Get organized

the mess and cleaning has been solved by just cleaning an hour day, it is no longer an enigma to me.

but as for scheudling, it’s really challenging.

there are not enough hours in the day for the kind of work I do. I made two sculptures about a little less than 5 feet tall for my class, I go to art school, but I still have scholarship apps to fill out and work for my job to do. I’m behind on my reading for class.

I don’t go out as much these days because I have alot of work to do, and I know I won’t be able to enjoy myself nearly as much as if I just got my work done first.

It’s always in the back of my mind.

I’m transferring to a school that will let me set my own pace and not do tons of useless work so I can focus on setting my priorities when it comes to my education, that hopefully will help.

There are the thoughtful things that there just aren’t the kind of time for currently. stuff like, making my own food more often, eating fresh produce versus ordering pizza.

I’ve been good with writing letters, writing in my journal and incorporating some exercise and meditation in my week, but there is a balance that isn’t currently in my life.

I don’t spend as much time on the computer, I feel worked to the bone, my fingers hurt from painting and cutting cardboard all day. I’m finishing off the night with a beer. Tomorrow I go to my work and take photos of elderly folk hanging out with my sculptures.

It’ll be cool, just draining. Then I come home and work on scholarships and if I have time a book I am required to make for one of my classes and then I have to make 400 paper cranes for this other project I came up with to mail cranes to elementary schools across the country.

Ahhhhh.

I have high expectations of myself, I want to do thoughtful, creative fun work that is quality, but the world seems to focus on quantity, how many assignments can we put on these kids, I’m not a kid anymore and even when I was there was far too much to do, work and paying rent, etc.

I’m 24, with a job that should be full time to really complete the work that needs to be done and then going to school taking 5 classes and commuting and hour to get there on the train.

It’s alot and although I am producing alot of new thoughts about life and art, I am glad to know that when this semester ends I will be changing my lifestyle drastically.

If you want a life of peace I don’t think it can be made entirely out of stress. Surely some stress with occur naturally it’s the other side of the ‘peace’ spectrum, the other side of the stick I guess. But when you intentionally plan for it, it seems it always becomes unbalanced.

I want to incorporate a life of peace so I may live a peaceful life.

Like making an ocean with water, instead of sand.

Too many times we think that we need to live a life of fast paced, stress to some day live a life of calm and relaxation, but I think that is like trying to build an ocean out of sand.

Yes, you need sand for the ocean to lay upon, but it all you use is sand, you will have a desert not an ocean.

It you live a life of stress you will have a desert not an ocean.

so I have read many books about organizing, and although they have become helpful, continuing to clean for one hour a day has been probably most helpful. Now, I am on to, finding a ‘home’ for things, even files on my computer. Just changing the way I do things.

Surely the ‘big cleans’ help but I’m realizing it’s the everyday stuff and the habits that really help.

I also, recently switched from a regular planner to a digital planner, this has really helped.

Being a little bit of a technophobe I found one that is made for people who haven’t a clue how to do this type of work.

It’s called a palm z, i think it’d really cute, and I like looking at it everyday, I just use it to write all of my assignments, appointments and goals in it. I check it everyday and I don’t dread looking at it like I did my planner. My planner looked horrible, because I would have to rearrange my schedule alot and by the end of the week it looked like a bunch of foot ball strategy plans. hee hee. I don’t play foot ball but I’ve seen how they draw little arrows and circles all over the place.

yes, that is my life, lots of little circles and arrows and x’s it’s not pretty.

but now I can just reschedule things for later in the week if I couldn’t get to them. it’s pretty cool. I can put little notes in it and easily add phone numbers and addresses, and have a task list that I can date tasks, redate tasks and check off.

This has been really awesome, because it always seemed like such a task to ‘re-write’ my schedule each day and push things I didn’t get done from the day before into my current schedule, now I can do it with the touch of a button.

Of course being motivated helps, getting enough sleep, and realizing how much you can really do.

