The Bathroom: "Goo and Gunk Be Gone!"

"This week, it's a great idea to clean out your bathroom. It's amazing how much we pack away in this little room....Let's consider a typical example. We decide we don't like a particular shampoo after using it just once. However, we feel wasteful tossing it, so it becomes a space hog."

-- Regina Leeds

Well, it's mid-summer and it has been the hottest, most humid summer in years. Many days it takes all my energy just to do what absolutely needs to be done. Plus, this is such a wonderful time of year to take a break from so many expectations, relax a little, read more books, visit with more friends, and enjoy the garden and the front porch.

I have really been enjoying all of the work we've done so far. My kitchen is so much neater and generally stays that way; and my bedroom is staying just perfect and I love the tranquil feelings it gives me. I still haven't put up any art work, but will make some decisions soon.

Last week I decided to finally tackle the bathroom, as I had been so busy that it hadn't been possible to get to. Since it was so hot and muggy, I decided to break the tasks into four - one for each weekday evening, but not so much at one time that it would be overwhelming.

My first task was the large cupboard where the cleaning supplies go - along with a lot of useless garbage, too, as I found out. I came upon a couple of dry, shrivelled yacht mops, medications for pets no longer with us, empty cleaning supply bottles, and brittle sponges. Yuck. My first night's work concerned only this cupboard. I cleaned it out completely, and tossed away all of the junk. I then washed the shelves and the floor and put back into it only the up-to-date, useful cleaning supplies - neatly on the shelves, according to their kind.

The next two evening I spent on the other cupboards. This time it was more complicated because of the cross-over of products. Face care, nail care, body lotions, medications, vitamins, hair products - all mixed up and very chaotic. So, at first I simply threw away anything useless, (i.e. missing a spray cap!) anything out of date or practically empty. (Or old prescription medications.) And then I just grouped them together and waited until the final evening to properly store them again.

I have realized throughout this process that organizing is similar to writing. Most writers write their best first drafts by just writing - being in the flow and enjoying the creative burst. For most, it just doesn't work to stop every few sentences and editorialize. It breaks the flow, and it's simply not as effective. I like to say everything I want to say by using my creative side, then later I can go back and try to be an objective editor. It's the same with organizing. My brain can't handle tossing out, cleaning, sorting, AND deciding on the best way to organize things at the same time. I guess it's the opposite of writing in that the more practical tasks come first, and then the creative side.

So, the next task will be to spruce things up, maybe do some painting, hopefully change the hideous light fixture that has been torturing us for nearly 6 years. I'm not entirely sure I can create even close to a spa feeling due to my older fixtures and flooring, and my shoestring budget. But I will do my best.

Because Regina's book is divided into 12 months and one of the months is devoted to the onerous task of moving, and I am not moving, I am going to relax a bit, give myself a bit of a summer holiday, and extend the bathroom project into August.

Ahhhh.......less pressure, less stress...more relaxation. Sigh. It's sounding almost spa-like already!

Cheers!

Diane

"Bathrooms: Chasing Your Cares Away!"

"...He longs to be free...
...And yet how strange!
He is still afraid of freedom..."

-- Ashtavakra Gita 3:8


"It's the perfect month for a quick and cathartic makeover -- one that will contribute immensely to crating a soothing, Zen environment in your home. I'm talking, of course, about clearing all the small bits of junk from your bathroom!"

OK, Regina has my attention already. I've been pleased with my progress with various areas of the house and I am really enjoying the transformation. One thing for sure, though, is that it certainly isn't enough just to get things into order, the biggest challenge is keeping them that way. Especially when there are other people in the house. And the bathroom is one of the biggest challenges of all at the best of times!

There are always way too many towels to wash, dry, fold, and put away. Everything needs scrubbing. All surfaces need constant tidying. We have a terrible tendency to buy new products whether for cleaning, haircare, or skin care, when there are still older products to be used up. This goes as well for toothpaste and tooth brushes. I like to buy extra toothbrushes to have on hand in case the kids have friends sleep over. But it seems that my own kids keep opening up new packages and I really have no idea why. The two of them share a ceramic toothbrush holder and this weekend I counted six toothbrushes of various colours in the holder. Why?? Two kids and six toothbrushes - it's an absolute mystery to me.

Regina states, "This month, you'll be creating a room that treats your body with respect. Too often, the bathroom is a sloppy, carelessly put together room. We're going to get as close to the feeling of a spa as we can." Really???? Wow. Hard to believe! But I sure love the idea....it sounds like luxury to me.

