Hasta La Ideas

With my foot still in a cast, I’m obviously not running my typical 15 miles a week. Since I can’t take to the streets, I have been doing a lot of reading about running instead. I’ll admit, it’s a bit frustrating to read about something I can’t do, but I’ve learned a great deal and will use this knowledge when I start running again.

During my readings about running, I came across an article in the February 2011 issue of Runner’s World magazine that has potential application for unclutterers. The article “The Magic of Mantras” explores using positive self-talk to help push you through the difficult parts of a race, and could easily work for helping you continue through the onerous parts of uncluttering.

So what makes a good mantra? One that’s short, positive, instructive, and full of action words. Walker suggests preparing multiple mantras before a race tailored to various challenges. And don’t limit yourself to “real” words. A made-up word works for Tara Anderson, a 34-year-old runner in Boulder who recites, Lighter, softer, faster, relaxer. “I repeat it with each footstrike, and if I’m having a problem, I’ll repeat the relevant part until I’m in the flow,” she says. Her phrase helped her set a three-minute P[ersonal] R[ecord] in a 10-K in 2009.

Here are a few mantras I think could work for someone embarking on an uncluttering and/or organizing project:

• One box at a time.
• Less stuff, less stress.
• Love it or lose it.
• A place for everything, and everything in its place.
• Five minutes or less? The answer is yes.

Do you have a mantra? Could using some positive self-talk help you to achieve your uncluttering and organizing goals? Tell us what you tell yourself in our comments section of this post.

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Have you seen the “What’s That Name?” sketch from the Paul Rudd-hosted episode of Saturday Night Live this season? If not, go watch it, it’s pretty funny.

SNL writers got this sketch right when they poked fun at the way people routinely dehumanize each other. When we’re in a hurry and on cruise control, it can be easy to forget that the person driving the bus or handing you dry cleaning or taking your order in a restaurant isn’t an automaton. People in service industry professions are often treated like robots, or, worse yet, like they’re invisible.

I grew up in a small-ish Midwestern town where everyone already knew everybody else’s name. When I moved to a major city, I missed knowing my neighbors and the people where I went. So, a decade ago, I started making it a point to know people’s names. I know the names of the checkout clerks, butchers, and the wine and cheese buyers at the grocery store; I know the names of my regular UPS man, mail carrier, and FedEx lady (and even most of their substitutes); I know the name of the woman who schedules appointments at my hair salon; I know the names of bus drivers, cab drivers, and the women who work at the dry cleaner’s. And, for the most part, these people know my name, too.

Although learning people’s names takes a little bit of time (you must strike up a conversation), I’ve found that the act has incredible uncluttering benefits overall. Had I not started talking with my butcher, I’d have never known that I can order a quarter of a cow (instead of a whole cow) from a local grass-roaming, organic farm each year and that the butcher will cut up the meat for me exactly how I ask him to, free of additional charge (well, I do give him a nice tip). Buying a quarter of a cow has saved me incredible amounts of money (it’s insanely discounted compared to buying separate cuts of meat) and time (I don’t have to run to the store). Twice, I’ve called the receptionist at my hair salon and she has found a way to get me on the schedule at the last minute, and I haven’t had to whine or beg or threaten or do anything other than ask nicely. The mail and package delivery folks always wait for me to answer the bell, instead of slapping a sticker on the door and driving away like I know some of them do. I get my package on the first delivery attempt instead of having to go to a central office to pick something up or wait another day. Bus drivers have waited for me as I’ve hurried down the street. Simply stated, my life runs more smoothly because I’ve taken the time to learn someone’s name and taken a sincere interest in what they do.

I’m not suggesting you learn someone’s name for the singular purpose of getting better service. Rather, I’m suggesting that meeting the people — all the people — who are a regular part of your life can be beneficial in many ways. It is certainly more enjoyable to go to the market when you know you can learn something from the people there, instead of thinking about the errand like a mundane chore and the people who work there as idiots (they’re not). And, as someone who has previously worked in a service industry job, the work day went much more quickly when I was able to help someone who saw me as a person and took an interest in what I did. I enjoyed helping those people most of all.

Even if you have ignored someone you encounter regularly in your life, it’s never too late to extend your arm, shake a hand, apologize for never learning his or her name before, and properly introduce yourself. In my experience, you’ll immediately feel more connected to your corner of the world and see a few uncluttered benefits, too.

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For the second winter in a row, I have found myself with a cast on my leg. This time, I became cast-worthy after tripping on the hem of my jeans (I was wearing heel-length jeans with flats) and falling down a flight of stairs. I didn’t break anything, but my podiatrist said I tore the muscles off the bones in my foot and something else awful to do with my ankle. (I’m a little vague on the ankle stuff because I got a bit light-headed after he said I’d “tore the muscles” off my foot. Yuck. Just typing it makes me queasy.)

