Heading Home
Posted on: May 25, 2008
It’s kind of scary how much I’ve enjoyed this trip. My brother was critically ill, so this was far from a relaxing vacation. And as I mentioned in my post the other day, I’m staying in a very modest hotel, but it has seemed like heaven.
And I haven’t had any real responsibilities. Someone else is cleaning my room – every day! my husband and daughter are fending for themselves at home; other than blogging, I haven’t been working (that’s the best part) and I haven’t cooked or washed a dish since Wednesday. And the hours I’ve had alone at the hotel – pure bliss!
I guess the lesson is that I need to find a way to create more space for solitude, creativity and renewal in my daily life. I’m alone a lot during the day, but I’m either housecleaning or working – or feeling guilty that I should be doing one or the other. And being alone is not the same as solitude.
I’m going to try two ways to find the time and the space I need. One is something I just read about the other day called time striping, which I think might suit me better than the other systems I’ve tried for managing my time and my work. The other is the unschedule from Neil Fiore’s The Now Habit, which encourages you to calendar the things you want to do before scheduling the things you “have” to do.
My organizing and decluttering project is still important to me, and essential for my serenity and peace of mind, but I really need to get this time management thing figured out and make more room for joy in my life.
Summer is coming and it feels like the perfect time for a fresh start. I hope One Bag Nation will help me stay on track with these resolutions; I’ll definitely be posting about my pursuit of joy – along with order, serenity and peace of mind.
2 Responses to "Heading Home"
May 27, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Hi J,
Thanks for visiting and commenting.
I can relate to “the Pit” – that could describe my whole house at the moment as I’m still trying to get back on track after my trip.
Getting started is always the hardest part of any project I don’t want to tackle; I would encourage you to just start with 5 minutes at a time somewhere and then keep at it. Have you ever checked out flylady.net?
The joy part is a bit harder, isn’t it? Just clearing and cleaning alone won’t bring joy, but I’m hoping that feeling on top of things and having my space clear will allow me to relax and let some joy in.
As for your son – YIKES is right! I’m not a dog person, so that part is beyond imagining for me. Perhaps you can put your son to work helping you clear some clutter!
Good luck and do stay in touch; you can reach me directly through my contact page if you like.
May 27, 2008 at 10:51 am
One Bagger:
This morning, I linked to your blog from Unclutterer. I have only had time to read “Heading Home.” I was stunned by the similarities between where you are and where I am (or at least where I WAS).
I have already read the sources you cited. I have a home office that I have begun calling, “The Pit.” I, too, spend a lot of time alone. I don’t really do things I enjoy with the time, but I don’t really get much accomplished with it either. I mostly just feel overwhelmed and anxious. I NEED joy in my life! And I need to actually FOLLOW one of the schedules I have made for myself.
I have always found a conundrum in my motivations: Weight loss is the best motivator for losing weight, and accomplishment is the best motivator for accomplishing.
I was plugging away to the best of my current abilities, thinking I might just barely see a pinpoint of light shining around the bend… behind some really large trees… and a mountain.
Then, our younger son, who went through a divorce this past year, announced two weeks ago that he was moving back home! YIKES! And bringing his two dogs-the-size-of-ponies (80-120 pounds). DOUBLE YIKES!
Any thoughts of organization, joy, and serenity have flown out every window in the house!