Spring Cleaning

Life is too cluttered, too much stuff, too much paper, too many things, too much undone, too much mess. My mind is too full, too many thoughts without a home, too many ideas with no action, too many dreams unfulfilled. It is time for some Spring cleaning.

When I was 19 everything I owned fit into my car. I couldn't see out the back window, but it all fit. That's freedom!

I am dizzy with distractions. My head whips right. What is that over there? My head whips left. There are things to see and do and think about everywhere. I need focus. Maybe even blinders to keep my head looking forward and my feet moving on the path.

I emptied out my purse, I cleaned out my backpack, I cleaned off the table next to my bed. I emptied and organized the bathroom. I even cleaned up the icons on my desktop.

Organizing my mind is next. This is where the real work begins. I need a good plan. Take all of those swimming thoughts and ideas and put them in some sort of order. They need to move through the flow chart from idea to plan to complete. I have often said "I have too many things going on. I need to let something or a few something go so that I have more time for what is important." That does not work. When I let something go and open up a window of time and energy, something else immediately flies in and fills the void. It is not possible for me to have empty mental space. I am a busy person. I am good with that. Time to stop fighting reality and figure out how to work with it.

So, here is what I think I can do. I will make some sort of visual chart for myself with all the things I spend time and mental energy on. I need to determine where they rank in importance to me and then assign a % of my time that matches their importance. From there, I make myself a schedule. Right now I only schedule appointments. If there is no specific time and date for me to remember, I don't put it in my calendar. I need to make "appointments" to do those things that I want to do and honor those appointments just as I do those I schedule with other people. Right now I make a "to do" list but don't assign days and times to do each task. I start the week with a list, but not a plan. It is time for a plan.