January 2011
Let me start with what this newsletter does NOT address. I’m not going to write about New Year’s Resolutions. It’s all been said. What I will share is the lazy person’s guide to getting organized! And don’t miss out on the amazing opportunity to save a bundle with our January Get Organized Special. Read on…
Simply yours,
Amanda
The Lazy Person’s Guide to Organizing:
How Doing Nothing is the Best Place to Start
Let me first kabosh the idea that doing nothing translates into eating a bowl of cereal while watching Jersey Shore. That is mind-LESS activity. The definition I’m adhering to aligns with shutting off the outside world and quieting the raucous in our heads. What I like to call mind-FUL activity. Let’s start with how to do nothing mind-FULLY.
1. Find a quiet place. A bubble of space you can step into that is free of noise. It may be a closet, a corner of a room, your car, a park bench. You can even pop into the library where quiet is the law of the land.
2. Sit.
3. Do Nothing.* (try 5 minutes to start and build on slowly over time)
· Now this is the hard part. Once we shut our mouths, our minds tend to go into overdrive. The thoughts rushing at us like a tidal wave. Try to notice your breath. Your breath will be your lifeboat from that tidal wave of thoughts. Breathe normally, feeling the sensation of the air as it goes in and out through your nostrils. Each time your mind takes one of your thoughts and begins going on a tangent, re-direct it to your breath. Eventually, to the shock of most of us, our minds will quiet.
The process of doing nothing for a few minutes each day allows us to focus on what’s important to us. When the mind is quiet, it often allows the awareness of why we behave in certain ways to come to the surface. For instance, if we live our life in a constant state of disorganization, our conscious mind tells us it’s simply because we’re busy. But during quiet contemplation our sub-conscious mind reveals the hidden truth – the disorganization functions as a constant distraction from dealing with bigger issues. Getting organized is more than buying some containers. We begin to realize that there is a reason that we allow our lives to stay disorganized. Jumping this hurdle is not easy. It takes honest reflection. It takes admitting scary truths.
In the dawn of this new year, as people en masse buzz into a constant state of motion - trying to get in shape, get organized, and eat better - remember that amidst all this movement sometimes the best prescription is to push pause.
