Cluttered Home, Cluttered Mind

My organizational mind hates piles. It hates stacks and clutter and bleh. I’m happiest when the counters are clear and clean, the shelves are orderly and stuff is put away in its proper home.

Unfortunately, I am also a procrastinator. The two don’t go together well at all, and the piles show up anyway. And yes, it takes longer to sort and file the piles than it does to put them away in the first place.

Self-lecture over.

That’s why these shelves of books in the office make me smile. It took several hours to sort, organize and store this collection of books. It’s by no means all of them (yes, there are many, many more.), but being able to see them in some resemblance of order does my heart good.

The opposite of this closet were the stacks of books I had laying around the house. No room is complete without books, but it was borderline ridiculous. We couldn’t even open the spare room door all the way because I ran out of shelf space and lined them up on the floor.

I don’t know if your mind reels at these piles the way mine did, but it was so overwhelming to be surrounded by disorganization. The time was well spent putting them in categories and putting bookmarks in the ones I’ve read. Now I can buy more books because I know what titles I already have. (Yes, now there is room for more!) I don’t have to be concerned any more about wasting money buying the same book a second time because I know what I have ... for the most part.

What area of your home would you love to clean and organize? What would it do for your mind and your heart if that area wasn’t cluttered?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Recovering An Old Card Table And Making It Usable Again

Image
This card table recover project has been on my to-do list for months. I've been using it as my workspace in the craft room for quite some time, and it sees a lot of abuse. Here it is now, with a neutral cover on it so I can take better pictures for my tutorials. There were dents and dings in the old blue covering from metal tools. And yes, I've used my embossing heat tool on it several times, leaving pretty good scars. The padding underneath the blue cover also made it difficult to keep paper crafts flat when adhering them together, so it was time for something new. That's where a simple vinyl tablecloth comes in handy. The process to recover the table is pretty simple, but I learned a couple of lessons the hard way. I share them with you now. First, don't do this on any surface but a carpet. I tried it on the deck int he sunshine to get better pictures, but all it did was tear up the cover. Second, get a second pair of hands to help you kee
Read more

Simple DIY Beaded Keychains

Image
We're having so much fun putting together goodie bags and door prizes for our upcoming ladies retreat at the church. So many of our ladies have donated craft supplies, decorations, time and energy to treat our visitors to an amazing time. These keychains are just one of the gifts some of the attendees will find in their bags. All you need to make them are a variety of beads, some fairly thin yet sturdy cord and a jump ring. Cut a length of cord, fold it in half and string it through the jump ring. String matching beads on both sides. And tie it off with a double knot. So simple, yet so pretty. Here's another variation: Cut a length of cord, fold it in half and thread it through a jump ring. Tie one or two beads on one side and tie it off with a knot. Make the other side longer with additional letters and beads before tying it off. Make a variety of lengths, colors, patterns and phrases so no two are alike.
Read more

Debilitating Disappontment

The things of this life tend to disappoint us. People aren't who we'd like them to be, events we'd hoped for never occur and things we'd expected to happen in a certain way never come to pass. I've tried relying on everything else in this life - relationships, career, better finances. When we look to mankind for answers or for hope, we will surely be disappointed. Our own misconceptions of life's circumstances leads us down a long, dreary path. What we plan and see inside our head doesn't always match what others see, or what may actually be reality. Looking into ourselves for "clarity" directs us straight to depression and failure. Have you ever heard yourself say, "I couldn't care less" and truly meant it? Having confidence in our own power to change our outlook means that we care more about the circumstances themselves rather than how to grow as Christian women. God is the only unchanging factor in our uncertain world. Focusing on
Read more