Thankfully, this whole cast situation is temporary, and my husband has been a rock star around the house taking over most of my chores and parenting responsibilities. My son also believes I’ve started transforming into a robot, which makes me the coolest mom in the world.

Winding up in a cast once again reminded me how important it is to be organized before you have an accident. I was lucky that all I did when I fell down the stairs was mess up my foot and ankle. I’m well aware I could have been injured much more severely, especially since I went down the stairs like a stuntman in an action scene in a movie.

Before you have an accident, be sure to:

• Carry your insurance card on you at all times.
• Wear a medical alert bracelet if you have any allergies or severe medical conditions.
• Have your doctor’s name and phone number stored in your cell phone or written on a sheet of paper in your wallet.
• Have a file in your filing cabinet with “In case of emergency” as its name and let your friends and family know about it. In this file, list the bills you pay every month and other important and relevant details someone else might need to know (contact information for your health insurance agent, your boss, your child’s teacher, etc.).

Life is unpredictable — I certainly wouldn’t have guessed I’d be in a cast twice in less than a year. What have you done to prepare for the unexpected? Share your advice in the comments.

Like this site? Buy Erin Rooney Doland’s Unclutter Your Life in One Week from Amazon.com today.

As the year comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on my 2010 quarterly resolutions. I am glad I broke my resolutions up into quarterly goals, instead of trying to address all of them the entire year. However, I didn’t love it so much to do it again in 2011.

To review, my quarterly resolutions were:

• Increasing energy
• Embarking on new adventures
• Finish it!
• Nurturing

My favorite quarter was, surprisingly, the third set of resolutions: Finish it! The resolutions were very specific. I was able to schedule them on the calendar, and check them off when they were finished. And, at the end of the quarter, I could look at my life and point at my accomplishments — the dryer works! the electrical box is new! stuff I don’t use is out of the house!

The other quarters were less rewarding. Each had some highlights, but it’s difficult for me to evaluate if I have more energy at the end of this year than I did last year — especially since I have a very active toddler now. I’m exhausted every night when I climb into bed, but would I have been more exhausted had I not made the changes to my life in early 2010? There is no way for me to know.

Between now and the end of 2010, I’m going to focus on finding new ways to set resolutions for 2011. I’m committed to keeping resolutions, but I’m not committed to doing them quarterly.

How do you plan your yearly resolutions? How did you fare on accomplishing your 2010 resolutions? If Unclutterer could give you help with your 2011 resolutions, what would we do? What do you plan to do differently with your 2011 resolutions compared to 2010? I’m interested in reading all of your constructive insights into resolution making so that 2011 will be an amazing year for resolution keeping.

Like this site? Buy Erin Rooney Doland’s Unclutter Your Life in One Week from Amazon.com today.

Before my son joined our family, my husband and I talked at length about how we wanted to raise Future Child. It was easy to discuss parenting Future Child since we didn’t know his or her personality, wants, or needs. Now, as actual parents, my husband and I laugh about these conversations we used to have — they were well intentioned, but incredibly naive.

One of the decisions we made before becoming parents was to both have jobs that allow us to work from home. We wanted — and still want — to be the full-time care providers for our child. In theory, having full-time jobs and being full-time care providers was easy. In actuality, it’s wonderful, but it’s an incredibly complex juggling act.

My husband and I love working from home and being here with our 17 month old son, but we’ve had to completely rearrange our lives to make it happen. My husband’s job demands that he be available during normal working hours, and, even though my writing schedule is more flexible, I still have administrative and consulting obligations that overlap with his, and writing by moonlight is a big adjustment for me. We’ve had to call in a babysitter a few times, and we’ve both found ourselves wishing the grandparents weren’t a thousand miles away, but most days it works out and we know we made the right decision for our family. We also know that this complex juggling act is a temporary situation — our son will be heading off to pre-school in a year and then to elementary school shortly after that. Normal work schedules will return to us in a blink of an eye, and we’ll be nostalgic for these elaborately scheduled days when they do.

When my husband and I talked about raising our Future Child, we imagined it to be different than the reality we experience. That being said, the reality is so much better than we imagined. We wouldn’t trade this time with our son for anything in the world. We’ve had to rearrange most every aspect of our lives, but we don’t regret these adjustments because we are focused on what matters most to us. We’ve cleared the clutter in our schedules to make way for the life we desire.

Only you know what matters most to you and your family. And, only you know what clutter needs to be cleared to prioritize these desires. You might need to adopt a complex schedule or make some major changes to the way you live your life, but when you’re focused on what really matters to you, you don’t regret a single minute of living. You know you’re living the best life for you.

Are you pursing the life you desire? Are you clearing the clutter that is distracting you from a life focused on what matters most to you? Are you finding a way — simple or complex — to make it happen?

Like this site? Buy Erin Rooney Doland’s Unclutter Your Life in One Week from Amazon.com today.