Regina ends with a "Habit of the Month": "Every single time you use your bathroom, wipe off the counter....The bathroom counter attracts and holds hair, product residue, and general grime more than most surfaces. Wiping the counter helps the room stay inviting. Be sure you put everything away when you have completed a task. No toothbrushes, hairbrushes, or makeup left carelessly tossed across the bathroom counter."

It sounds like a great plan, and a pretty simple plan, really. It just needs ALL of us to be on board. Regina asks, "Are you ready to get started?" Absolutely! Bring on the spa....

Cheers,

Diane

"Say Goodbye to Piles!"

"To have inward solitude and space
Is very important because it implies
Freedom to be, to go, to function, to fly."

-- Krishnamurti


Regina opens this chapter with the beautiful quotation above. I find it quite inspiring. It makes total sense that in order to function well, feel free, and to fly, it is important to first have a secure inner space. And it seems so much easier to achieve inner space when your outer space is calm and orderly.

Last week, I'm afraid, I did nothing at all to further my control of paper. I was very busy at the first of the week, then it was a long weekend. During the weekend I was out of town for a birthday party, and then spent another day and evening at a wedding and reception. Aside from these activities, it was hot, hot, hot and extremely humid, making me want to conserve energy rather than spend it.

I will have to go through the two bins of paper I set aside last weekend. It seems somewhat daunting but Regina is encouraging: "No matter how many piles you have, remember that you are going to work with only one at a time. When you have your pile chosen and in front of you, remember it's just one piece of paper at a time."

Her basic advice when sorting is to immediately toss any non-personal papers such as flyers, old coupons or ads, magazines, or newspapers into a recycling bin. Keep a separate bin for personal but non-needed papers for future shredding. And, for the papers you want to keep, create separate piles for the various categories; this will make them easier to file later on.

As I said, I still have a way to go to be really on top of paper clutter. I will have to set up and maintain a proper filing/storage system and I know that will feel just great.

Until then, I can be happy that I have at least eliminated one great source of frustration in my life: paying bills. I have always struggled with this task and have always hated it. (Well, who could love it??) So, I simply did away with the job entirely. Don't get me wrong - I still pay my bills, but now it's all done electronically. My pay gets deposited into my account once a month and all of my bills are paid automatically. That way I know exactly what I am free to spend on all of our other necessities of life. This alone has made my life much simpler and easier to manage.

And guess what? I've managed to keep the little table by my front door clean and uncluttered for over a week now. Wow! Maybe there's hope for me yet.

Cheers!


Diane

What ever happened to the 'paperless' society?

"The physics of clutter is that it will come into your office without your assistance, but will not go away without your assistance."

-- Julie Mahan


Can you remember all the grand predictions that the invention of personal computers would change the world and create a paperless society? Well, no one could argue that they have indeed changed many, many things but they have certainly not done away with paper. In fact, it could be argued that they have increased it.

Paper clutter is one big area where I see a constant reminder of what Regina calls the failure to make a decision. Life gets busy and maybe a week goes by that I haven't been able to take the time to clean off the table I have by my front door. It is supposed to be completely empty except for a thin woven basket to hold important things like bills or notices. So, the flyers begin to add up, for one thing. There are a lot of stores in this city who want to entice me to buy things and they are relentless in giving me pieces of paper full of self-promotion.

Magazines are another thing. Some I have subscriptions to, some are gifts, and some have simply been sent in the hope that I will like them and then subscribe. I also receive invitations to various local events, and postcards from realtors who are hoping they can entice me to move. Credit card companies constantly send me letters which tell me that I work hard, need a break, and wouldn't I enjoy a relaxing vacation? As well, restaurants and take-aways from this area of the city hope that I will come home from work hungry, have a busy night ahead, and opt to order dinner rather than spend time in my own kitchen. It really does add up.

Regina has some good simple advice here: immediately toss out the junk mail that you KNOW you don't want or need. As for everything else, either toss it out, file it away, or deal with it straight away. That is the hard part. Sometimes the biggest challenge for me is simply not knowing what to do with it. Regina talks a lot of setting up a proper filing system, but cautions: "Files are storehouses of the active information we need. They are not meant to be paper cemeteries."

So, I have gathered up all of the paper on the little table, as well as all of the paper clutter that came out of my newly spruced up bedroom, and put it all into a plastic bin. This weekend I was busy with yard work, had errands to do, and had company, so I couldn't get to it. It was inspiring to see the table completely clean, though, so I am encouraged. This week I will spend some time, probably watching the Food Network, and quickly plow through all of this paper. I find it somehow easier to do this when my brain is semi-distracted.

