Today I Cleaned My Office
Today I cleaned my office. That may not seem like a big deal but my mental health would beg to differ. It’s been intense around here lately with lots of demands on my time and attention. I know you can relate beca we all get busy. That’s life, right? But, can you recall the last time you were up to your eyeballs in deadlines and commitments and everything was due or happening at once and you felt like one false step and the whole things would unravel? Well, that was me for the last two weeks: We had one soccer season ending while the other is still going, working with a friend to organize the academic olympics at two schools, putting together some gift baskets for a silent auction, and adding a product to my website. This while I was trying to be faithful to exercise, work, and all the other things present in life.
Things started piling up in my office. I’m not speaking metaphorically. Literal things like supplies for baskets, glass domes given to me by a friend, boxes of planner supplies, fundraising forms for school and more. I don’t work well like that. I’m more of a clean the kitchen before I bake and make my bed every morning kind of person. It’s how I keep my grip on life. The grip was slipping folks.
So, when I found myself entirely overwhelmed and exhausted, I made the choice to stop and clean. Cleaning therapy is not new to me. I first recognized it as a real thing many years ago when my uncle was in a boating accident and died. There were some days between the accident and when we finally had his body and some closure. During that time a lot of people were in and out of my grandparent’s house and I often found myself at the sink doing dishes. I couldn’t control the situation, I couldn’t control my emotions, but I could control the kitchen clutter.
With that in mind, today I made sure all deadlines were met and I turned my back on the computer and cleaned my office. It felt great. Such instant gratification and a tangible representation of all that I had been getting done.
Clearing the clutter from the office also helped to clear the clutter from my mind.
That being said, I’m in no way advocating you avoid work so you can wash your car. It’s important to recognize the difference between self soothing and procrastinating. I remember many college nights with papers due and homework looming only to find I had a sudden need to rearrange the items on my dresser. That my friends, is a clear case of avoidance.
Because life moves so quickly, I am faithful to my organizational tools that are my safety net especially during the high pressure seasons. I have a pretty clear sense of what needs to get done on any given day so that I don’t fall behind or miss a deadline. I’m not perfect. It’s going to happen once in a while. However, I am confident that I have successfully avoided at least 90% of potential scheduling disasters just by writing stuff down and not relying on my memory.
Just as I build walks and meditation into my schedule, today I took a look at what I had to get done and I found open space that I could devote to my office. I wrote it down and I committed to it. The piles are gone, everything is back where it belongs and I even vacuumed the floor - parts of which I had not seen in two weeks.The physical representation of the busyness and chaos and precarious scheduling that I had been living with is no more. So, ✔️, today I cleaned my office - and it was my win for the day.
What are your tricks for coping with chaos and what was your win for the day?