Sanity Saver Series: Staying Sane With Your Storage Stuff
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” -Thomas Edison
Toward the end of her life, my grandma lived in an old folks ‘ home. Er-uh, I mean a retirement home for active seniors. I remember laughing at her one day when I asked for a bag to carry something home and she opened her dishwasher and pulled out a paper bag from Lucky Market and handed it to me. She ignored my lack of respect for my elders, shrugged and said, “I need the storage, and I don’t run the dishwasher, so I keep bags in there.” I stopped laughing for a second and watched her turn around and open her oven door with an eyebrow raised. “And I keep extra dishes in here, because I don’t use my oven anymore.” I cocked my head to the side, jaw dropped. Um, excuse me, WHAT?! Slowly I realized maybe she wasn’t weird, but instead kind of brilliant. As the wife of a Colonel in the Air Force, by the time she moved into this final home, she had lived in approximately 3 countries, 10 states and countless cities. I think she had pretty much mastered how to make the best use of her space in any given situation. What can I say, other than she was pretty much a “Storage Ninja.”
So for the purpose of this blog, I'll share with you 3 mantras that have helped me become my own Storage Ninja:
WORK SMARTER NOT HARDER!
CUSTOMIZE EVERYTHING!
PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION!
Today, as an unexpected mom of 8, I have surrendered to my house operating like Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, out of sheer necessity. It's like a well-oiled machine that needs to run, not perfectly, but at least somewhat smoothly...24/7. To assist in that process, I have stolen some tips from my Grandma (AKA The “Storage Ninja”) who lived in all those places, coupled with an idea I adopted from The Happiest Place on Earth. Here’s what I mean: You know how Disneyland has “lands” inside the park? (Fantasy Land, Tomorrowland, etc.) Well, that idea made sense to me as a child, and today I use it at the A-Team Crib. So we have “Beach Stuff Country” “Pool Stuff Country”, and “Park Stuff Country”, “Travel Gadgets Country”, “Ski Wear Country” “Rain Gear Country” you get the idea. (Random sidenote: If You've suddenly got "It's a Small World" stuck in your head right now, I thoroughly apologize.) And I guess if you didn't before I typed that, you most certainly have it in your head now. Eyeroll.
OK, so to distract you from "It's a Small World", try to remember the lyrics to "We are the World", so I can link the concept of "one world" to the below paragraph. Got it?
Most reasonably sized families have "one home" for their items. (i.e. the scissors live in the top left desk drawer.) I understand why that is, but that concept doesn't work for us, at least right now at this stage. Once upon a time when Andrew and I were first married and lived in a 900 square foot apartment in Sunnyvale, CA, this “one home” method worked just fine for us. We had one place for batteries. (of which we maybe had one or two extra batteries on hand total.) We had one place for extra Q-Tips. (and listen, this was NOT a Costco-sized box of extra Q-Tips)…. It was more like a little travel sized container, not much bigger than a matchbook.
Fast forward to just about 20 years and 8 kids later. We have spent so much time packing and unpacking in our life that in most cases, (unless the item is very expensive or huge in size), we prefer to just buy extra sets of things and keep them together in bags or containers BY EVENT or BY ADVENTURE. OR where they are most needed/ most often used. I just can’t relate to the concept of spending precious time and energy packing and unpacking all the stuff we take with us each time we hit the park. Running around putting all the park stuff away in various locations all over my house sounds like purgatory. OMG, it would take me 563 years to unpack from ONE dang afternoon! Us parents have limited energy: why waste it on crap like making 27 trips upstairs to collect all the various items that you will need for the same outing you do every Wednesday? Then trying to rack your brain and ensure that you have everything? No thank you. I say, shove all that crap in a Trader Joe’s recyclable bag, label it and make it a “country”, like Disneyland does. Then choose where that country will settle, according to what kind of real estate it needs. (Explained below!) Remember, WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER!
I originally started organizing stuff by EVENT and ADVENTURE when I went to the grocery once (and I don’t think I’ve been there since, actually!!!! LOL— Because I always order groceries online in my PJ’s:WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER! ) I noticed the grocery stores keep multiple quantities of multiple items in multiple places. For example, there are packages of guacamole mix living next to the avocados in the produce section. Or during summertime “s’mores season”, chocolate bars and marshmallows can be found on an endcap with Graham Crackers. But in both of those cases, you can find all of those items living separately elsewhere in other parts of the store.
