Every day we create narratives  to explain, justify, praise, condemn, condone, dismiss,  and give meaning to our actions.
(Or lack of)

Repetition has made us believe some of them are true,
others are a convenient way to avoid action,
and some have become so habitual we fail to notice their consequences.

What stories do you tell yourself about your clutter and disorganization?
    "When I have more time, then I'll get organized."
    "I know what's in every pile."
    "I can find things-eventually."
    "I'll never change."

What if you got a bit more creative in your story telling?
What if you changed the narrative to reflect the life you want to be living?
What if your internal dialogue encouraged you to make some different choices?

Maybe the new stories could go something like this:
    "I'm going to spend five minutes before bed getting things ready for the morning."
    "I'll put this item away, not just set on that pile."
    "Having a home for things makes them easier and faster to find."
    "I don't have to do it all at once; I can make small changes that will encourage me to keep trying."

You're the one writing the story of your life.
You're the one choosing where the story takes place, selecting the scenery,
choosing how you'll react to plot twists,
which situations will amuse or challenge you,
and who the cast of supporting characters will be.

Don't clutter the story with stuff that no longer serves you, items you don't need or love, and
things (or thoughts) you've been keeping out of guilt or obligation.

Make your life and your story a creative reflection of your most heartfelt desires.

Costco, yes and no.

Yes, Costco can be a great place to shop.
And it can be a mistake to buy things there.

One of the basic organizational shopping guidelines (so much nicer term than rules, don't you think?) is:
How much is enough?

Another guideline is:
Where is this going to live when I bring it home?

And,
What's the real cost of saving money?

It's easy to get caught up in mindset of bulk buying must be a bargain, or
I'm going to need this eventually so why not buy a lot of it now, 

or
this might not be here next time so I should grab it while I have the chance.

However, all those bargains, multi packs and deals are going to need to be stored somewhere once you get them home.
Plus you need to remember you have them,
find them when you need them and
use them up in a timely manner.

Every square foot of your house or apartment costs you on a daily basis.
(Divide your mortgage or rent by your square footage and see what you pay for each square foot)

Is the money you 'saved' worth the storage cost involved?

If you end up throwing things away that have gone bad,
or never using them,
or stuffing your closets to over flowing just to store all these bargains: What's the real price of all this saving?

Be mindful of what you really eat.
Pay attention to what products you really use and in what quantity.
Remember the One in One Out rule.
Be an intentional shopper.
(and not just at Costco)

Make it easier

Eliminate  steps whenever you can.
(Unless you're doing the Tango or walking for exercise)

Easier as in:
    Sort the mail over the recycle bin.
    Set up on line bill paying.
    Put a hook on the back of the door and skip the hanger hassle.
    Keep your grocery list on your phone.
    Say No.
    Buy fewer things.

Make the mechanics of daily living as simple as possible.

Set yourself up to succeed at creating less clutter and being more organized.

Start with the results you want to achieve:  Less mess, bills paid promptly, more personal time, less stuff to clean/store/keep track of.  

Then figure out the fewest steps, least amount of energy and brain power you need to exert to make it happen.
(Trust me, there are no bonus points for making things complicated)

Life is complicated enough,
when you have the opportunity make it as simple and easy for yourself as you possibly can.

  

Off topic, but important to me.

This weekend I watched a video I haven't been able to stop thinking about:

A Place at the Table about hunger in America.

As this documentary shows, Food Insecurity is an issue with many causes, ramifications and no easy simple solution.
(Just like every other complex problem we face)
However just because it is complicated and complex isn't a reason to avoid confronting it
or working to find some solutions that will change people's (and especially children's) access to good nutritional food. 

But we can't change what we aren't aware of,
what we don't make a priority,
or if we fail to change our attitudes and actions.

I do know that Little Bites (no food pun intended)
does work as a way to tackle a big problem or what seems to be an overwhelming situation.

Doing what you can, where you are, with what you have
is the way for each of us to make a difference.

It is wrong that people are going to bed hungry in a country with more than enough food.

My question this week:
How can each of us become part of the solution?