Toss the Tolerations

I cleaned some silver today. Not usually a big deal, but I’d gotten this new plate device that came with pages of instructions and warnings, so I left it out “to do” for longer than I’ll admit here. :) It was always in the way – that little pan and cup and the jewelry and utensils to be made shiny again. I actually knocked it off my laundry shelf once and had to pick up the scattered pieces hoping nothing escaped under the washer.

Anyway, once I spent the 20 minutes needed to accomplish this little task I felt a huge relief! Way outsized for the project, but the stuff had been in front of me, mocking and accusing, always a reminder of something “to do”. Plus the visual clutter added to the discomfort – seems nearly all humans are distracted by this stuff lying around.

As I tell my classes: imagine yourself in your favorite comfy chair, feet up, soothing beverage (adult or otherwise) in hand with a goal to seriously relax. If there is a pile of clutter within eyesight, you cannot completely let go because in the back of your mind there is some version of this running conversation: "1)what’s in the pile, 2)what should I do with it, 3)what if there’s something time sensitive/important there, and most devastatingly 4)what’s wrong with me that I have this stuff and can’t take care of it anyway?”

Jack Canfield – world famous author of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series and fantastic lecturer (full disclosure: his presentation changed my life 5 years ago, and I am not overstating this!, as the Keynote speaker at my National Association of Professional Organizers annual conference) calls these little items “Irritations and Tolerations”. I could not agree more.

It may seem unimportant that these small projects are sitting around your space: the pants that need to go to the tailor, the photos that need framing/re-framing (boy, do I see this a lot in my work . Michaels could make a killing if they offered pick-up / drop-off services for their framing shop!), books that need to be returned to their owners, etc.etc.; but the truth is that they are impeding our focus, energy, and productivity.

Canfield also says that people feeling overwhelmed by the clutter in their physical space can go into a “state of resignation”. If you can’t control the little things, you tell yourself that there’s no way you can have the bigger and better things in life. That makes me so sad!!

He suggests listing your “irritations and tolerations”, (his blog has a worksheet) deciding what you can delegate, then removing/repairing/replacing what is left. I’d say block out a few minutes each day to work on this list till you start to feel in control again. These aren’t hard, they just take time and focus, and the payoff will be so worth it!

If this sounds like something you deal with in your home or office, first read his article HERE then call The Convenience Team to help at 501-620-0546! Let's declare this an End to Tolerations Month!!