OK, so that’s a language I can understand because I don't seem to have much tolerance anymore for inefficiency. For me, its like, why would I keep water bottles in ONE place when I actually need them in 4 places? In my weird mind, it just wastes a bunch of time and effort to constantly go piecemeal every single thing you’ll need from 18 different places around your house for one freaking afternoon at the park. I just don’t get it, and it would make me go absolutely bonkers. Plus, the likelihood of my forgetting something would shoot up tenfold. WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER!
Another benefit of organizing by event is having the opportunity to just eyeball the inventory every now and then and replace items as they run out. Yes: it’s a lot of stuff. But it’s not forever, it’s for a season (unless you’re me and then your “season” pretty much lasts a lifetime. Oh well.) To me, it’s much more manageable and less work this way. If you have the room to store it, AND a system to keep it somewhat organized, I say GO FOR IT! It’s SO much easier than wasting half your life packing and unpacking stuff. I’ve said it before, in many different ways, and I’ll be preaching this concept from my grave: Money spent on anything that helps make your life easier is an investment in your sanity! (AND cheaper than your future stay at the mental hospital would be!)
The Nuts and Bolts: How We Have (Generally) Organized the A-Team Crib.
Start by making 3 Lists: Countries, Settlers' Areas, and Real Estate.
Countries.
Make a List of all the categories you can think of that you might need to create a country for. (I will refer to these categories as “countries” for the sake of this blog, but obviously, you do not need to call your areas “countries”!) However….I would suggest you choose a term that’s easy to break down into sub-categories in case you need them. Countries work well because then next come states, then a level smaller are counties, then cities….are you pickin' up what I'm throwin' down?! If not... you'll see what I mean as we go along. These countries should be large and general, because you can get more specific with the sub-categories later.
So the "Countries" list is basically just a list of your EVENTS and ADVENTURES. These can be hobbies, activities, holidays, sports, or whatever you participate in and have stuff/need storage for. (And if you’re not into using any cutesy silly little terms, ditch them entirely and just use the system if it works for you.) Remember another mantra from above..... You get to CUSTOMIZE EVERYTHING!
So Here’s an Example of What your "Country List" Could Look Like:
Boating Country
Personal Massager Country (put that in there to see if anyone is paying attention?)
Lemonade Stand Country
Holiday Card Country
Garage Sale Country
Ski Wear Country
Bike Accessory Country
Holiday Decor Country
Beach Country
Fire Making Country
Park Country
Candle Country
Hiking Country
Snowshoeing Country
Settlers' Areas.
Then make your Settlers' Areas List. (This is just a list of all the areas you have available for storage.) If you live in a multi-story home like we do, list the areas by floor. For example, on the basement level we have an actual storage room, we have the proverbial and semi-creepy “closet under the stairs”, 3 pantry areas, a section of cabinets with a desk area with drawers, 2 bedrooms with closets, a theatre, which has a minimal amount of storage available for the “right” stuff, and-outside on this level are 2 storage sheds and a tiny house. If you’re visual like I am, you can make a floor plan of your home if you find it easier.
Here's an Example of What Our Settlers' Areas List Looks Like (on the bottom floor, at least.):
-Creepy Closet Under the Stairs
-Pantry 1
-Pantry 2
-Pantry 3
-Desk Cabinet 1
-Desk Cabinet 2
-Bathroom Cabinets
-Bedroom 1 Closet
-Bedroom 2 Closet
-Storage Room
-Theatre Storage Area
-Tiny House
-Shed 1
-Shed 2
Real Estate.
Here's Your 3rd List: Real Estate. You know that it’s all about location when buying a house. Same principle here. Go through your list of storage spaces and your list of countries and place an upward arrow for “High” next to the storage spaces that are considered your Best Real Estate: the storage spots which are the most easily accessible, and the most convenient spots for constantly used countries. Then place an downward arrow for “Low” next to the countries that get the most infrequent use, and have a lesser need for a prominent piece of real estate.