I hope to get rid of a lot of this clutter, and to come up with a way to organize the bits that are important to keep. And I think from now on I'm going to pretend there's a big paper barrier at my front door so I will inspire myself to be more ruthless. Only pieces of paper which can prove themselves to be of value to me will be given a pass. But not a free pass. No, they will very quickly be shown the filing system and invited to step inside.

Have a good, paper-clutter-free week!


Diane

My Beautiful Bedroom Sanctuary - At Last!

"I would be the most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves."

-- Anna Quindlam

Life, as we all know, is hard to fit into a box most of the time. And this month was no exception.

Last month, of course, was about creating a bedroom sanctuary and that was a very high priority for me. At the beginning I was feeling rather depressed because of the enormity of the task. It really did seem impossible to me.

My closet was bursting at the seams and my dresser drawers as well. There was far too much furniture in the room making me feel quite claustrophobic. The walls, ceiling, and all of the trim were a sickly pale yellow. Plus, the walls had numerous cracks and the ceiling had a big, ugly, warty area of cracked and peeling paint.

I had come to the point of being extremely enervated by my bedroom and it kept on getting worse. Of course, that led me to procrastinate because I simply did not know where to begin.

After finding some strong inspiration in Regina's chapters, I managed to somehow find the courage and the energy to just begin somewhere. And I just kept on doing that - one small thing at a time.

Once the closet and dressers were tidied up and decluttered, we moved everything out and started to work on the repairs and the painting. Every single step took us much longer than anticipated, but we just kept plodding along. Week after week.

And, at long last, during the past week it has all come together beautifully! The paint looks fresh and clean and soothing in an old-world sagey green. The doors and windows and all of the trim are an old-world off-white called 'French Canvas'. The curtains are very similar in colour to the trim and they float so easily and delicately with the breeze.

The room seems so much more spacious now; there is nothing extra and no clutter whatsoever. I painted both bookcases in 'French Canvas', moved the tall one to the living room and the smaller one back into the bedroom where it looks lovely against the green wall. The new bedding goes perfectly with the paint and looks quite cool and refreshing even during these hot summer days. It really does feel like a sanctuary to me now.

The project took a long time and so has kept me from being able to really act on this month's topic of tackling paper clutter and setting up a proper filing system. But that's okay. I still have this week and next to get going with that.In truth, having successfully completed this major overhaul, I feel I feel I have built up some momentum, so I'm confident that this can be done as well.

Right now I just love walking into my bedroom and admiring its zen-like vibes. What an absolute delight!

Thank you so much, Regina, for being such an inspiration. Perhaps I COULD have done this without your inspiration and advice, but I don't believe I really WOULD have...

Cheers!


Diane

Save Time

"The bad news is that time flies. The good news is that you're the pilot."

-- Michael Althsuler


If only time could be 'saved'! Just imagine having a cache of extra hours set aside for when you'd really like to spend some more time on something, or someone.

This week, the emphasis is on making the best use of the time we do have. A primary suggestion is learning how to effectively multi-task. I am afraid that when I first read these words, I cringed a little. Oh, no, I thought. Is this going to make me feel even worse? I was imagining the various 'workaholics' and 'I'm-so-busy-all-the-time' freaks I have known, and the way they look down their pointy noses at anyone who (shockingly!) appears to be NOT frantically busy every second of the day. Oy vey.

But, thankfully, I was wrong. Regina's key word here is 'effectively' and I was relieved to read these words: "In our modern world, we feel that we need to be on the landline phone, the computer, and the cell phone, shuffling paper, and reading today's newspaper simultaneously." I agree wholeheartedly! And I felt like giving Regina a big 'high five' when I read, "When you splinter your focus like this, you fry your nervous system."

OK, but what is the 'happy medium' here? How can I 'effectively multi-task' without jeopardizing my nervous system? Regina answered my question. "Do I denounce multi-tasking? No. But I think it's an art, and this week I'd like you to cultivate the healthy way to multi-task."

She goes on to give several very sensible examples. For instance, you should always have something to read (or a notebook for writing) if you know you are going to be sitting in a waiting room, or travelling. "Nothing is accomplished by staring at the walls." Amen to that! I was thrilled to have gotten this one right. I hate waiting of any sort as it really is such a complete waste of time. But when I can use the time to dive into a good book, or to study Spanish, or to write something, the waiting time goes by quite quickly. Plus, instead of feeling bored, restless, and impatient, I end up feeling quite energized, positive, and relaxed.

Her next piece of advice was, "When watching TV, have something to do during commercials." Another ace for me! One day last week I came home from work to an empty house as the kids were out for the evening. It had been a gloomy, rainy day and more thunderstorms were on their way. On days like this, my rheumatism acts up and so my knees were very swollen and painful and my energy was very low indeed.

