It is funny where we find inspiration, what triggers our minds, what gets us going.  Sometimes we are inspired by a sound, or the way someone or something looks.  And sometimes we are overloaded with external (or even internal) stimuli, and we can’t get done the things we want or need to.  Today I am inspired to talk about some of the clutter, and some of what needs to done to clean up some of the distractions.

Whether it is all the out of place crap lying around our homes, or maybe it is the constant addition of “important” people and things in our lives, if we don’t get our arms around it, everything eventually becomes unmanageable.  For me, there is a constant battle to keep my professional life from massively interfering with my personal life. (A problem most of us face) Also, there is the battle between time for the things I love to do, and the people I love to be with. (The good news it that most things I love to do, involve the people I love to be with.) And yes, there is the whole physical clutter issue with stuff at the house. (The apartment seems to be getting smaller)

The clutter which is work: Well, this one is tough, and I am very fortunate to be in a position and company where I have a wee bit more freedom than most. (Currently I am working from a coffee shop 6 blocks from my house) Work has always been that necessary evil. We need to work, most of us like to work, and trying to balance work with the rest of life seems to be a more and more difficult task.  Again, I am very fortunate as I work with a bunch of great people, but I have a pretty shitty commute as the office is 36 miles south of where I live.  Driving to work during rush hour turns a 35 minute drive into a 1 to 2 hr nightmare.  If I end up getting home by 6:00pm or later, most of my evening is shot. (I work out for at least an hr a day, add showering, putting the house back in order and decompressing, well that is a 2 hr block of time and then I there is dinner, and hanging with Smurf, Holy shit it is 10PM) So, the sooner I am home the better my life is.  I could have moved closer to the office. (Not gonna happen)  I could sit angry in the car every day. (Hell NO! I have Sirius in the car, and hands free Bluetooth, makes conference calls much easier when driving, and I don’t have to irradiate my brain with one of those Motorola Cancer boxes. Not to mention I love the Stern Show, RAW DOG, and the all music channels) Instead of losing my mind, I invested in things that will make my drive tolerable if I get stuck doing it, I also make every effort to not drive during rush hour.  Some clutter can be managed.

The clutter which multiplies: I hope this is not misinterpreted.  Some of the most difficult clutter to deal with happens to be people.  I am a gregarious fellow. (HA, I am a fucking social butterfly) And because of this, I have a pretty easy time meeting new people and making new acquaintances, some of which become friends.  I never was one to think that having too many good people in my life was a bad thing, and I strive to spend my time and energy with those most important to me.  The real question is; when am I spreading myself so thin, that I am not spending quality time with the people I care about the most?

Several years ago, one of my best friends in the world went through a process of reprioritizing the people in his life.  I thought this was nuts, as “you can never have too many friends.” (So I thought) We spent a long time talking about this subject, and the oversimplified version is that he was being overwhelmed, and didn’t have enough time in the week, much less the day, to do the things he loved, and not feel like he was neglecting people. (He was opening a martial arts academy, working, dating, taking care of his family, restoring classic Z cars, had just bought a house…) When you are a great person, people gravitate to you. (I don’t mean great as self important, I mean great as, well great) Dealing with all the time requests that people have of you can become very distracting, and you start living for other people instead of yourself.  It is at this point that the people become clutter, and need to be cleaned up.

Some of his “friends” were very put off by his decision to not be as available.  The “real friends” he had either outgrown or could not give the time they all wanted, well, they understood.  And the odd thing is that the people who were always there, the friends he considered family, well things there were very similar to before.  In the end, he was happier, his students were happier, even his friends were happier.

The biggest problem was that this type of clutter is stealthy.  It piles up in front of you, and you don’t even see it happening.  Before you know it, you are running from place to place and person to person, with no real time to really enjoy what you are doing.  And that is not living, that is maintaining a schedule, a schedule other people hold you to. (I can name several people I know right now who are going though this same issue.)

The clutter you can box up: Quite possibly the easiest to deal with of all the clutter in our lives.  As George Carlin once said, “Funny how everybody else’s stuff is shit, and your shit is stuff.”  And the longer we live the more stuff we seem to acquire.  We are all a bit “pack rat” like. (I picture those creatures from the movie Labyrinth, the ones who carried everything they loved on their backs) We like having more clothes than we need, we like to keep pictures and books, and we have countless mementos all over our homes.  And that is OK!  This stuff is the easiest to clean up, put in a box and store away until we need it again. (or go through to give to Goodwill or Out of the Closet, so someone else may enjoy them)

We have all been there, when we are sitting at home, we look around and that little “A” type voice screams in our heads: “This place is a mess!”  Most of us get motivated and clean up.  Some of us leave the house and avoid spending time at home, and other may just sob uncontrollably. (If you are of the avoiding or weeping group, time to get put some order in your life.) Just do it, straighten one room at a time, and before you know it you feel a LOT better.

Your house, like the rest of your life, is a much more pleasant place to be when you have some control over it.  You don’t need to put everything in a box, or have a designated space for it.  But some organization, some plan, makes living that much easier.  I don’t need to feel like I have my world in total control, but knowing that I am taking care of the parts I can influence does keep me sane, and happy.  I like being happy, it is what keeps my motivation up to do the things I love.

Just a thought I felt like sharing.

-Rob