eating take out or fast food because you can’t be bothered to cook in the kitchen because of the state it’s in.  Paying for extra activities for your kids because they can’t enjoy their home or you are too embarrassed for their friends to come over.  All involves money.
 
Energy – think of how many power stations worth of energy it takes for you to carry on in this situation day after day.  Examine the effects of your actions.  Not to berate yourself but to actually be a friend to yourself.  How much energy do you expend getting after everyone and swallowing your frustration that they are just adding to the clutter and mess in your home?  Not a pretty picture.
 
And now for the finale – guilt.  Enough said?  This one is the ultimate killer.  Aside from being a parasite to your health, both mental, emotional and physical, this one trumps all others.  It doesn’t get us anywhere, it isn’t in proportion to reality, it paralyses us and quite frankly it’s a bore.  I vote to work on putting it in its proper place and just move on with the next step that will help in the journey towards a workable life.
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