NEXT:
Triage.
In most cases, only you can determine this for your home. But generally, at the A-Team House, countries that are used seasonally, semi-annually or annually would be considered Low Real Estate Priority, like for example, “House Decor” would be a Low Real Estate Priority. On the other hand, anything that is used daily, weekly or monthly would be considered High Real Estate Priority. For instance, “Birthday Stuff” needs a High Real Estate Priority, since we have a birthday here almost every month. (However, check this out: if you have a smaller family and say maybe 3 or 4 birthdays a year in your home, “Birthday Country” might need a Low Real Estate Priority.) Sooooo, that’s how YOU and YOUR situation come into play and determine your own vibe. (Remember: CUSTOMIZE EVERYTHING!)
**Even back when we only had 4 kids, I color coded EVERYTHING. I assigned every kid their own color. That's how I knew who left their cup on the table, who left their towel on the floor, etc. Every Settlers' Area had the name of an 80's Musical Group or Artist. If you want to see Andrew cringe, just ask him how many times he's had to get a box from the "Blondie" or the "Def Leppard" Settlers' Areas.
So that's my other tip, while you're customizing, COLOR CODE or NAME EVERY SETTLERS' AREA! And don't forget to add high or low priority real estate. This will be so so easy once you name everything and write it in your phone.... you'll learn it quickly. If you've ever worked in a restaurant, it's like learning the table numbers, once you get it, its easy! See Below:
^Creepy Closet Under the Stairs: Ozzy Osbourne
vPantry 1: Lionel Richie
^Pantry 2: Journey
vPantry 3: Eurythmics
^Desk Cabinet 1: Til Tuesday
vDesk Cabinet 2: Simple Minds
^Bathroom Cabinets: Blondie
vBedroom 1 Closet: Mike & the Mechanics
^Bedroom 2 Closet: Midnight Oil
vStorage Room: Def Leppard
^Theatre Storage Area: Wham!
vTiny House: Tears for Fears
vShed 1: Madonna
vShed 2: The Go-Go's
Seasonal Swapping:
Some of the real estate and triage assigning process will be determined by season- so for example, if you often use the ski gear during the winter, and you frequently use boating stuff throughout the summer, well those could probably do what I call a “Seasonal Swap” for a High Priority Real Estate Spot. It’s basically a dance: the “Ski Stuff” country will occupy one of the best, highest places of real estate in the winter, and then it will swap with the "Boating Stuff Country" when summer rolls around for a Low Priority Real Estate Spot. Maybe "School Supplies Country" will get to inhabit a High Real Estate Location during September through June, But for July and August, they swap with "Lemonade Stand Country" Or whatever works for you. The *general size* of the country should be similar for this to work, however You don’t want a shoebox-sized country swapping with your “Camping Gear Country”, are you feeling me?
Playing Tetris:
Next, go through your lists and decide where all your countries are going to settle. You get to do this by basically playing Tetris. Some people are very good at this- they are able to think spatially, and can determine what will fit well where. Of course, you need to have a general idea of how big each country is. Usually, I do this by adding one final categorization to my list: Size: XS, S, M, L, or XL. Now: Keep in mind you are not making plans for engineering the remodel of the Empire State Building. It doesn’t have to be exact, don’t get all anal and precise. It’s a GENERAL size. I usually think of a “small” Country being one that could fit inside a shoebox. A “large” Country is more like the size of a giant storage tub- the big mother-effer. I’m talking about the 70-quart ones.
(An XL area would be, let's say, about 3-5 of these giant storage tubs.)
AND Determine Your Settlers' Area Sizes:
^Creepy Closet Under the Stairs: Ozzy Osbourne- XL
vPantry 1: Lionel Richie-L
^Pantry 2: Journey-L
vPantry 3: Eurythmics-M
^Desk Cabinet 1: Til Tuesday-S
vDesk Cabinet 2: Simple Minds-S
^Bathroom Cabinets: Blondie-M
vBedroom 1 Closet: Mike & the Mechanics-L
^Bedroom 2 Closet: Midnight Oil-L
vStorage Room: Def Leppard-XL
^Theatre Storage Area: Wham!-L
vTiny House: Tears for Fears-S
vShed 1: Madonna-L
vShed 2: The Go-Go's-L
Now You Can List Where Your Countries Have Settled (this list goes IN YOUR PHONE!!!) More on that below the example....:
You can quickly see the Real Estate Priority, the Country, the Size, and The Settlers'Area.
