Canisters, yes we can!

"Time is a container" says Julia Morgenstern, the author and host of Time Management from the Inside Out. How you use it, is another thing.

Day 1 on this low impact/no spending purge has so far been tricky. I feel that small temptation to call it off, not take it seriously, to cheat, already! Day 1! Maybe it's the concrete walls at work chilling me to the bone, making me crave a fresh hot one (especially when I'm right next door to real, good, coffee). Maybe it is the failure in my thermos that cooled, too quickly, the lack of a microwave and my justification to turn it around, to win by getting what I want. For two dollars. But it is beyond that, it is the principal, the fixin' I am trying to avoid.
And I can do it (Fraggle Rock taught me that: "yes I can, yes I can, yes I really, really can...")

The container of my life is full, I have everything I need at this moment. In fact, more. I am healthy, I am fed, I have work and tools and a family and relationships. I have more cats than I should. If I look at my time critically I can see how my efficiency has created these gaps where I reward myself by slacking off. However, I also acknowledge how "slacking off" means putting myself last, diverting my needs for another, not being creative but resting on the notion that I work hard, and have nothing left at the end of the day.

Yet, Julia Morgenstern has a plan, and she's right. There's a way to get back on track:
The 4 D's (if you have more than you can manage) and want to get organized

1. Delete the stuff you know is not really that important
2. Delay re-schedule things that are not essential to today
3. Diminish make it get done, easier
4. Delegate tasks to other people, relinquish control!


She also uses the analogy that a closet is much like a life, which has really helped me understand how I can improve certain area's that are overcrowded and/or underused. Making room for the items you love and want to keep, ridding yourself of the stuff you have out of obligation, and organizing the things you keep as a project. By compartmentalizing your life/closet you will feel more motivated in general.
Sort- group similar items together to see what you're working with
Purge- let go of the unnecessary stuff
Assign a home- make a place for it that fits
Containerize- batch the keepers together
Equalize- put it back where it belongs, in balance

The end result of that SPACE is manageable, almost easy. Wouldn't that feel awesome if that feeling encompassed all aspects in your life, not just a closet?

She also has a genius system of learning how to identify what is actually important and worth keeping, by developing a Big Picture View and Time Map... but I won't get into that. You have to just watch her PBS special and take notes yourself!

So, tonight instead of going out or Christmas shopping I am going to stay in and organize my wardrobe! My reward for that is having a bag full of discards for friends to go through, items to donate to charity, and most importantly, a new stress-free area to welcome me each day. Without spending a dime I will double the size of what I have to work with, and get a start on creating a life that nurtures me. One slipdress at a time, building with a song... the Doozer way.
(On a side note, shipping container homes are awesome! )

Image from WebUrbanist