Lenten Reflections on Organizing
So I’m taking a break from the topic of organizing meals to share some thoughts on the season of Lent, and how it might relate to organizing. A stretch you say? Maybe not. As I began reflecting on this topic, I did actually come up with some thoughts. If you’re observing Lent this year, I hope this post proves useful. If you’re not, thanks for indulging me, and I still hope you find something useful.
The season of Lent can be a wonderful time to get rid of clutter, both material and spiritual. What do I mean by spiritual clutter? Well, Lent has traditionally centered around three practices to draw us into closer relationship with a Greater Power–Giving, Fasting, and Prayer.
Giving
Traditionally, this has meant giving alms to the poor. It has also come to mean any opportunity to increase our generosity and do things to connect with our community. Giving puts us into a mind frame of gratitude and peace, as we know we have enough if we have enough to share. This can mean material sharing by giving some of our possessions to those in need. What a great way to clear out clutter (but not the junk. Throw that away.)! It can also mean sharing ourselves spiritually and emotionally. So what, you ask, does that have to do with organizing? Well, being organized is more than being neat. At its core, it’s about putting oneself in a position to live an intentional life. If we’re engulfed in clutter and chaos, it fills our lives and often takes away our choices. When removed, it frees us do those things we’ve always wanted, which are usually the same things that allow us to be of greater service to others. As theologian Frederick Buechner said, “The place God calls you to is where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”
Fasting
Regardless of religious tradition, fasting has usually served two purposes. First, when fasting from food, it is said to give our bodies rest from the work of digestion in order for healing and cleansing to occur. This doesn’t just have to be the case with food. We can fast from anything that might be standing in the way or holding us back from our higher purpose. It can mean cleansing from the past to make room for the present. Organizing can play a role in this process in a very practical way. Often, when people have been cluttered for years, they are holding onto old memories, dreams (fulfilled or lost), or looking for ways to avoid dealing with the present. It is my experience that all clutter is a form of procrastination, and as the saying goes, “Procrastination is decisions deferred.”
The other benefit of fasting is the opportunity to discern our wants from our needs. In the case of fasting from food, it has traditionally meant that we learn that all we really need is a relationship with God or connecting to a higher purpose, and that we pratice relying on unsuspected inner resources to meet our true needs. We don’t just have to fast from food, however. The “fasting” practice is also where the practice of giving something up for Lent comes from. People may ask themselves what they are overly (and erroneously) relying on for happiness, and take a break from them. Examples might include shopping, hoarding, over-collecting, or avoiding decisions when it comes to what to clear from our lives. Lent can be a great time to take a break from these clutter-inducing behaviors and live a simpler, yet more intentional life.
Prayer
At first, this seemed somewhat unrelated to organizing. How many of us pray about getting organized? Reflecting more on it, I began to see a few connections between the two practices of prayer and organizing. First, prayer doesn’t have to just mean prayer. Well, that’s a crazy sentence, you say. What I mean by that is that this practice in more modern times has come to mean starting any new healthy discipline; Taking something positive on, and not just “giving something up.” Becoming more organized simply will not happen without learning new habits. It can mean picking one new behavior, like sorting the mail every day, or following a spending plan, and committing to it. There’s a lot more to be said on how to do that, and others have said it better than I could. I would just say that if we’ve done the other things listed above, taking in something new becomes a lot easer. End of sermon.
The second connection between organizing and prayer is that connecting with a Greater Power can give us the resources we need to maintain order in our lives. In my experience, it almost seems to happen automatically. It can also give us the opportunity to turn over the spiritual clutter that is at the root of material and mental clutter.
I hope in these three practices you see a pattern–that organizing is a discipline that frees us from what is holding us back. The physical and the mundane are important. They may not be the purpose in our lives (hopefully not), but when not mastered, they come to master us. I’ll pray during this Lenten season that you find a practice that works for you in bringing simplicity and freedom. Even if it’s just a new chore schedule. Amen.
Next up: What’s for Dinner, part II (I promise): Stocking your pantry.
