Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter

What I Learn From Jigsaw Puzzles

People tend to assume that because I’m an organizer I’m an OCD-type person. Actually, I’m not that way at all—except when I do jigsaw puzzles. When I do a jigsaw puzzle, the day slips away; I’d be perfectly happy to be left alone forever with a cold cup of coffee and good light.

Jigsaw puzzles are like a meditation for me, and the best part is that every time, I have the same mind-blowing realization.

The realization is that things aren’t always what they look like. You think that apple is red, but actually it’s almost black. Or you thought that shape was a leaf and actually it is a shadow. My kids find it very funny that I can get excited enough by finally, finally finding the edge of that cherry that I say “Yes!” like I’ve just scored in NBA2k. Our vision is imperfect, and we don’t really know what we are seeing until we get the whole picture. Deep, right?

There’s more: When I’m doing a puzzle, there’s always one part—the sky or the water—that seems so hard, like it is just a million little blue pieces. But of course, as you go, you realize some of them are bright blue and some of them are green, and in some places there are shadows. Your eyes become more discerning as you focus in.

So it is with your clutter. First it just looks like a big mess of papers or junk or whatever. As you focus in, you start to see patterns: insurance forms, credit card statements, or paperclips, thumb-tacks, stamps—and then you create order.

Jigsaw puzzles also teach me the importance of taking a break. Inevitably, every time I come back to a puzzle after having stepped away, I immediately get a few pieces that were completely stumping me. It’s evidence that taking breaks provide the clarity you need to tackle problems with fresh eyes.

I feel pretty lucky that I think happiness is a jigsaw puzzle and a pot of coffee, but until I figure out how to make money doing that, I’m just going to have to parlay my urge to find pattern and create order into your closets and drawers. And hopefully, you’ll be as amused as my kids when I finally discover a way to fit your whisk into your kitchen drawer and I pump my fist in the air and say, “Yes!”