Jordana Turcotte Keeps us Organized

Mindful MAINTAINING

WRITTEN BY JORDANA TURCOTTE

One thing COVID-19 gave us was time! Time to pare down. Time to clean. Time to put things in their place. When normalcy comes back around, how do we be mindful to maintain all that we have accomplished? A system or space is never done. Initially when we set it up – absolutely everything for that system or space is put in its “home” and all is in order. Life means we use that stuff or gain new stuff. A system is only as good as the maintenance to keep it up. If you don’t, chaos ensues. Maintenance means purposefully putting the used item BACK to where it is stored. It may not be immediately done but usually within a weeks’ span of time (during weekly cleaning), the item makes its way back to its home. Or, if the item is used, putting it in trash or recycling. It is a process. If we are talking about a paper system, new paper is always coming in. Every single paper needs not only a decision (keep, toss) but an action (do, file). If we are talking about clothing, it is either dirty (4 steps of maintenance of wash, dry, fold, put away) or it needs to be replaced (rehung or refolded). All these steps take time and energy. Our belongings do not magically get put back, cleaned, folded, etc. We need good habits and constant reminders to keep on top of it all. The first habit to adopt is to be mindful when the item is literally in your hands. Before putting it down, ask yourself if that is where it belongs. If not, decide and try to take the time (usually 20 seconds or less) to put it where it really belongs. This takes a step completely out – picking it up from the wrong location and putting in the right one. This habit alone can take care of most of the maintenance. That one is hard and won’t always happen. The next step is to standardize your maintenance. Routine cleaning (tidying up each system) should be done. Most systems require weekly sessions. Leaving systems such as mail/paper and clothing longer than a week usually means it gets out of hand. But systems such as the basement overflow or garage fill over time can be done 1-2x/year and most are satisfied with that. Only you can decide the frequency of maintenance on an area or system. Create a weekly master list of maintenance tasks you want to do (these will be mainly cleaning tasks but some organizing related items like mail, filing, etc.) Other tasks that don’t need to be done weekly can be put on another list with their frequency noted. If you are one to not do it unless it is scheduled, create appointments for each and populate the appointments for a month or two to form the habit. Using your phone is pretty much the go-to now but you could write up a schedule and post it in the kitchen to check daily as well. Put a sheet protector over it and add a dry erase marker and you can use it as weekly checklist. There is great excitement in checking something off! Systems may also need to be reevaluated. Life, as we now know, can throw us major curveballs. A system that supported you a few months ago may not now. Hello home office that is now the classroom, zoom meet-up, and dance studio! Be mindful of what has changed and what you need now to support you. You may need to move systems or belongings to meet current demand/interests/healthy issues.

A few tried and true tips to help you out with home maintenance is to have ample garbage bins. Having them in a lot of locations aids in getting trash to the trash can. I see it all the time – lack of accessible garbage bins. Another tip is to never leave a room empty handed. Leaving the living room – is there a cup that needs to go to the kitchen or a paper for recycling? Have an “out the door bin” for anything going out for return to someone or someplace. Lastly, always have a donation box – when you identify a usable item you no longer want, it goes there. When full, deal with the items. Clutter is a delayed decision – if you have decided you no longer want it, move it out of the mix of your regular stuff.

Maintenance isn’t magic – it is habit and purposeful action. Finding tools that support you doing it is key; they keep you mindful of all that has to take place to maintain your space and belongings. S S