While eating dinner tonight I was reading yet another article about obtaining work/life balance. I don’t know about you, but I am kinda over it. The tips and suggestions are always the same. Develop a plan, sort, purge prioritize, maintain. Does this advice help anyone? Does everyone believe there is one answer for keeping your work/life balanced? I am not going to lie, in the past I have been known to write articles like this. But now, I am surprised to see this information is still getting thrown at us.

I am going to be honest, I am not totally sure what it might take for everyone reading this to maintain work/life balance. All I can tell you is what I do to keep things in check… I am very realistic about my time, energy and abilities. I guess I am somewhat lucky. At an early age I identified that i would get really cranky, anxious, stressed and/or depressed if my environment wasn’t orderly, if I had too much on my plate or I was getting involved in something way over my head. Avoiding those feelings is a high priority for me. Therefore I keep things simple… VERY SIMPLE. My friends and family will tell you my home is pretty bare. I keep it that way for a reason. I have just enough furniture that I can dust one room in less than 5 minutes. I have just enough clothing so I can do laundry in no more than three loads. I have only a few cosmetics so I can get ready in the morning quickly. These little things make a HUGE difference in my day to day life.

For some, these things may not make a difference. I think it’s important to identify what will reduce the chances that you will get cranky, anxious, stressed or depressed. I have even removed the people in my life that make me feel crappy. That has worked wonders on simplifying my life. 

Lately I have been getting a lot of calls from individuals who want to become Professional Organizers. I personally love talking about what I do. This job is the most rewarding/creative job I have ever had. Organizing wannabes that I haven’t spoken to, allow me to give you a few tips. If you want to pursue a career in this field you will need a few skills. 1. You will need to be patient. Patience is about 90% of our job. Sounds easy doesn’t it? Well, it isn’t. Being patient for a period of time may be easy for everyone. But try doing it for a living… It takes a certain personality to be able to be patient on a consistent basis. 2. You need to be a good listener. I can’t tell you how often I have to read in between the lines to fully understand the positions my clients are in. 3. You need to be non-judgmental.  Our clients are looking for support. The instant they feel judged, a wall will go up and your services can become worthless. 4. You need to be flexible. Our way is not always the best way. I am constantly developing systems for clients that would NEVER make sense to me in my own world. But for them, it works. I have learned that it’s not about me.... ever. 5. You have to be knowledgeable about mental health. learning disabilities, behavioral problems etc. It’s no surprise thousands in the industry were once social workers or therapists. Fortunately for me I just had a crazy family that taught me a lot about addiction, mental illness, and learning disabilities. Half of my training was from the school of hard knocks! 6. You have to be able to set clear boundaries and follow them constantly. Our own health, ethics and morals need to be clear, firm and a first priority at all times. We need to be able to say NO, be assertive and listen to our gut.

Well that is the short of it. I commend anyone going into this industry. It’s a beautiful way to live!

Ok so here is a concept… instead of a “To Do” list, make a “To Done” list. Write down all the things you accomplished today rather than write down the things you need to accomplish. This will give you a positive spin on your daily tasks and you may feel good about it. For example, today I had no client appointments and I was feeling pretty unproductive before I wrote down all the things I did. Here is my “To Done” list for today:

Completed presentation for Wednesday
Cleaned and organized office to prepare for photo shoot
Had interview with Style Weekly
Proofed interview with Style Weekly
Ate lunch with my husband
Dealt with printer problems but got printer fixed!
Went to Staples to purchase ink, ughhhh
Went to shoe repair shop to get shoes fixed
Went to Smoothie King and bought a smoothie
Let the dog out and fed him, twice
Showered and dressed (this morning)
Contacted RVABlogs to be added to the website
Talked to sister and got good news!
Confirmed weekend plans
Set up a time to meet a potential contractor

I did so much already and it’s only 5pm! I feel good about what I have done today. I do have a ton of other things to accomplish but for now I will focus on all that I have done and be happy with that. Give it a try.

More than usual this week I am reminded of the distractions we have in life. In the several sessions I have had with clients this week it seems their loved ones are keeping them from moving forward. Sometimes family and friends simply suck us dry of any energy. They may have an addiction that becomes toxic to the entire family or are disabled or sick. Because their loved ones are in such a bad place, their worlds end up completely turned upside down. As a result, organizing and maintaining their homes is put on the back burner.

For many of us the complications in the lives of our loved ones can effect us many different ways. For my clients, they tend to forget about themselves and their needs. They are completely drained and depleted of any energy. So the house begins to fall apart. I can relate with this first hand. I have a father who depletes me completely of any energy. His drama drives my anxiety level to go up, my mind focuses on things other than what’s important and I begin to lose myself.

I think this is why I am in this business. I see it as my job to remind others that taking care of YOU is the HIGHEST PRIORITY. The problems that your loved ones have are not YOUR problems. It’s difficult and it breaks your heart sometimes to put your needs before others. But the fact of the matter is, you are no good to others if you are depleted of energy and happiness. Your involvement in their drama becomes counterproductive. Your home is a mess, your unhappy, you have no time to enjoy life. So do yourself and your loved ones a favor, focus on YOU.....just for today.