Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter
Where You Can Go From Neutral
I hope that you had a great week doing your Last Sweep Before Bed and Getting to Neutral. If you’re having trouble finding “neutral” in a particular room, it probably means it isn’t really organized yet. Try to set aside a time to really go through the room, de-clutter, make sure the storage is logical and not overstuffed and put away as much as possible so the surfaces are relatively clear. Once a room is organized, you’ll find getting to neutral is easy.
This idea of neutral isn’t just a maintenance tool, it’s also a great starting place. New clients often tell me, “I want the kids to do homework at this table, but it’s always covered in junk,” or, “I always wanted to do be able to do crafts at my desk, but the paper takes over.” Whatever your situation is, when you work on keeping those surfaces clear, then they can become empty stages, just waiting for your next project. This time of year, you’ve probably been receiving W-2s and 1099s in the mail. You might not have done a thing about filing your taxes yet, but if you’ve been doing that “last sweep” you’ve probably been putting all your important mail on your desk so that when you do sit down (soon!), you’ll have everything you need in one spot.
For me, neutral means I can invite someone over for dinner on the spur of the moment and not feel like I’m going to be madly trying to clean up the house before my guests arrive.
But by far the best part of making the last sweep part of your nightly routine is the morning. It’s such a pleasure to wake up to a clean kitchen, to know that for these few golden minutes, everything is where it should be. It’s when the stage manager calls, “places” and everything is ready. Then the curtain will go up, chaos will ensue… but you’ll be ready to meet it, because you woke up to calm and had your coffee in peace. After that, you can handle anything.
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