Wall of Inadequacy - a poem by Marsha Sims

Do I need another cup of coffee?

Or, do I just continue to stare at my wall

  of inadequacy?

I am unable to move.

Physically I suppose I could move.

Emotionally, I am trapped.

To the right are piles of clothes

   the children did not pick up.

I watch them step out of clothes

   and leave them.  Step out of shoes

   and leave them.

I have not the energy or the strength to say,

   “pick them up.”

Thinking about it causes the despair to

   creep back in.  So I refuse to think.

   I blindly pick them up and put them

   in another pile.

To the left are piles of papers

   I did not have the energy to read.

I watch it pile up and up and I

   leave it.  “Someday” I will handle it.

   “Someday” never comes.

I have not the energy or the strength to

Handle the daily barrage of papers

   in my world.

Thinking about it causes the despair

   to creep back in.  So I refuse to think.

   I blindly pick up the days mail

   and put it in another pile.

In front of me is a kitchen

   piled with dirty dishes.  Everyone ate.

   no one moved a thing.

I watch it pile up for days at a time.

   Sometimes three days or four days

   before I can drag in there and wash them.

   Sometimes the food molds on the plates

   and the stench makes me want to vomit.

I have not the energy or the strength to

   clean my house.  I am unable to move.

Thinking about it causes the despair

   to creep back in.  So I refuse to think.

   I blindly stumble into the kitchen

    and get another cup of coffee.

I don’t feel depressed ever day.

Some days I laugh … or I sing

Some days I create beautiful things.

   and I notice a flower… or a child…

   or a breeze

But those days are too few.  Because

   my world is too painful.

Thinking about it causes the despair

   to creep back in.  So I refuse to think.

   I blindly shut out my thoughts.  I

   close off my feelings.

And I stare at my wall of inadequacy.

© 2001 Marsha Sims

Keep organizing supplies available.

The most annoying thing that can happen to you is to (finally) begin the process of working on a project... especially one that you've been putting off, and discover that you don’t have all the tools you need to work on it.

The most common problem I find among people who claim they are “disorganized,” is that “everything is everywhere.”  There is no pattern, or logic to where things are placed.  Thus, there is no pattern or logic to the process of attempting to find things that are mis-placed.  Anything could literally be anywhere.

How does this happen?  It happens daily, by just putting things here “just for now.”  It happens because no thought was put into deciding where things should go, they just go anywhere.  It happens because the original plan gets buried by the moment.  How else could papers end up in the linen closet?  How else could airline tickets end up lost in the pages of a book?  (This really happened!)

The way to make sure supplies are always available when you need them is to think first about where you will be when you need them.  For example, do you need a pencil or pen, and paper by each telephone?  Do you need a stapler and paper clips by your desk? 

Think about where you are when you need something... and think about what you need where you are.  Then, make a plan to allow room for what you need where you need it. 

I once worked with a woman who had eleven staplers.  Why?  Because every time she needed a stapler she couldn't find one, so she would go out and buy another one.  When we really analyzed where she used a stapler, she ended up needing four of them (but not eleven).   Once we placed a stapler in each of these places,  there was always one available when she needed it.

Happy and successful organizing!

Marsha Sims

Get Organized for (only) $27 - Click Here to find out how!

  

"There are 2 types of people in this world: Those who produce results, and those who have reasons." Author Unknown

When I first read that quote, my first reaction was:

"OUCH!"

Of course, then I went into denial, and gave myself all of the "reasons" this doesn't apply to me.  Then I remembered what I used to tell my sons when they were young.  "A "reason" is a fancy word for an excuse."  Ouch again.  It still comes back to stare at me... right in my face.

Am I making excuses?
Are you making excuses?

Why is your organizing not done?  What is your "reason?"  Is it really a reason?  Or is it an excuse?

Why do you say you want to be organized, yet you dedicate NO time to it?  Or, you make false starts and stops?  Or you tell yourself you are overwhelmed, when the truth (in our heart-of-hearts) is that we really just don't want to do it.  We REALLY don't want to do it!  We'd rather do ANYTHING ELSE in the world than tackle that pile, or move those clothes off of the sofa!

I understand.  I've been there.

Here's what I've learned.  Once I developed my "organizing muscles," it no longer hurt to go through piles and make decisions.  Of course, I didn't enjoy doing it, but it was no longer painful.  But, the only way to develop those muscles is to exercise them.

