The Dust Bunnies are Everywhere!
by Colleen Langenfeld
Copyright (c) 2006
And they're watching us.
Look, we need to talk. If you are still cleaning your house
the old-fashioned way, you need my help! What do I mean by
old-fashioned? I mean the way you've always done it.
B-o-r-i-n-g, time-consuming and probably high on the nagging
scale. Which is why you always put it off as long as you
can.
Until your mother is coming to dinner.
Hey, I'm a mom. I know how that works.
Personally, I am tired of having to declutter my home every
time I turn around. Or every time my children walk through
the door. Take your pick. So...I realized I needed a system
that will get a nasty, boring job done fast and that I can
repeat easily, week after week after week after week...okay,
you get the point. Sorry.
I discovered the answer to my declutter needs is (drum roll,
please), ORGANIZATION.
I've lost you, haven't I?
That's okay. I was there with you once. But as a recovering
clutter-holic and a reformed knee-deep procrastinator, I am
on a new path in life and you can be, too. It's a
clutter-free path, clean and orderly.
And, the funny thing is, I discovered this path starts in my
head.
That's right. I discovered my *thoughts* were cluttered.
Messy. Disorganized. So I began thinking about what I was
thinking (yes, I agree, too much thinking - but stay with
me) and realized that I avoid organizational solutions AT
THE VERY MOMENT I need to address them.
For example.
I walk in the door with the mail. My head thinks 'what do I
do with this stuff?' My next thought is profound. 'I don't
know.' (Sigh.) So my action is to JUST DROP THE MAIL ON THE
TABLE AND DEAL WITH IT LATER.
Have YOU ever done that before?
Now, translate that into your entire house. No wonder we
struggle with ongoing messes and never really get the job
done.
So, I decided that instead of practicing my frustration
(which I believe I am approaching the High Holy Expert Level
of Frustration due to my many years of focused practice), I
would use it to fix the problem and be done with it.
Then I made a plan.
- Every time I was confronted with the thought 'what do I do
with this?' I would STOP and come up with one possible
organizing solution.
- I would immediately put the solution into action.
- I would observe whether or not that solution made things
better in my home.
- No better? Out the window that idea went.
- Better but not enough? Look for ways to tweak and
improve.
- Frustration level on that issue gone? I've hit my mark. I
would celebrate, reward myself (oh yah), and turn my focus
to the next Dust Bunny who was taunting me.
The secret to this organizing method is to tackle one
frustration at a time. Not five or ten or twenty-nine (which
in my perfectionist head sounded like extreme efficiency).
Just declutter one area of my home until it begged for mercy
under my newly discovered organizational prowess. Then have
a joy-fest and move on to the next area.
Hey, I'm starting to like this. This is beginning to look
like...fun.
And more importantly, this is working. I am feeling in
control of my home instead of being beaten up by it. So I
take this to the next level and start teaching my family
members this organizing system.
No nagging.
Just a simple rule.
If I have to pick up someone else's stuff twice, then I
realize that lovely piece of stuff is looking for a new
home. And I give it one. The local thrift shop or the
garbage can, depending upon my momentary whim.
My children shudder at my whims.
Hey! Suddenly everyone else in my household is cleaning out
the cobwebs in their heads, too!
Would you like to be free, as well? Then join me on this
quest to declutter our homes, our minds, our world.
(Oops. Sorry again. Getting carried away is something I've
become an expert at, also. You know, I'll bet there's a
super-system I can figure out for this, too! Maybe if I
just...)
Listen! There's another Dust Bunny calling me. Gotta go!
About the Author -
Colleen Langenfeld has been parenting for over 24 years
Get more of her help with organizing at
