Since my first daughter was born just over 10 years ago, I've learned two things throughout my countless interactions with other Moms. First, we all, at one time or another, feel like internet companies broadband offers utter failures (Remember when you couldn't even find enough free time in your day to manage a shower, let alone organize the pantry and baby's closet a la Ms. Stewart?!?). Any Mom who doesn't own up to this feeling either is fooling herself or too embarrassed to admit it.
Second, all Moms hold themselves up to a ridiculously higher standard than we expect from anyone else in our lives. Hence the reason for occasionally feeling compare dsl than perfect. Pre-children, I remember my plans to be the "perfect" Mom. I'd have the laundry washed and sorted by colors daily. Homemade baby food and wonderful meals for my husband that I'd cheap dsl for with my itemized grocery list. I'd have a place for everything, and everything in its place and I'd maintain a very organized household if it was the last thing I did! I had always thrived on precise and complete organization in my work-world, and now I wanted to apply that to my new career as a stay-at-home/telecommuting Mom. Any Mom who's ever had similar thoughts knows where this story goes next.
Before I knew it reality set in and I was overwhelmed, under-organized, and pretty darn cranky. I continued on this path of expecting sms from pc but always getting less than I expected for several years. I wanted to have everything instantly organized and have it stay that way, despite kids, pets, hectic schedules, and a generally full and busy life.
Then one day I had an epiphany. Actually, I had breast cancer, at the "young" age of 35. Suddenly my outlook on life was a bit different from my earlier views. I still strive to be organized, and I get a rush from clearing away clutter and restoring order, but perfection is no longer the name of the game. The stress it causes isn't worth it. Now my goal is simplicity. activate streamyx account time on the daily grind of keeping a household together so that there is more time to spend on the things I enjoy. And hopefully I'm passing this on to my daughters so that they strive for simplicity in their young lives, today and well into the future.
Organization is a Process, Not a Project
To quote a widely over-used, but completely accurate cliche, "Rome wasn't built in a day." And truly organizing your life and household will not be accomplished in a day, weekend, or even a month. Even now, after becoming a Professional Organizer, I still need to remind myself, "Baby steps, baby steps." When you look around your house, you may see several organizing projects you would desperately like to complete. Don't overwhelm yourself with trying to tackle them all at once, because in the end you'll just end up overwhelmed and equally unorganized. First things first, prioritize a list of all the projects you'd ideally like to conquer. However, DON'T give yourself a deadline for completion, because ultimately soccer practices, sleepovers, and long-nights with a teething infant will get in the way and you'll be back to feeling less than perfect for not meeting the deadlines.
You can implement systems in the span of a weekend project, but to truly have your system work long-term and not fall out of use, it has to constantly evolve and adapt to your busy lifestyle. Eventually your system will be complete, your household will run more efficiently, and your life will be simplified. That may be a far cry from perfect, but that's OK! We'll save perfection for Ms. Stewart.
Debbie Jordan Kravitz is a Professional Organizer, Author, and soul broadband of D portable satellite internet R Custom Organizers LLC. She is also a staff blogger for OnlineOrganizing.com, posting every Friday to her blog "Easy Organizing for Active Kids and Busy Parents" Debbie's goal is to help her clients customize, organize and simplify their lives so they can spend less time searching for their things and more time doing the things they love. You may contact her at DandRCustomOrganizers@comcast.net, or visit her website at http://www.DandRCustomOrganizers.com
