From a blog entry written by Barbara Winter, Joyfully Jobless Journey, ”Buon Viaggio.” ** She writes for entrepreneurs, those without a classic “job,” but self-employed.
“So what does it take to keep growing yourself? One prerequisite for success is a willingness to change. Recently I came across an article I had written about change. I pointed out that change comes in two different packages and it’s necessary to tell them apart. There’s Imposed Change, which is the kind we can do nothing about. Taxes get raised, fashion designers insist we stop wearing willow green, or road construction makes travel difficult. On the other hand, there’s Instigated Change. That’s the kind that we think of as improving our lives because we have chosen it. Best of all, we can instigate change at any time we want. ”
And why does this remind me of organizing?
Because to get and stay organized, one of the keys is the route of Instigated Change. If it’s someone in your family or a colleague who suggests you talk with a certified professional organizer, how committed will you be? How would it feel if someone suggested this to you? Like an Imposed Change, wouldn’t it? Even if you believe you’re doing the right thing for your family, you’re doing it primarily for someone else.
Instigated Change: we choose this type of change. We choose. You choose.
You choose to change. And you choose when to begin the change. It’s a process, not a one-time event.
Think of changes which have happened in your life. And think about how long it really took until you felt that life was back to normal.
A parent or a spouse dies. A grandchild or child is born. Someone gets married. You don’t get the job you were hoping for (a “non-event.”)
Remember what that was like? You knew it was coming. There’s a period before and then you’re mid-transition. After the event itself, there’s that long period of getting life back to normalcy, or integrating the change to create a “new” normal.
Relating this to getting more organized: You will probably mull it over for awhile, kicking around the idea in your head, knowing it’s the so-called right thing to do. Some of us will rebel against the ‘right thing.’ Some of us stay within the lines and will get started just because it’s the right thing.
You know it intellectually, but please do take some time until you feel you’re ready. You’ll be more successful keeping up with your organizing challenges, whether it’s stuff or time, procrastination or maintaining a household or even keeping up with your projects at work.
Something may happen that is the final straw. You can’t find the car registration. You bought the fourth of some item. You got overwhelmed looking at all the other projects you already have (having just returned from picking up supplies for a new idea you had). A cutting comment from someone.
Or the change may happen more gradually, with no final straw. You got divorced but stayed in the house the two of you purchased together. Or your spouse died awhile ago. As you absorb and process the feelings about that change in your life, you come to a point where you want to make the house “your own.”
This seems to be a time when someone is finishing up a chapter and is ready to move onto a new chapter in life. And this needs to be reflected in his/her surroundings, as well as how the days are spent. This is organizing or reorganizing, and in some cases, it’s also been about redesigning –paint, furniture, accessories – to visually mark the new chapter.
Getting more organized, feeling more organized — this is a process, not a one time event. Take your time. Feel it when you’re ready. Thanks for reading.
** Barbara’s blog about the world of self employment can be found at http://joyfullyjobless.com/blog/2009/10/you-cant-grow-a-business-if-you-refuse-to-grow/
***For more on non-events, as significant as other changes in our lives, see http://www.transitionsthroughlife.com/blog/ Nancy K. Schlossberg’s blog.
She presented at a conference I attended recently. Her topic: Taking the Mystery Out of Change.”
Tags: change, divorce, downsizing, Next Chapter, spouse, widow
Nice piece, Sue. You are so right about organizing being an on-going process. Several years ago, I decided Getting Organized would be my June project. At the end of the month, I declared it my Summer Project. At the end of summer, I conceded that it was going to be a lifelong project.
Life changes, often .. so our systems have to, as well.