Keeping the Focus

Well, it's only been a week and I have to say that I am already struggling with my new journey to "do less and be more". With a family vacation 2 weeks away and several deadlines to meet before we leave I've found myself very focused on my "to do" list.

I suppose it seems contrary for an organizer to be encouraging you to take the focus off of your list of things to do. However my goal is not to ignore my "to do" list but to tweak it so that more things, or should I say people, make the list that really matter.

I did do a few things right this week and the reward was great. While having coffee with a close Friend I turned off my phone so that I could completely focus on our time together. No beeps interfered with our conversation. We had a great talk and I left feeling good about our time together.

I also stopped myself several times when my mind wandered as someone told me something. I brought myself back to the moment and remembered that the most important thing for me to do at that time was to focus on this person and what they were saying. I ended up feeling relaxed after those conversations instead of my usual stressed and rushed feelings that I have while thinking "I hope they hurry up and finish because I have X, Y and Z to do!

For many, perfectionism is a stumbling block. I believe that letting go of this perfectionism is key to balancing what we do and how we spend our time. Wanting everything to look perfect and be perfect all the time is mentally and physically exhausting. The next time you find yourself "overdoing" it for the sake of perfection stop and think how your time might be better spent with your family or a close friend. Chances are that the energy you get from an exchange with someone you love will benefit you much more than the satisfaction you feel from making some"thing" perfect.

It's clear to me that I will need some guidance to make this work in my own life and so I am going to start by reading Enough Already!: Clearing Mental Clutter to Become the Best You by Peter Walsh. Walsh is a best selling author and Organizing Guru. You may have seen him on Oprah or Clean Sweep. His books usually make a lot of sense to me and this one looks like it is right in line with my new goal.

Join along and read it with me if you like. I will be blogging about the book and what I am using from it to help me along this process.

Keep an eye out for my next blog where I will talk about getting ready for my trip. I will be sharing some of my packing and planning tips with you. In the mean time, I hope you will join me as I continue to try to "do less and be more".

Valerie