For Example:
^ Boating Country L: Wham!
v Lemonade Stand Country S: Tears for Fears
^ Garage Sale Country XL: Def Leppard
v Bike Accessory Country M: Blondie
^ Beach Country L: Madonna
^ Park Country S: Til Tuesday
v Hiking Country S: Simple Minds
A Map of Your Settlers' Areas & Countries.
You have got to keep track of where you have placed all your countries have settled, unless you take 21 billion milligrams of ginkgo biloba every day, or still actually have a functioning brain- (unlike me). Here’s my tip: do not use paper, put it in your phone immediately!!! Nothing fancy is needed: I'm sure soon there will be an app for everything in your Settlers' Areas, complete with a GPS so all you have to do is "ping" the item and you'll find it in one second. But for now, I just use my notes app on my iPhone and create a folder named “Storage”. (Original! Yes, I know, oh, so creative!) Then I name each note in that folder by its’ Settlers' Area Name, and in each note, I list each Country. Then you have the option of continuing your list. You can go as deep as you want to....by listing the States, Counties, Cities, Neighborhoods..... all those details are listed below!
Getting Super Detailed: States/County/Cities/Neighborhoods
This is where you can get very detailed IF YOU SO CHOOSE. If you’re overwhelmed already, don’t bother with this!!! Keep it high level! You can always get more specific later, or pass on it altogether!
Read on if I haven't lost you yet. Let's say you're looking for a specific item. I can show you how we've done that, by breaking down the individual items inside each Country.
Remember back in elementary school when we learned how to do outlines for writing papers and taking notes? OK, so this is basically the very same thing. It’s just naming and listing your countries, and then branching off of each individual item within that country, then within each state, each county, city, neighborhood, house number... (you get it; I know you're buyin' what I'm sellin'.) PS if you go beyond House Number, I can’t help you anymore, you’re on your own….. I’m right brained and that’s far enough for me to go, (what’s left of) my brain train has hit the station. But keep on branching off if you need or want to! You can break it alllll the way down, to like, molecules and atoms if you want to. Go for it.
So we’ve learned from all the 90’s rappers that the City of Compton is one of the oldest cities in Southern LA County in California. (Random Sidenote: I have theorized since their untimely deaths that Biggie and Tupac are still alive….. and I never really realized that I’m not alone in that thought. So, I have believed all along that Tupac and Biggie faked both their feud AND their deaths. In I theorize they are actually BFF’s living on a private secluded island together with the bare essentials of life: women and booze.) So to all my “Tupac-and-Biggie-Are-Still-Alive” like-minded thinkers out there, let’s try to stay focused and quit arguing about east coast vs. west coast, it’s time to get back to work and organize our shit. (That was my ridiculous attempt to loop back to the topic at hand.) #ADD Placing that thought and sending it down the meditation stream……more on that concept below in the “Troubleshooting” section of this blog. (Sorry!)
So if you were my husband as an 18-year-old in Australia trying to plan an international adventure and you wanted to visit Compton, (there’s a great story behind that- for another time: basically we will call that story “Andrew-Thinks-Visiting-The-US-of-A-is-Going-to-be-like-Mayberry-and-is-sorely-disappointed-and-confused-when-he-lands-at-LAX-and-takes-a-random-bus-only-to-Find-Himself-at-a-McDonald’s-in-Compton” Story.) I digress…. again. Sending that leaf down the stream too. (Again… more of that in the “Troubleshooting” section of this blog.) Sorry again!
Back to the Task at Hand: So if we want to find an address in Compton, here's how we could do it (old-school, non-GPS version):
Country: US of A.
State: CA.
County: LA County.
