Self-Care: Organizing as an Act of Self-Love

I haven’t blogged for nearly two weeks. “Why?” you ask?

Because I had to take some time to prepare my bleeping taxes.  Ugh!

Every year it’s the same thing:  I drag my feet, dreading to dive into the ocean of unorganized receipts.  I fret.  I whine.  “I don’t wanna do it.”  My stomach gets tight.  I can’t sleep.  I can’t smile.  I’m haunted by images of “Uncle Sam” hanging over my head waiting to pounce.

Then, when I can’t afford to put it off any more, I reluctantly get started.  Stuffing the receipts into manilla folders marked, “Advertising,” “Office Supplies,” etc.  …It always takes less time than I imagined it would.

Then I dig out my old calculator, with the receipt tape.  And before I know it, I’m actually having fun.  Getting drunk on the click-click-churn of the gears on that thing.  Ripping the receipt tape.  Stapling totals to the front of each folder. Making everything nice and pretty to hand over to the accountant.

I noticed, this year, that I really liked that sense of order.  Those neat stacks of receipts.  Those tidy little folders.

The more organized everything became, the happier and lighter I felt.  My bedroom-slash-office began to feel like an inviting retreat space, rather than a torture chamber.

I’m at a place in my life where I can acknowledge that managing my physical and emotional space is a great way to take care of myself.

Two of my favorite people in the world have shown their love by cleaning up for me.  My now husband (then, boyfriend), and my lifelong best friend, Sue.  In both cases, it was my car they cleaned.  For no reason.  Just because it was a mess and they loved me and wanted to do something nice for me.

I felt so tenderly loved.

This year, I’m committed to showing that kind of love to myself.

I’ve revamped my filing system to make it more fun and accessible.  I’m looking forward to tallying up my little receipts quarterly instead of waiting until the end of the year (or next April).

Stress-and-Release is a familiar pattern for many of us.  We may even prefer to work that way - I always have.  I’m a great problem-solver, so sometimes I procrastinate so I’ll have a bigger problem to solve.  It gets my creative juices pumping.  It’s such a rush!

But as my life and my business continue to grow, that level of stress is no longer fun.  It’s counter-productive.

Are you facing a similar dilemma?  Are your familiar old habits not suited to the new life you’re working to create?

Are you realizing, in the words of Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter, that “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There?”

Seeing “organizing” as a way to love and care for myself, instead of as a burdensome obligation, will make this new growth effort fun for me.

What old practices are holding you back?  What new practices would support you in creating the life you really want?

What would make it fun for you to replace old, unproductive habits, with new, supportive ones?

Click below and share with the class.

~ Venus

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