Do you have a spot in your home where you store items that you intend to organize “later”?
- Perhaps it’s your kitchen counter.
- Perhaps it’s an office space.
- Or the dreaded garage…
How do you handle the buildup?
Two extremes:
Procrastinating Pile Builders
“Oh everyone has a catch all pile. I will get to it eventually… when the time is right.”
As time goes on, you tend to avoid that part of your home as the collection of “catch-all” items expands. Your children, partner, or roommate may occasionally crack a joke or say something rude. You know they have their own problems, though! Everything would be fine if you just had more time. “I’m just so busy, there is no time to sort things now, I have to wait till it is convenient.”
Overstructured Uptight Analyzers
Or perhaps you are among those who make jokes or snarky remarks about or to the “Procrastinating Pile Builders.” You follow the adage
” a place for everything and everything in its place.”
You have a complex storage system that you continually modify. Yes, you have a hard time getting rid of anything but you know where everything is. The efforts of your children and your friends to go on planned or impromptu outings have long since been abandoned. Regardless of the fact that labeling everything takes an inordinate amount of time, you do not believe you can function without analyzing and organizing everything.
Do these tendencies go beyond physical items?
The majority of us combine elements of both strategies. But does our sorting method extend beyond the documents and possessions in our homes?
What about the rooms inside our minds?
What about our feelings, and physical or social health?
Do we put things off until a more convenient time, or do we hyperfocus and analyze frequently?
Story
I look forward to regular weekly phone calls with a few friends. These discussions give us pause to consider why we do what we do. My friend mentioned a recurring issue at work last week. That rings true for me. Some situations alternate between being on the front and back burners. I was interested to see how she was approaching the recently raised problem.
Then an idea popped into my mind. “What do you think it would be like if we could delegate a specific period of the day, leaving the rest of the time free to think about other things?”
Yes, she replied. I could set a timer for five to fifteen minutes, jot down some ideas, and then leave it until the same time the following day.
Then we chuckled because we recognized the familiar input from God in our conversation. I thought of an issue I could dedicate a specific time to as well. Together we said, “let’s wait on the Lord to see what else He wants to show us.”
What do You have for us Lord?
At some point, we need to realize that only You can help us find the sweet spot between the two extremes.
Isaiah 30:15 This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it. NLT
Because You are Lord, I will set aside time each day to come to You, relax, and listen to You with assurance.
Your Turn
- Lord, do You have something better for me to organize my cognitive, emotional, physical, and social well-being?
- Is there a reasonable strategy I can follow on a daily basis to stop putting things off or attempting to solve the problem on my own?
Dancing, sorting, waiting with joy,
Shell
Shell
Excellent suggestions! I’m fortunate that I have an administrative gift…but it sometimes gets in the way of what’s really important. Love that song by Point of Grace: How to Live. My favorite line: “use your good dishes”.
Yes, I agree that being administrative has its drawbacks. Additionally, I was considering my operating philosophy of “do all responsibilities first, then relax.” because “responsibilities” never seem to be finished. Perhaps a wiser way is to plan breaks and find a more reasonable rhythm. For me, it’s crucial to schedule regular periods throughout the day to spend alone time with God. The same way that scheduling regular times with friends for reflection and pleasure helps me find balance. Mary, I appreciate you taking the time to leave a remark. I look forward to reading more of your daily prayers and insights on your Facebook page and blog. On Facebook, you can find Mary Best Puplava.
Goshhhhh it sounds good but how to insert those breaks when every day is so very different
I so struggle with tools or how top’s and then feeling like a failure because I don’t stick with them
The ADD mind makes it soooo challenging
What a fantastic question. Thank you for taking the time to ask as others may have the same question!! Let me also say I have compassion for what it must be like for you. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for the ADD mind. Lord, I believe You have something spectacular planned for this child of Yours. Nothing is impossible for You.
Here are a few suggestions in case any of them appeal to you:
1) Keep it simple. The new break I’m learning is 5-10 minutes long and can be taken at any time between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. It’s not difficult to find 5 minutes here and there. And if I forget until the end of the day or the following day, I simply stop and do it then. It will eventually become a habit with God’s help.
2) I linked this 5-minute break to another habit I already practice: getting some fresh air after lunch. The more straightforward I keep it, the easier it is to form a habit.
3) I teamed up with a friend. We share and have fun with each other. I’m currently working on developing the habit of setting aside 5-10 minutes each day to talk to God about my physical health. My friend is doing something similar to talk to God about another issue. The first week was absolutely hilarious. We laughed a lot as I went through the week forgetting every afternoon! She remembered to put hers in the morning every day! We send each other video messages almost every day to share how things are going and to laugh about it.
4) Utilizing visual aids can be beneficial for some people. To make a checkmark once a day, they place post-it notes on their mirrors or create a poster to hang on their wall or fridge. You only need the poster while you are forming the habit.
Last but not least, I think that the ADD mind can experience both beauty and difficulties. According to the online magazine attitude, “It manages attention and emotions in different ways than a neurotypical brain would. Additionally, it is compassionate, daring, and creatively excellent. Recognize the neuroscience involved in it better. https://www.additudemag.com/category/adhd-add/adhd-brain/ Today, we have a wealth of knowledge that can help this special ADD mind, which can even be a blessing.