You are sitting on the couch, thinking about having to make dinner. There are kids’ toys all around you, a pair of discarded socks on the couch, and old snack wrappers on the table. You tidy up a few of the items and throw out the wrappers. Only then to come face to face with a kitchen full of dirty dishes and used lunch containers. Now simply making dinner becomes a monumental task.

This cycle becomes tough to deal with every day. You are feeling overwhelmed by simple tasks. Your brain doesn’t want to deal anymore, and you become stuck. 

Dealing with feelings like:

• I just feel like I’m drowning!
• It’s too much, I don’t know where to start.
• Why is there always stuff everywhere?
• There are too many appointments, activities to get to, and dinners to cook.
• When I get one part of my life organized, another falls apart. What’s the point in trying?
• Everyone else seems to be able to do this, I feel so much guilt for not having it together.

​There are a few simple tools you can use when you feel really stuck:

• Tell yourself to do one small thing and focus only on that

When your brain is really stuck and you feel like you can’t move, sometimes telling yourself to do one small thing can get the snowball rolling.

Example: Just tell yourself all I need to do is get up and get dressed, nothing else. Really make your brain believe it just has this one thing to do. And if you can do that, it often leads to the next task. Once you are up and accomplishing something it’s easier to keep going.

• Break down a task into many smaller tasks you can check off a list

Putting a huge task on a list will make it feel impossible to feel like your list is getting smaller.

Example: Don’t just add clean the kitchen to the list, write out all the steps that are involved with cleaning the kitchen. Add empty dishwasher, put in dirty dishes, wipe down counter, sort papers etc.

• It doesn’t have to be perfect!

This one was huge for me. Sometimes I wouldn’t even start something because it was less then what I pictured it to look like.

Example: For me, getting this blog and my program started. It’s still not exactly the way I want it to be, but I’m doing it and that’s all that matters.

• Don’t be too hard on yourself

This is hard stuff! While motivating yourself, don’t forget to be gentle and encouraging.

​Example: No one wants to be scolded, including yourself. This is much easier said then done, but with practice it gets easier.

I'm a much happier, and productive, worker when I'm surrounded by a well designed space and items I love. Being visually stimulated in a calm environment can make it easier to focus and get the work done. It's a balance between having a uncluttered space, but enough visually appealing items to help the creativity flow. I'm all about creating layers of atmosphere around me. If my space doesn't feel right, it's hard for me to get my best work accomplished. 

I love September! It feels like a new beginning for me, even more so than January. The air becomes crisp, the flavours become spicy, and everyone feels the push to get back to a routine.