City: Compton
Neighborhood: Cesar Chavez Park
Street: Avenida Cesar Chavez
House Number: 1000
I’ll give you a couple of examples:
EXAMPLE #1: (I don’t really own this stuff but for the sake of example….. No seriously, I don’t get or give perms…….ahem…well, *anymore*)!!!!
Settlers' Area: Blondie
80’s Perm (Country)
Equipment (State)
Hooded Hair Dryer (County)
Allan wrench for height adjustments (City)
Handheld Dryer (State)
Diffuser Attachment (City)
Products (County)
Perm Solution (State)
Perm-Safe Shampoo (State)
Perm-Safe Conditioner (State)
Supplies (County)
Perm Rods (State)
Small (City)
Medium (City)
Large (City)
Cotton (State)
Rolls (City)
Squares (City)
Saran Wrap (City)
Aquaphor (City)
Combs (City)
Wide-Tooth (Neighborhood)
Rat Tail (Neighborhood)
(Pssst! Here’s where you get to look like a baller: Someone wants to know if you have medium sized perm rods. You get to hop on your phone and quickly jump into your notes, grab your “80’s Perm Folder” and quickly retrieve that information, and tell them, YES they can borrow your medium sized perm rods for their visit to the Old Folks Home this weekend to give your Grandma and her friends their Bob Ross Perm.)
EXAMPLE #2: This stuff I DO have……
Settlers' Area: Def Leppard
Baby Stuff (Country)
Equipment (State)
Play Yard (County)
Sheets (City)
Cotton (Neighborhood)
Girl Colors (Street)
Leopard Print w/ Hot Pink Trim (House #)
Purple Unicorn Print (House #)
Boy Colors (Street)
Blue Airplane Print (House #)
Green Dragon Print (House #)
Flannel (Neighborhood)
Girl Colors (Street)
White Snow Bunny Print (House #)
Pink Candles Print (House #)
Boy Colors (Street)
Police Car Print (House #)
Blue Kangaroo Print (House #)
Carseat (County)
Carseat Cover (City)
Britax Brand (Neighborhood)
Girl Colors (Street)
Pink Ribbon Print (House #)
Purple Glitter Print (House #)
Boy Colors (Street)
Alaska Moose Print (House #)
Canoe on Lake Print (House #)
Graco Brand (Neighborhood)
Girl Colors (Street)
Boy Colors (Street)
You Get the Idea! Now notice I haven’t gone into specific containers, because this will vary greatly- but I use all see-through containers, and a billion see-through bags, from trash sized to gallon sized ziplock bags, all the way down to small pill-sized sealable bags- however your stuff is best contained within these sections is for you to determine.
Worthy of Note: LABEL EVERYTHING. I mean, EVERY SINGLE bag/box/container holding your stuff. Some people (like myself) like to go buck-ass wild with the label maker. Yeah….. Go crazy! Do it. Some people like to just grab a Sharpie and quickly squiggle-scratch on it. You go for it. Label it with morse code or brail, or a stamp pen placed between your butt cheeks, for all I care. It matters not- except that you LABEL IT *somehow* and you RETURN the item to it’s LABLED bag/box/container. (This way it's also helpful on the other end when you're putting stuff away.) Trust me, you don’t want to be sorting through 6 boxes of "Christmas Decoration Country" for the one Nativity Set your Aunt Barbara gave you because you haphazardly shoved it in with the tinsel last year on New Year’s Day. Especially when she’s coming over in 20 minutes and you’re already sweating and swearing.
-Tips for Troubleshooting Some Potential Issues... Remember the Mantras!
CUSTOMIZE EVERYTHING!
You’ve heard people say “When In Doubt, Throw it Out” before, right? And a bunch of little similar tips i.e. “If you haven’t used it in a year, get rid of it?” or “Turn the hanger around in your closet when you wear something and after 6 months, toss out all the clothes on the un-turned hangars?” Yeah, that works for many people, I’m sure! But for us, usually those phrases are the biggest load of BS we’ve ever tried.
