Most of the time, as I contemplate potential topics for this
blog, I land on a subject that has been a focus for multiple clients. This time, however, there is a prevailing
topic of conversation among my clients, friends and family that leaves me no
choice but to write about the power of being organized and having systems. Apparently, the seasonal move back indoors
following months of summer activity has caused some to suddenly notice how
their inside spaces are working against
them. Although I’m currently coaching a
number of new parents, it’s experienced parents who have recently express to me
their desire for a less cluttered life.
Many people have reported feeling so completely out of
control that they are willing to spend a large sum of money to hire someone to
just fix it for them. (Unfortunately,
even if you could hire someone to fix it for you, you wouldn’t be able to
maintain the fix unless you personally construct and buy-in to the solution). It may be the stacks of unopened mail, the
laundry that seems to have babies at night, the project that has taken up
residence on the dining room table or simply the time wasted repeatedly hunting
for the car keys. It’s important, of
course, to have the ability to tolerate the degree of mess that’s a normal
by-product of living. However, if you
don’t have systems in place that support continual checks and balances around
life’s messes, they will set up house in your head, create stress and rob you
of energy. In order to break the
mess-stress cycle, we have to be able to identify how we got there in the first
place. We do that by examining our
habits and behaviors. Habits are what we
do every day without thinking. They are
learned and repeated and then they become automatic, like throwing your coat
and purse into the kitchen chair when you come in the door. A system is having a landing place for the
purse and the coat that is easy to access and will not require moving when
everyone comes to the kitchen table for dinner.
The process of making a change in your life, as in all life coaching,
begins with questions.
·
What is it that you want?
·
Why do you want it?
·
What will happen if you don’t make the change?
·
What are you willing to give up for the change?
·
Have you seen an example of the system you are
wanting?
·
Have you had success using this system in the
past?
The
next step is to use your answers to create systems that will work for you.
Should
you be interested in receiving coaching in order to conquer your mess-stress
cycle, I propose that we work in partnership to identify your goals and to
establish strategies and accountabilities that will enable you to achieve them. Give me a call.
Cheers!
