Energy Zappers
Energy Zappers – The little annoyances that drain us.
Little things annoy us everyday: a broom falls out of the closet, we’ve run out of eggs when we’re baking, we’re unable to find the important paper we need. It’s how we choose to deal with the little roadblocks in our day can lead us down a path of simplicity.
One way to handle an annoyance is to ignore it. Do that, and odds are, it’ll happen again. Or, you can think of a solution to prevent it from happening again. Often an interim fix will limit the annoyance until you find the ideal solution.
Getting organized involves eliminating the clutter, which in this case, is made up of all the little annoyances in our day. When you start to notice what’s causing you annoyance, you can begin to simplify your life and regain some energy. This includes things, systems (or lack of), perceptions and expectations.
For instance, if the broom falls out of the closet every time you open the pantry door, put up a hook to hold it up and out of the way. If you do not have a hook at the moment, clear enough floor space to lean the broom with some stability. Then put “hook” on your shopping list and install it right away when you return from the store. Instead of ignoring the annoyance, you’ve taken an interim step to fix it, and eventually, found the ideal solution.
Simplifying your life involves asking yourself if there is a better way, place, or time to accomplish your task. It also means assigning a home to everything you own so, you know what you have, using a list on trips to the store to save time and energy, and getting into the habit of putting your toys away in a timely fashion. A little time now saves a lot of annoyance in the long run.
This article originally appeared in Sage, October 2008.
Tags: Habit, organizing, routine, safety at home, simplify, Simplifying, streamlining, stress, systems