Of course, if you know my story, you know we did not intend to be a large family, until we already were one- it just sort of happened. We were done at 4 babies and then- bang. A surprise pregnancy with our 5th baby occurred and, well, what can I say other than I didn't want Surprise Baby growing up on her own, and now we have 8. Anyway, I should NOT have heeded the advice to throw things out…I will never reveal how many thousands of dollars I’ve spend re-buying baby clothes, maternity wear, baby and child toys, and all areas of related furniture: cribs (plus my favorite part ever: assembly! JK- I’d rather have photos of myself drooling at the dentist plastered all over the internet than to assemble another God-forsaken crib), changing tables, bassinets, car seats, strollers, ad infinitum. Save your sanity by saving everything baby- until you've completed menopause, or your partner is shooting blanks (confirmed medically.) You're welcome for that tactful mental picture.
Final Thoughts on Customization:
-Tweak Ideas. You can seriously take just about any idea and tailor it to your needs. others as you see fit to better accommodate your situation or style.
-“Trow it Out”. The only thing we really NEED to throw out is the false concept that one system works for everyone.
-Toss it on the Backburner. Keep some ideas on a Pinterest board or in a written note in your phone. That way you can come back to them for later when you might need to freshen up a system, or need to be inspired with a new idea.
-Stay Flexible: This is where organization (at least in large families, and in our experience for our personal family), is like parenting: One size does NOT fit all. Except for gravity and the laws of physics, VERY LITTLE in life is actually truly black and white, either or. We are all different, and therefore your system is most likely not going to mirror mine. You do YOU!
WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER!
Determine what REALLY is vital right now. Go back to triage. This is why when you move into a new house, the advice is to always unpack your kitchen and bathroom first. Obviously, it's all important to unpack, but the thing that is going to be the most essential is probably going to be the toilet paper, you feel me?
Problem Areas:
Sometimes there is a room, a closet, or a general area that remains baffling because we are unable to figure out. It’s a weird location, it doesn’t have any obvious rhythm to it, or whatever. I personally love our house, but unfortunately, some of the areas in our kitchen are like this: a bit weird. You know, like that one old guy in the village who was struck by lightning 20 years ago and has been a bit “off” ever since. Well, that’s parts of my kitchen. You know, the weird corner cabinet with the super deep shelf that requires you to have a prosthesis extendable arm inserted just so you can place your 26 casserole dishes (and you NEVER make casseroles) from your wedding on them?
Here’s what I do when encountering a problem area. I hop on Pinterest and type in “Lazy Susan Organization.” Or “Junk Drawer Organization”, or “Toothpick Organization” for your exotic toothpick collection that is 493 toothpicks strong and counting. So many people have found life hacks, incredibly creative products, and amazing ideas for organizing their weird areas. I’m telling you, as a former high school English teacher, steal other people’s ideas! Others have already done the hard work for you, so capitalize on it!!
Paralyzation by Analyzation:
Anyone else know this one? When you’re stuck spinning your wheels for so long considering all the possibilities and so you just basically eventually meltdown, at least mentally? If I can’t decide what to do with something, I get another pair of eyes on it. I’ll ask a friend or a house angel what they think and where my head is at. We talk it through and usually within 30 seconds we have a plan for said item.
If you get stuck or frustrated, I highly recommend getting a friend or a house angel to put their eyes on your country and house, and let them toss some ideas your way. Sometimes I get stuck on a cognitive treadmill and the frustration puts me in a corner. Kind of like a battery operated car or toy that bumps up against a baseboard and can’t course correct. A second set of eyes can look bigger picture and offer some fresh ideas that I often can’t see because I’m stuck in a corner having a mental meltdown because I’m focused on one place being the solution.
Final Thoughts on Working Smarter, Not Harder:
-Stay Packed. Packing and re-packing things that you use all the time is often a waste of time and energy. Just do a quick inventory by scanning the bag before you leave the house.
-Ask for Help. When we get stuck, we often need a new pair of eyes to fall on something. Remember the TV Show “Cash Cab”: Give someone a mobile shout out and ask them to come over and download their thoughts and ideas about the situation. Or consult the "interwebs". You know. Use someone's else's brainwork.
-Prioritize. Which fires are burning the biggest and are the ones that must be extinguished or handled soonest? Practice determining the difference between “important” and “urgent."
PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION!
When The System Isn’t Working as Well as It Once Was….
