First let me welcome any new readers who read my devotion this morning though Proverbs 31.
It always amazes me to read the stories in the Old Testament about the creation of the Temple. The Bible includes such glorious details about its construction and beauty. One thing that isn't mentioned is the daily upkeep of such a holy place. But I'm pretty confident the priests kept their scrolls filled with the Holy Scripture in beautiful order!
Those passages in Scripture affirm my desire to have a beautiful and ordered home. I don't have a designer home, so my goal is to make the best of what God has given me. As I face a daily battle of bringing order to the happy chaos of a family of seven, I find I have a reaccuring problem: piles of stuff!
All kinds of stuff. And the stuff changes all the time. On my kitchen counter it's school stuff, church stuff, coupons, bills, mail, letters, photos people have given me, and so on. Then there's the pile of stuff on my desk that accumulates.
One day I decided the piles were going away. So here's my tip when your pile (or my new one) is so high you've forgotten what's on the bottom:
1) Clear your kitchen counter or dining room table. Even a stretch of floor will work.
2) Go through your stack item by item, and lay each item side by side on the counter, table or floor.
3) Address each item individually, and force yourself to make a decision about where it belongs.
4) If you need to make a purchase to create a final storage place for the item in question, (e.g. photo storage box, more file folders) then start a shopping list. (Read my post about "Organizing Short Term Information" for some ideas)
I find that a huge pile overwhelms me, but I can deal with one item at a time. Happy pile busting!
In His Love,
Glynnis
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
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7 comments:
You must have been reading my mind....I was just thinking yesterday that I need to go through the stack of paperwork piling up beside the phone....thank you!
Connie
I have piles everywhere. I too think its easier to turn on the television then to tackle these never ending piles. My dilemma is that I don't know where to put them hence they lay around. I don't have a home office unless you count the kitchen so I don't know the best way to organize the ongoing piles. I suppose anyway is better then leaving it on the kitchen table or coffee table;O) I am going to get started right away...though the next thing to tackle will be stopping the bad habit of starting the piles in the first place;O)
Glynnis,
I loved your devotion and all your great ideas. I have a couple of stacks to tackle!!
Charlene
Thank you for bringing up this topic. Piles are an ongoing battle for me. Adding to the problem is that we are living in a home that is under renovation/addition. Also, for the last six months we have been caring for two sick family members out of town, so they have been the priority.
What I did about a month ago is to take everything and put the piles into boxes or grocery bags, and that at least got everything looking "neat" again. I make time about twice a week or so to go through one bag or box and manage the papers.
The most interesting thing I have found is that by the time I went through these things (granted some of them were over 8 months old) most of them were no longer needed, nor had I ever really needed them. Apparently, I am saving way too much!
Go through your mail everyday, put your bills to the side(or in one of the pretty folders you were showing),shred items that have your address on them.
Throw out everything that you think you will look at later, because you won't. Use your computer to store information, then throw paper trail away!!!
Your website is great and I'm glad to see that order and beauty have a place in God's heart. I have been struggling with my home-based business of Interior Design Consulting. I started it two years ago after deciding I needed to be home with my family. It has been slow going and I am currently praying for God's will to emerge for my life. I'm not sure if this is where He wants me to be. Although, I believe it's important to have a clean, organized and uncluttered home and I practice it and preach that to my teens, I have struggled with whether it was important enough to have as a career. I'm not that designer who walks into someone's home and tells them everything is wrong. I work with what they have and show them how to showcase "their" home with "their" belongings and help them achieve order and beauty. I have recently come up with a mission phrase that states "Improving the quality of life by eliminating excess, achieving order and accentuating beauty." I appreciate your ministry and look forward to more encouragement.
Thanks,
Kim
I've enjoyed your comments on organizing, especially the devotion on beauty and order in the workplace. At 60 I've recently married and have been challenged to eliminate excess and achieve order in our home. And as I appreciate that more in our home, I'm desiring to make changes in things at work. And rather than try to push it onto others, I've decided to start with myself and also do what I can to beautify the common areas. Maybe by example??? But if others notice the difference, maybe I can help them become more organized.
Anyway, I appreciate what you have shared and look forward to learning more...Thank you!
Gayle
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