For several people who know me, I am a very organized person. No really, take a look in my home - the closets, dresser drawers, pantry, kitchen cabinets, all the horizontal spaces (counters, tables, mantles, dresser tops), my computer files, my email inbox, my office space, or my dance choreography binder. Everything is neatly sorted and arranged in an organized tidy fashion.
Contrary to what others may think, I am not a control freak. I am actually a pretty easy go-with-the flow creative person. I like getting messy, playing outside in the dirt, and crafting with my girls. Being organized and tidy is probably not in my DNA (cough, cough; look inside the closets and pantries of my family's lineage and you'll see).
I am this way because I am (shhh.... I'm now whispering here) L-A-Z-Y! You heard that right. I am this way because I am proactively lazy. People may think that I like to keep my home very tidy and clean, but the simply truth is that I have developed systems and habits to easily keep my home and all my spaces neat and organized. In doing this, I free up all the extra time and mental energy it takes the average person who does all the cleaning and organizing on a "family fun clean the house Saturday before the family arrives for <said holiday here>".
James Clear (author of Atomic Habits) says that "whenever you organize a space for its intended purpose, you are priming it make the next action easy". Here are a couple of priming actions I take:
1. Priming the kitchen before bedtime: turning the dishwasher on, shining my sink before bed with soap and water, wiping down all kitchen counters, and putting my coffee cup for the next morning under the Keurig.
2. Priming the living/family rooms each evening after dinner- folding all the throw blankets and placing them on the couch, putting pillows back on couches, placing all toys back in their correct bin or room, bringing all cups or dishes to the kitchen sink, and placing the TV remove back on the mantle.
3. Priming my car: each time we get home all coats, bags, cups, mugs, food, and toys must come back inside. In the winter my defrost gets turned back on high (or ac high in summer). The radio volume is turned back to low because apparently I like it loud (and have you ever attempted deaf by loud car radio at 5am? It's not my kind of adrenaline rush).
You see, simply priming the space for its intended use only takes a couple of seconds or minutes each day. If we can build these easy priming routines into our every day lives, it frees up so much mental space and time in the long run. A little bit every day means you have even more time focus on the big things or the more important things.
When we practice these habits, we also don't get flustered, stressed or embarrassed when life throws us little surprises: such as a friend or family member coming to visit unannounced, or giving your co-worker a lift to the company party in your car, or having a pile of dishes in your sink just staring at you dirty again (cuz who loves the first thing they see in the morning to be a sink full of dirty dishes? yuck).
At the end of the day- all of these small habits bring me peace. Peace that my home is clean and organized. Peace that I do not have spend hours on the weekend cleaning or prepping for that family gathering. Peace that I can spend that time this weekend resting, or with my husband, or with my kids doing things as a family and making great memories decorating cookies or touring Christmas light displays.
And who doesn't want a little more peace in their lives? In the bible, 1 Peter 3:11 says "They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it". God wants us to have so much peace. While yes he gives it to us, we must also claim it. We must continually SEEK it. We must choose it in our day to day lives.
So if you are feeling like you could use a little more peace in your life, why not start small with shining your sink each night? Or maybe bringing everything in from your car each night immediately after pulling in? You might just find that being proactively lazy like me is so worth it!
"Let faith rise up Oh heart believe Let faith rise up in me
Peace be still Say the word and I will Set my feet upon the sea Till I'm dancing in the deep
Peace be still You are here so it is well Even when my eyes can't see I will trust the voice that speaks"