Then as I continued, exercising my organizing muscles, I discovered it had an element of fun to it.  Sometimes I'd even find myself humming along as I folded clothes or shredded papers.  It wasn't fun, but it had that small element.

Did organizing ever become actual fun for me?  No.  But it is fun to be able to invite company over, or  be able to open the door when the UPS guy knocks.  It is fun for my sons to be able to bring their friends home.   And it is fun to be able to go into my file cabinet and find something I need.

Maybe we should look at what we want (an organized life), and not focus on what we don't want (to do the organizing).  It's not easy or fun today, but it's not impossible.  Hold onto the fact that others have done it... and get strength from their struggle.

So today...

Give your organizing 15 minutes.  And do the same tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow.

You know I'm in your corner!

Marsha Sims
marshasims1@gmail.com
Get Organized for (only) $27 - click here to find out how.

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” -Helen Keller

I'm back!
It was a well-needed respite.
In the meantime, I've done a lot of things that needed to be done.

For one thing, I've made a few decisions.

1) The decision to do a blog post every morning was overly ambitious.  I see that now.  So, I've decided to be more realistic.  I want to send the blog out every Monday, and possibly one or two in between.  But I think I can commit to Mondays.  (We'll see!)

2) When I first decided to send out the blog, I wanted to send something short and inspirational every day.  Kind of like the TUT (Thoughts are Things) daily post.  It turned into a long, outpouring from my heart.  I loved writing to you, and from the feedback I received, you were loving receiving it.  For that I'm thankful.  I don't know how I'm going to structure the posts.  I'll keep trying things... something will fit.

3) I don't know how to work this program so that I can receive comments.  I'm going to try and fix that, or find a service that's more interactive.  The feedback helps.  But here's the amazing surprise.  2,153 people have read the blog!  Isn't that amazing?!!!  When I found out, I was so humbled that I made a commitment to start again.  For those of you who have read it / are reading it... Thank you!!!

4) I've decided to start each blog post with a quote.  So, if you have a favorite (preferably inspirational) quote that you'd  like for me to use, I'd love to receive it!  Please send it to me at: marshasims@sortitout.net.

5) You may know that I've created a program that's $27 per month. If you are struggling financially but still need to get organized, you may want to know about it.  Please feel free to check it out on my website: www.sortitout.net.

Now for the post:

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” -Helen Keller

When we look around in our homes and feel a sense of despair and hopelessness, from that standpoint it's virtually impossible to organize.

We can't see possibilities.  We can't visualize.  We can't muster up the enthusiasm and ideas we need to get started.  We can barely put things in the correct areas.

In order to organize, we need to feel a sense of optimism.  But how do we achieve a sense of optimism, when we are looking into a sea of clutter and disorganization?

Two ways:

1) We have to organize from a "clean" perspective.  That's why I recommend using boxes temporarily to create a sense of order.  We're not organizing, we're simply creating the environment that will allow us to feel better enough that we can organize.  When your home looks neat, you'll feel inspired.  When it looks "junky," you'll feel demoralized.

But... what if you already have boxes from the last time you tried to organize, and the time before?  Well... that doesn't mean that boxing up things was the wrong thing to do.  It just means that you didn't follow through and empty the boxes once you had a neat environment.  You didn't do the next step.

I'll tell you the next step in a future post, but for now, boxes will allow you to create the environment that will allow you to think better and feel better, so that you can begin organizing.

2) "Act as if..."  Act as if your home were neat and organized.  If your table was completely cleared off, would you lay something on it?  No, you wouldn't, because you wouldn't want to mess it up.  If your clothes were all hung up neatly in the closet, would you take off your outfit and crumple it on the floor in a pile?  No, you wouldn't, because you wouldn't want to mess it up.  If your kitchen counters were clean and tidy, would you bring in the mail and pile it on the counter?  Again, you wouldn't.

If you "act as if," meaning to put yourself in the mindset of already having an organized home, you will start to change your behavior.  Acting as if will give you a sense of hope, and will give you the confidence to start thinking about how you want to live, and what you want for yourself.

The first step in organizing is to visualize.  What better way to visualize than by feeling optimistic, hopeful, and confident!

Try these ideas, and let me know how they work for you!

Happy organizing!

Marsha
marshasims@sortitout.net