I really felt I could do nothing other than rest my weary bones and joints, so I turned on the Food Network and curled up on the couch. I wasn't actually feeling relaxed, though, because there was too much chaos around me. Most of it was from all of my bedroom contents still being in the dining/living rooms, and the rest was from the kids having eaten, showered, changed clothes, and rushed out the door without tidying up after themselves.

I really enjoyed getting lost in the cooking show and being temporarily distracted from all of the clutter - until the first commercial came along and I began to feel restless. My joints hurt a lot and I was tired, so I knew I couldn't expect myself to just jump in, work hard, and set things right. But I also knew I couldn't truly enjoy an evening of pure sloth while there were tasks calling to me right and left.

And so, during the commercial, I dragged my weary body into the kitchen and began to do the dishes.; a few more commercials and they were all washed. A few more and they were dried and put away and the counter and the island cleared and cleaned.

I ended up spending the entire early evening this way. During every commercial I did just one small thing, and they really added up. A few hours later I turned off the TV and revelled in the satisfaction I felt. It had been 'the best of both worlds.' I had had a completely relaxing, comforting evening and yet everything was so much tidier - almost as if by magic.

It really didn't feel like multi-tasking to me! It wasn't draining, or difficult, or endangering to my nervous system. It actually became a sort of game - seeing how much I could accomplish during the few minutes of each commercial break. And the end result was very, very satisfying indeed.

And so, to reward myself for my unanticipated productivity, I poured myself a glass of nice, red, Chilean wine and curled up with a good book. I was proud of what I had done, I was relaxed, I was happy, and the house was tidy and quiet. My goodness. Luxury!

Cheers!

Diane

"Organizing the Business of Life"

Month #3, Week #1 of "One Year to an Organized Life" by Regina Leeds

"The journey is the reward."

-- Anonymous


This month will be all about "Organizing the Business of Life" and that means getting control over "the paper bogeyman", as Regina calls it. She says, "For some reason, paper seems to strike fear into the heart of most adults."

I read the introduction and chapter one and started thinking about just why I find controlling paper clutter so difficult. I totally agree with Regina when she says, "...getting organized is about making decisions and piles are merely stacks of unmade decisions made visible..." So true! I think that is a really big reason for my paper clutter. I simply put off making decisions and eventually it becomes so daunting that it just increases my tendency to procrastinate. So, this month will be a really big challenge for me.

I would love to tell you how I started to get a system going and was working toward this month's goals. But instead I will be honest. Unfortunately, reading and thinking are all I've been able to do this week.

Last Monday and Tuesday evenings I had to be away from home, and then on Wednesday I started to become ill with a terribly sore and swollen throat and glands, fever, headache, dizziness, and a total lack of energy. I wanted to go to a clinic but wasn't up to driving. I was hoping to be much better on the weekend, but it didn't work out that way.

This really was unfortunate because my 'bedroom sanctuary' is still very far from completion. All of my bedroom's contents are still in the living/dining room and it is really starting to affect our ability to keep the rest of the house tidy. On Saturday we managed to do a little painting of the trim, but I just wasn't up to it. Mark would have done more painting, but he had more repair work than he anticipated. Plus, he got the grass cut, and at least that looks tidy.

On Friday our back door lock broke; we should have tried to fix it or replace it on Saturday, but with my sickness and Mark's busyness, it just slipped by us.

This morning we started on the painting and then suddenly remembered the lock. We thought we could take it apart and fix the problem, but we just couldn't. We ended up driving to the hardware store, returning it and buying another (more expensive) one. We tried for hours to try to install it but just couldn't. So, we took that one back and bought yet another. A few more hours later and we were both feeling extremely frustrated at our failure to install this new lock. We just couldn't tell what we were doing wrong.

In the end our entire day was taken up with this futile project and Mark had to get going as he had his motorcycle and the temperature had dropped quite a bit in the evening. I am still not feeling well, unfortunately, and am just exhausted after this wasted day. Sigh.

So, sadly, here it is Sunday night and I feel tired, and sick, and frustrated. Everything is upside down and I can't do anything about it right now. I know that this sickness is frustrating me as well, and no doubt that is one reason I am feeling discouraged.

However, I am trying to keep the big picture in mind and not let it get to me. I believe it will ultimately all come together, we've just got to hang in there. By next weekend, I'm really hoping the bedroom will be back together - and beautiful.

And as for the wretched door lock, tomorrow I will ask my friend, Dan, if he could find it in his heart to help me out. He's a very kind person, Dan is. And, fortunately for me, he knows everything. A good friend to have!

Cheers!


Diane