Clutter

At the very beginning of my banking career, I was told to keep my work area neat and organized. It is not only the impression that you give your customer, but it is a sign of an organized mind.

I have taken that advice with me where ever I have travelled. Whether it is a desk, office, kitchen, house, yard, car &/or garage ... the state of whatever area I am working in, correlates with my state of mind.

As a teller, I kept my wicket organized and well supplied. When I had a desk and office, my habits remained. Supplies were replenished before I ran out, everything I needed was at my fingertips and there was an aura of tidiness in my work space.

When I graduated to become a full time daycare provider, my house became my office. If the kitchen was chaos, I was a mirror image. The more I needed to feel in control of the day (my life), the more I fought to maintain order within our home. This is when stock piling food became the norm for me. I became (what most would call) obsessive compulsive about my household chores. It was a fight, but my mind and home continued to be mirror images of each other. If there was order in my work place (our home), there was order in my mind.

Fast forward to today.

I have been unable to make a final decision about the end of my daycare career. At every turn, I am reminded of the quality of life that I had (and ability to be organized and work in a lot of extra curricular housecleaning activities) when I ran my daycare. So I have had a hard time making the move to donate/sell &/or throw away the excessive amount of 'kid stuff' that have amassed over the years. Toys, videos, books, puzzles, craft stuff and baby paraphernalia fill every spare nook and cranny.

What is not filled with daycare provisions, is full of excess ... stuff.

I can't fit anything more into the filing cabinet. My dresser drawers are full. My closet is so full of miscellaneous items (not to mention the clothes that I don't wear) that I cringe every time I open the doors. My Youngest hasn't seen the top of his dresser since 2008. Boxes are amassing in the laundry room ... I believe the clutter is reproducing on its own. It's taking over our home.

Then there is my work. This .... is my office (aka - living room):

Since this picture has been taken, there has been a bucket full of invoices-to-be-paid and another box of statements-to-be-done added to the kitchen. Not to mention the box in the living room that is out of camera range.

I am 95% finished each task I have been given. No one job (except statements and invoices to be paid) is ever complete.

I have lists of questions, missing paperwork, documentation of potential problems, etc, etc, etc.

My mind feels exactly like my living room. I am in a state of confusion. And I don't know where to begin.

It's no wonder that I cannot retain new information - I have to 'clean house' in every sense of the word. I must regain some control of my work life, my home life and my mind.

Thank goodness for this upcoming long weekend. Watch out clutter ... here I come!!!

P.S. Note the cat-in-the-box ... our cat loves, loves, loves cardboard boxes. You can imagine his angst when he scours the living room to see all of his favorite play toys filled with paperwork. So I set out this empty box especially for him. He hopped right in and was as happy as could be.