In my Life Balance Report – May 2008 post, I admitted my poor score on staying organized and declared to readers that June will be better. So far, it has gotten worse. How do I balance household chores with wanting to spend all of my free time outside playing? Hmmmm….do I soak in the shade on a blanket reading freshly picked library books or sort through a laundry basket of clutter that has been gathered from every room in my house? After I put the kids to bed, do I read Real Simple (LOL – nothing is real simple) next to an open window with a summer breeze dancing into the air or do I get rid of the clutter that is covering almost every square inch of my floor? Hmmmmm….looks like there will be no balance in staying organized for me today.

I’m realizing most of my life balance goals are things I want to incorporate into my life. With staying organized, however, it seems like the reverse – I want to get clutter out of my life. I can admit the problem: I simply can not put things away where I found them. Some hardwiring in my brain must have gone haywire somewhere along the way.

Here is a glimpse of my reality. From where I am writing I can see:

  • A winter purse that needed to be put away three months ago.
  • Empty water bottles (hey, at least I’m drinking water).
  • An empty gift box left over from Mother’s Day.
  • My suitcase from Kripalu (still partially full).
  • My flashlight from last week’s storm.

Ugggg. It’s such a drowning feeling. If my college roommate is reading this, I know she must be laughing at the memories of all of my clutter (back then we used to call it chachka) that loomed on   my side of our underground loft. I used to laugh at my mom when she made me clean my room to “get ready for the cleaning lady”. I thought that was the most ridiculous concept. I knew I hit rock bottom yesterday when I actually called the woman who cleans my house and cancelled for today….because I didn’t have the energy to “get ready for the cleaning lady”.

Am I doomed to be a clutter magnet?

NO! This is just a perfect example of life balance being a practice and not a goal or destination. Tomorrow is another day. Container Store here I come!

Comments
  • Original Carrie

    When I find I am overwhelmed with junk I look for something pretty I want (at the moment it’s a new statue for my meditation garden). In order to be able to purchase this item I have to sell some of the overwhelming junk on ebay. It’s fun to watch the prices go up on the stuff I’m selling and then to send the items out into the world to be enjoyed by someone else.

    Once I have gotten enough money for my new item I donate the rest of the junk to an appropriate charity (ie books to the local library).

    Once it is out of the house you never have to organize it or put it away again!