Jeremy C Kester

It’s been a strange week or two for me. Normally, when these missions enter my mind, I go on this one-day whirlwind, then after accomplishing the task (only in part), life resumes the norm. This time however, the actions have been slow and drawn out. And they’ve been continuing. Cleaning is what I am talking about.

Of course this is not to say that I am in any way a dirty person. Cluttered is often a good word to describe how I get. In large part, this is because I tend to be a procrastinator. “I can do it later” is a phrase that I often say (and my wife chastises me for). She certainly knows my track record; it ain’t good. I keep things clean at a minimum level. Enough to where things appear in decent shape. However, like any well manicured household, there’s always a junk drawer. And I have more than just one junk drawer. That is both literal and metaphorical in meaning.

Lately, the urge to get organized has been taking over. Rather than blow through the whole activity in one day like I used to do, I have been moving a little closer day by day.

On day it was the top of my nightstand. Another day it was starting on my bathroom cabinet. Another day it was something else. With each day I am looking towards building into a mindset and a habit. By doing a little each day, it should become just that. It will take time, as it does with anything. That is why rituals become so important as a way to enter a mindset for a task that needs completing.

As I declutter and clean (again, including digital), it should free up some of my mental space for other things. That is truly what I am after. If things don’t build up to a point where I eventually pop into clean mode and spend a whole day at a whole series of tasks, small bits each day instead keep those tasks in a small, organized, reasoned part of my brain instead of a place where I throw things to deal with later.

It’s not perfect, nor is it foolproof, but it’s a start. All that is needed to change is to start somewhere.