Читать книгу Clear your Clutter - Manifest your dreams - Birgit Medele - Страница 14

Anyone who grew up with tidying as a punishment might end up equating mess with freedom. Contrary to art studio clichés however, creativity does not thrive in permanent chaos. After the brilliant idea has been born it has to rely on its down-to-earth cousins, discipline and organisation to stay alive, to manifest successfully and to turn into visible genius.

Our parents might have passed away a long time ago, but we are still sitting in our bedroom (that has turned into a flat by now), triumphantly defiant “I am not tidying up!” We can scatter stuff wherever we like; this is our place after all. We employ mess to get our own back and have gone to the barricades as some sort of time warped opposition against carers who used to invade our room to ‘tidy up’. As in, dared to mess around with our things and therefore with us, violating both our sanctuary and our privacy.

A bit of a mess can also come in handy to demonstrate to those who live with us that they never help out. Without our saintly efforts, chaos would take over in no time. Perhaps we feel left alone with the responsibilities we are burdened with, that nobody seems to take off our shoulders or at least helps us carry. While living together we feel all alone.

Alternatively, disorganisation can be a means to keep people away. Perhaps we shared a home with flatmates or a partner before, but somehow stuff got in the way. Single’s homes often have literally no space left for a potential companion and their belongings. Couples who remary later in life often end up staying in their respective homes as they cannot bring themselves to let go of their surroundings in order to move on and move in together.

Clutter as an outward SOS of pain inside can result from having to hang our hat on a lone perch. One client who lived by herself said, “When my sister shouts at me because of the mess, I feel as if at least someone cares.”

In the short term we might delight in this ‘rebellion’, but sooner or later it becomes tainted by the fact that we no longer enjoy residing among piles. We dream of entertaining once we have sorted the place out. We might even go to the lengths of avoiding our home, putting in extra long hours at the office, filling the diary to the brim, stopping by for bed and breakfast and off again.

At work we create sophisticated paper sculptures on the desk to demonstrate to ourselves, our colleagues and the world at large just how busy we are. Paper pile lighthouses send out blinking signals: we would not mind the odd word of acknowledgement for our efforts, praise even, every now and again. Unfortunately the message gets lost in translation and others misinterpret our dishevelled desk space as lack of efficiency or expertise.

Organising is not about waving goodbye to spontaneity and funky fun and sticking colour coordinated labels on everything that cannot run away fast enough. It is about keeping the chaos that so relentlessly tries to invade our life at bay. Staying on top of our agenda means that we can afford time to recharge and award ourselves much needed breaks from chores that raise their ugly heads as soon as we try to sit down for a cuppa. Life does not have to consist of the same old, same old day after day. A mini-clearout is like an upgrade from mere functioning; we get to fly through the day feeling truly alive, marvelling at those wonders we call clouds and creepy crawlies. If we stay in control of our diary, we create space for the unexpected and discover opportunities for growth in between the chores, even in the chores.

Everybody deserves an inspiring living and working environment. Being organised does not give us a life sentence as the nerdy fusspot or tedious bore, stuck in repetitive habits, forever straightening checkered table cloths and brushing off invisible crumbs. Organising works without doilies and net curtains, without ceilings caving in on daily vacuumed shag pile rugs.

Getting rid of a mess is uplifting because, excuse the pun, being in messes depresses. Getting our act together and tying up loose ends brings clarity to our homes and our lives. Once we stop running away and face our clutter we can create a home that fills us with strength and joy, where every coming home is a home coming. Where we can bake soul pancakes, rest, relax and get the odd holiday vibe just from boarding the sofa. Where we can take off or come down as we wish, redirecting the energy of our rebelliousness to causes far more worthy than clutter.

Welcome to outer space!