This is where we are reminded that nothing is going to stay the same, and you’ll have to revisit your systems periodically to make sure they are still working at an optimal rate, and if they’re not, TRY SOMETHING ELSE! This often throws people way off. But remember good old A-Team-Mom’s Grandma??!?! It’s just an example of impermanence…. generally we humans are resistant to change, and it’ a part of life, so this is a good way to practice this life lesson on something small and (hopefully) non-emotional.
Staying Focused/Where’s the Squirrel?
Yes, I have ADD and if you know me personally or read my blog, it’s quite obvious. Sometimes when organizing or putting stuff away, I will stand staring at an area for a long time, running through a hundred different scenarios in my head. Then suddenly I spot an old tube of eyelash adhesive and Boom, I’m off and down a different rabbit trail, marinating on the idea of what exactly was the ingredient that caused the allergic reaction from eyelash extensions I experienced 8 years ago?
While I’m busy pondering that, boom, my eyes fall on the handbag I was carrying the other day when I was in a meeting with the school superintendent. I don’t even realize I’ve switched gears again, when I find myself wondering how he was processing the town hall parent meeting the other night which had turned very “Wren-Goes-In-Front-Of-The-City-Council-to-Propose-A-Dance” in the movie “Footloose.” Looking down at my hand, I realize I’m still holding the tube of eyelash adhesive, wondering what the heck I was going to do with this and realizing I’ve been holding it for the past 10 minutes, walking around like a fool so instead of going through the “paralyzation by analyzation” phase, I just walk over to the trash can and toss it in there. Done. No “But what if I need it someday?” Well, I may not be able to find another maternity dress just like that one I donated-that one time at band camp, (still regretting it, years later) but I can certainly get ahold of another $3.00 tube of eyelash glue. No worries mate.
So I’ve found the best thing to do when you follow that rabbit down the rabbit trail is to gently guide yourself back to the task at hand, and don’t let yourself slip into “ADD-Shaming.” Referring to the stream I mentioned a couple of times earlier in this blog, I started meditating 7 years ago. At first, I would mentally beat myself up when I drifted off into daydreaming about some random thing. (This is exactly what NOT to do, by the way!) You’re supposed to in theory, gently guide yourself back to the proverbial meditation stream, and if a thought pops into your head, you’re supposed to label it as “thinking”, not judge it as "good" or "bad". Then place it on an imaginary leaf, and watch it float down the magical, non-existant stream….so that’s what I try to practice now. I’ll say to myself, “Whoops, there goes about 845 leaves down the stream…..” And I’ll attempt to guide myself back to the organizing task at hand. Lord knows it’s a constant challenge for me, so to all you fellow #ADDs out there: Vaya Con Dios.
Final Thoughts on Progress, Not Perfection:
-Be Realistic, and Re-Evaluate. Not every single item in my house is perfectly organized in its place at all times! No no no no. It’s a continual work in progress for the Oompa Loompas to keep things running around here. Our needs keep changing, the seasons change, the cycle of life changes. We don’t let any of that prevent us from having company in our house or living our life.
-Stay in the Moment. We can embrace the now and realize there will always be more work to do, it’s like the conveyer belt of life, it just keeps coming at ya. We don’t want to miss the good stuff because we’re playing Lucy and Ethel in the Candy Factory. (Look it up, Millennials). We can’t put life on hold while we get our crap together physically, mentally or emotionally.
-Done is better than perfect. Guide yourself gently back to the task at hand if you become distracted. Practice being present; it’s so much better than being pissed that everything is not OCD-level presentable.
LASTLY….
Remember: this is POSSIBLE! You’re not trying to land an A380 in Juneau International Airport (which is notoriously difficult and treacherous for landings) , for eff’s sake. Take it easy on yourself and don’t get discouraged or overwhelmed! Try to just breathe and “Keep Ya Head Up.” like Tupac Shakur. Dream big: try tweaking this system to suit your needs, and I’ll bet you will find it quite empowering to get your storage areas somewhat under control! As The Late Notorious B.I.G. once said: “You Think Big, You Get Big.”
Shout Out to Tupac and Biggie for their words of wisdom, and I wish them well on the Isle of Women and Booze….
XOXO,
A-Team-Mom