What’s for Dinner? (Part 1)
How many times have you stared at the inside of your refrigerator wondering this very thing? Or had screaming kids ask you? Well, I hope your kids don’t scream at you, but that’s for another time. So, there is good news. There’s a reason you get a blank stare across your face when it comes to this question–you didn’t have a system in place. As this blog goes on, you’ll see I say that for a lot of things. That’s because it’s true. Systems save you time, energy, and money. So, let’s look at systems for organizing the dinner situation. I’m going to spread this out over three posts:
Part 1: Organizing recipes (This post)
Part 2: Organizing your pantry
Part 3: Shopping and meal planning
So, chances are you eat the same few things over and over again, even though you might have a dozen or more cookbooks filled with new recipes you’ve been meaning to try. Or maybe you’ve wanted to try some healthier options, but it just never happens. Let’s make it happen!
Step One: Collect Recipes
Think about what and how you’d like to eat on a week-by-week basis. Surely something you make you already like. Type it up. If there are recipes in your favorite cookbooks or web sites, bookmark them. Narrow them down to the following list:
- 5 Main entrees – quick weekday meals
- 3 Main entrees – slower weekend meals
- 1 Main entree – the best thing you know how to make. Think impressing guests at a dinner party.
- 5 Cooked vegetable dishes
- 5 Raw vegetable salads
- 5 Starches
- 5 Desserts
- 5 Breakfasts or brunches
- 5 Easy lunch recipes (optional, if you need separate lunch recipes.)
- 3 Cocktails (if you drink)
Try to get some variety in there, but also try to pick recipes that mix-and-match well. This will be your working recipe collection. Start from here for your meal planning,which we will go over later. If there is a new recipe you want to try later, feel free to add it. I would just suggest that you make these meals habit first, and then make any new additions slowly.
Step Two: Organize your recipes
You are going to make your own personal recipe book, but there are two ways to do it: The low-tech way and the high-tech way.
Low Tech: You’ll need a binder, dividers, and sheet protectors. Spring for a nice presentation binder, or one with a clear pocket in front to add your own cover. Get creative!
- Print out the recipes you typed up, as well as any you bookmarked online. Make a copy of any recipes from cookbooks, or type and print them yourself.
- Make dividers for each type of recipe (desserts, salads, etc)
- Put each recipe in its own sheet protector and file in the appropriate section.
- Voila! That wasn’t hard, was it?
High Tech: There are only about a million ways you can organize recipes using your computer or mobile device. This is my favorite:
- Use Evernote. Evernote can be used for just about anything, and we are going to make a notebook in Evernote for your recipes. There is a web-based client, a desktop version, as well as apps for your smartphone or iPad.
- In Evernote, create a new notebook, and call it “Recipes.” As you go, create a new note for each recipe.
- If you have hand-typed recipes, type (or copy/paste) them into a new note in your “Recipes” notebook.
- If the recipe is online, “clip” it into a new Evernote note.
- If it is in a cookbook, take a picture of it, and insert the picture into a new Evernote note. If you have a smart phone, this will be super-easy with the phone app.
- For each recipe, add tags such as “vegetables” or “weeknight meal.”
- You are done! If you downloaded the smartphone app, it will sync with both the online version of Evernote, and the one on your desktop. This means your recipe notebook will be waiting for you wherever you go!
Next up: Part II: Organizing your Pantry
You’ve Got Mail… Everywhere!
Paper mail.
Wasn’t it supposed to go away in the digital age? Well, it hasn’t, and no one knows that better than you and your dining room table. The key to controlling mail is the same for controlling any kind of paper. You have to have a system. For reasons I still don’t quite understand, paper tends to entropy, becoming more chaotic when left to its own devices. So don’t leave it. Here’s a simple solution.
What you’ll need:
- Letter opener
- Either a shredder or a box for shredding
- Recycle bin
- Four file folders
- Label maker or sharpie
- Vertical file sorter or magazine pocket.
- Stickie notes
- Your calendar
Deal with the mail you already have.
So, grab your supplies and all that mail and have a seat.
- First, toss the obvious junk mail. It shouldn’t have even made it into your house. More on that later.
- Open everything else. Immediately toss the envelopes they came in, as well as any marketing materials.
- If you’ve got a real backlog, you’ll probably come across things that are outdated or obsolete. Recycle or shred these items.
- For catalogs, only keep the most current one, and only if you realistically plan to use it any time soon. Don’t worry, they will send another.
- Using your label maker or sharpie (c’mon buy a label maker!) label your folders with these four categories:
Bills to Pay: This is only if you need it to pay a bill. If you pay it online, but want to hold onto it, it goes in the “To File” folder. If you do pay online, request electronic statements instead of paper ones.
