Being organized is like having fantastic running shoes

I don’t claim to be a real runner,

but my family claims I am. Two miles used to be my average and three miles my “long run.” Now, four miles is my slacker run, as in “I only ran four miles today.” (Ten is the longest I’ll go on g.p.—and that only once or twice a year—which proves I’m not a real runner.)

Something I never thought about doing two miles, but has become a big thing though, is the shoes I run in. (The family claims that you become a real runner when you start fretting about your running shoes, but we won’t discuss that here.) What I want to point out is that when I am running in comfortable shoes, I can go miles without even thinking about running. I can ponder life and happiness, daydream about things like being rich or being a hero, problem solve my own problems and even the world’s. But when I have on a pair of shoes that hurt my feet, ALL I can think about is the length of the run, how long I have to go until I’m done, and am I even going to finish. In other words, my focus becomes the itty-bitty world of my feet and my pain, and I don’t have the resources (mental, physical energy) to deal with the rest of my life or the world at large.

Same with clutter and chaos—disorganization—in your space. Notice the use of the word space, versus home. Because the space that can be cluttered or unorganized can be physical or mental, home or away. Here, I’m just drawing a parallel, not helping you declutter or get organized. Just pointing out what you already know instinctively—that when your space is cluttered or even just disorganized, your focus becomes the pain in front of you and you are no longer available for the greater things you want for you, or for the world at large. This is just how it works. But like my running shoes, sometimes you didn’t even know there could be a problem until—well, you have a problem. My purpose here is to say that you may feel some kind of way about life, and it may not be life. It may be clutter changing your focus, or disorganization blocking your ability to see clearly. And you just may not realize it.

“Organization like everything else in life doesn’t have to be done perfectly. It just has to be done enoughly. “

Being organized on the other hand, frees you up. Because you are not constantly trying to remember the things you are supposed to do, find the thing you need right now!, replace the thing you lost, handle the thing you are responsible for at the last minute–then detox from all that stress, your brain is free to ponder, daydream, and problem solve. Getting organized makes a world of difference to your focus. Do it. And always remember, organization like everything else in life doesn’t have to be done perfectly. It just has to be done enoughly—enough to free you up.

I don’t claim to be a real runner,

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