But I don’t get as overwhemled and anxious cause I don’t know what to focus on next.

my big reccomendations for people who identify as disorganized:

1.) clean your house up for one hour a day (5 days a week)

2.) maybe do a weekend clean to get your house the way you want it, or a few weekend cleans

3.) find a scheduler that works for you and stick with it.

yeah, so organizing always seemed like this thing you did once, a big CLEAN and then you were set. little did I realize that this whole one hour a day and 30 minutes to set up my schedule for the next day would be enough.

so just an hour and half a day and your life could make sense.

clean for an hour everyday for a week. no more no less. and you’ll see it works. even when you think everything is clean you’ll find something.

I notice that when I walk in the door I change into my ‘house clothes’ and go through EVERYTHING I bring home, put things away, etc. it really helps.

... other than that.

par tof organizing I have realized is prioritizing your life, what is important to you and what isn’t, avoiding mindless clutter whether it’s physcial or planned events you schedule in that you know you don’t have time for, or the emotional energy for.

I want to live a thoughtful and fullfilling life, and part of that is taking care of this type of stuff.

As for space wise, the most amazing thing I’ve ever done is setting an hour aside when I get home to just CLEAN. Anything, make sure you take everything out of the pockets of your coat, clean out my bag, and put everything I need in it for tomorrow, specific things like my wallet, cell phone and keys go in a special clear box so if I use them that night I don’t have to go rummaging through my bag. Then I can clean anything else I want, like the bathroom, reorganize my art studio, what ever, but then when the hours over I try to just stop and move on to other things. This is day two of this, and my house is so much more managable.

On top of this I organized a schedule so I know what to study when. That way I don’t feel guilty cleaning for an hour because I know there is time for it. (: When the house starts looking clean and get’s clean more quickly, I will use the time for other things like putting contact info I wrote down on little slips of paper into my computer or cleaning files out of my computer or email.

For now it’s just physical cleaning but it def. will I hope, avoid the big sunday cleanups.

(: ciao.

jooyoung

I am tired and run down. I can’t stay focused, show any effort, or be organized if I can’t think straight.

I am going to try and make an effort to get a good nights sleep tonight, eat better and reduce my stress levels.

This is my week to really make some changes, and I think it’s possible.

Nourishing oneself just seems essential and I guess I forgot. Especially when you are trying to change so many things.

It’s not just cleaning my space or doing my laundry it’s a full on head change or finding a way to harmonize with my natural weaknesses.

Such as: I try clothes on in the morning and then throw them on the floor. I have tried to pick out my clothes the night before but many times I’m way to tired at the end of the day to do it.

My new idea is to just have a special box for clean clothes I try on and don’t want to wear that day. Normally I would just throw them on the floor. So in the morning I can just toss them in the box and I know they are clean and won’t get rewashed and then during the week I can go through them if I need something and at the end of the week just hang them up.

Stuff like this, I’m have read so many organizational books and some stuff has been really helpful but something will not change about my personality. Things like returning movies late, tossing clean clothes on the floor, not folding my laundry, etc. I just have to find ways to take my usual habits and create a way to make them work for me versus make my life crazy.

ah.

I feel better already.

I’m going home now, and I am going to sleep for a while.

my energy is low, I know what I want to do but I’m struggling motivating myself.

I know the tools that will help me stay organized but I can’t get myself to do it.

Maybe I need to sleep more…

See the image included…

I am starting to see what all my cleaning in the past has done, it has made moving out of my apartment much easier.

This week to get more organized, I will set up my stuff the night before so I can get up and go.

I have laid out alot of what needs to be done to be organized.

I think that procrastination might be the heart of the beast. I have gotten a new book to help me along.

Well see where it leads me. (:

j

For myself, i have realized that staying focused and recognizing the will to do the things you have clarified through your thoughts, it incredibly vital to becoming organized in thought and physically.

My life is slowly becoming more focused, clarfied, organized, and maintained.

I am surely not ready to check this one off, but things are good.

yeah (:

j