WARNING: Beware! Around your home and around your brain lurks a clutter foe so persistent in his schemes to keep you from having the home you want that he is nearly impossible to evade. His name is Just For Now and he is cunning.
You may have met Just For Now when you brought in the mail yesterday. He enticed you to drop that stack of catalogs and bills right there on the kitchen counter. And he probably dropped by as you were helping your kids in from the car. He encouraged you to put your car keys down on the coffee table while you helped get coats and hats and scarves removed. And then he convinced you it would be okay to leave said winter gear on the arm chair by the coat closet. After all, it's "just for now."
How can you combat this wiley enemy? With your dear friend Do It Now. I'm talking about the ability to stop when you hear yourself thinking "I'll leave this window cleaner on the counter just for now while I check my email. I'll put it away right after I send this text message."
Instead think to yourself "You know, self, how about if I just return the cleaner to the cupboard right now. It'll take an extra 15 seconds and will be one less thing to pick up later."
So when you hear yourself saying or thinking "just for now" in relation to where you put your things, realize that by combating just this one phrase you could potentially save yourself hours of work later on.
Think about it!
This is something I'm REALLY bad at. I'm trying to make a new rule for myself. If I pick it up, I need to PUT IT AWAY, not just move it around. The exception is if I have to take something downstairs. Then it goes on our stair rail and I take things down when I make a trip...then I put it away and not just set it down. It's tough, but it's helped to be conscious of it.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree Steph! It's a bit of discipline to actually complete a job and I struggle with it as well sometimes.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I do put things in a spot (the stair rail upstairs, the bottom step downstairs) for things that need to go up/down and move them all at once on my next trip.