One Thing At A Time

If I learned anything from practicing Buddhism, it's to slow down and focus, to really know that I'm doing something, rather than letting my mind wander as I work. I'm not perfect at it, not even good at it, really, but this purging and organizing exercise gives me plenty of opportunities to practice.

It's especially important for me to focus during this process because my normal cleaning endeavors may begin with cleaning the kitchen, but it will end with half of the bedroom closet dragged out and I've run out of energy before any of it is finished, resulting in chaos and massive amounts of frustration. So I choose one task and remind myself every minute or so - whenever the impulse hits to get something else done real quick - to stick to one task and finish it.

I've been taking a lot of inspiration from the KonMari technique of discarding. One important piece of advice is to go through items by use rather than by room. Today I chose to deal with my beauty products, make up, and hair supplies. Not the cleaning supplies, not the medical supplies, not the towels. Not the shower stuff. I had to limit myself so I could be thorough. Unlike the KonMari method, in which you gather all of the items in the category from all over the house to one central location and go through it all at once, I did it all in the bathroom. One bag designated for donation, another for trash, and a handful of different small boxes for organizing, I dragged everything out onto the floor and the counter.

I had a vision in my head of what I wanted. Nothing on the counter top except the toothbrushes in their pretty holder, and my little basket with my perfumes. Everything else put away. And while I had a design that I would pare my make up down to one day/night look, I couldn't do it. But I did get rid of all of the mineral make up that irritated my skin, and a bunch of stuff that I inherited from my mom. All of my make up brushes are in a canvas case, my make up arranged in a couple of little boxes and it all fits with plenty of room to spare in my travel case that fits just right in the cabinet. I even took out all of the wonky bobby pins and got all of my hair accessories in a little travel bag that also fits in the cabinet. Got rid of a bunch of lotions from Victoria's Secret that smelled better in the store. Got rid of one of the two flat-irons (though I straighten my hair maybe once a year). Nothing on the counter top except what I wanted. MUCH easier to clean!

Once I was done with that, I had to quelch the urge to push on through the cleaning supplies or the medical supplies. I had this feeling that if I didn't finish the whole bathroom that I hadn't accomplished anything. Truth was, I had used up my spoons for the day and I needed to rest before I pushed myself into a crash. I could tackle the other stuff later. I was one task closer to having a home that didn't frustrated me at every turn.

It's a long process, taking each area in turn according to energy level, but it's worth it, and the goal has become ample incentive. And I'm still developing habits as I go.