To Read: This could be catalogs, newsletters, or a prospectus. Just be realistic and ask yourself if you’ll really read it. If not, toss.
Action Items: The first two were task-related, and this is for any other tasks to be taken, big or small.
To File: You might find a lot of things in your “To Read” folder really belong here. If you’re going to read that quarterly prospectus, you’re a better person than me. Otherwise, file it knowing it will be there if you really do need it. - Divide your opened mail into these categories, and place in your folders. If there are items you find don’t fit into any category, consider the recycle or shred bin. Put them in the sorter of your choice, but leave out Action Items.
- Touch each item you categorized as Action Items. Put a stickie note on it, and write in a few words what you need to do with it. I like David Allen’s idea. If it will take less than two minutes, do it now. Otherwise, schedule time on your calendar to complete your action items. Of course, if you’re dealing with a serious backlog, you may need to schedule your two-minute items on your calendar as well.
- Along with your action items, make recurring appointments with yourself to address the other three folders: Pay your bills. Hopefully you have a bill-paying system set up, but that is for another post. Catch up on your reading. And finally… File.
Set up a mail station
Find a location in your house for handling the mail. It can be a shelf or even just a place on the kitchen counter. Best would be if it were close to your recycle bin/shred box. Set up your mail sorter (with folders) there. Next to it, put a small basket or box with a pen, post-its, and a letter opener. (See Jane Work has a cool wall pocket that keeps everything together fabulously.)
Deal with new mail
Now that you’ve shown that paper who’s boss, keep it up! Every time you check the mail, do the following:
- This is really step zero. If at all possible, keep junk mail from even crossing your threshhold. Literally. Take it to wherever you keep paper recycling and take it there right away. This is any mail that doesn’t have your personal information on it, of course.
- Once inside, go to your mail station. Open everything just like before, throwing away envelopes and inserts you don’t need.
- Sort your mail just like before: Bills to Pay, To Read, To File, and Action Items. Don’t forget to write a stickie for each action item on what to do with the thing.
- Follow the 2-minute rule. Schedule everything else as appropriate. Done!
Who knew your dining room table could look so beautiful?
Hello world!
Welcome to my first blog post! Have a look around, but pardon the dust. I am always interested in your feedback and suggestions of what you would like to see here. What organizational dilemmas do you face in your life? Let me know!
To start things off, I thought I should answer an obvious first question—“Why get and stay organized?” Well, here in no particular order, are my answers.
You will have more time.
This one probably goes without saying. Having clutter means more time wasted going through all that stuff in search of that one thing you are actually looking for. If everything truly has a home, you will be able to find it quickly, and save time. As professional organizer Donna McMillian says, “If you can’t find something in thirty seconds, it’s in the wrong place.”
You will save money.
Okay, getting organized won’t make you richer, but it will keep you from wasting money. When you have a solid system for bill paying, you’ll avoid late charges. When your finances are organized, you will spend exactly what and when you mean to. When you take the time (now that you have it, see above) to plan meals and make shopping lists, you will only spend what you need to. Finally, how many times have you bought a second or even third item because you didn’t know you already had one? A well-organized pantry, garage, etc will make it easy to always know what you own and where its home is.
You can challenge the 80/20 rule.
The 80/20 rule states that, on average, people only use 20% of their stuff 80% of the time. This means you can get rid of up to 80% of your accumulated clothing, kitchen gadgets, books, and craft supplies and survive. I promise.
You won’t dread unexpected company.
Imagine the feeling of a loved one spontaneously dropping by, and you don’t have an adrenaline attack as you hide all of your clutter? I know, you’ve gotten pretty good at it. All the same, there’s a better way. Already having things in their respective homes means you can actually look forward to having company over. You also won’t feel like a big fake to those you’re closest to. Bonus.
Your mind will do what it was intended to do.
In his popular book, Getting Things Done, productivity expert David Allen writes that our brains weren’t designed to hold the volume of random information we try to store in them. We are tragically preoccupied with trying to remember all of the things we need to do, find, and follow up on. Having a system to keep track of the details of life for you will give your mind the freedom for what it does best—critical thinking, goal setting, creativity, and innovation.
You can live more intentionally.
If you don’t have a system for managing the details of life, you will likely find your time taken up with the urgent and with those things that pop up right in front of you. If you do have a way to manage these details, you can make your own choices about how to spend your time, and that means you can start working toward your goals and really make things happen in your life.
