mindfulness = mind.full.mess

5 thoughts on being mindfully organized & messy

Yoga is awesome. Not just the physical practice, but all the 8 limbs. You don’t have to take a yoga class every day to practice yoga – you can simply wash the dishes. Huh? If you haven’t heard of Thich Nhat Hanh and you are interested in bringing more mindfulness to your life, I suggest you read The Miracle of Mindfulness.

Once we are standing in front of the sink with our sleeves rolled up and our hands in warm water, it is really not bad at all. I enjoy taking my time with each dish, being fully aware of the dish, the water, and each movement of my hands. I know that if I hurry in order to go and have dessert, the time will be unpleasant, not worth living. That would be a pity, for every second of life is a miracle. The dishes themselves and the fact that I am here washing them are miracles!

Washing the Dishes- Thich Nhat Hanh
written by Thich Nhat Hanh 

Thought 1: you can be mindful even when life is messy.

Yup. Spoiler alert. Being mindful does not mean that there is perfection in your mind (or life) and if there isn’t you’ve failed. It also does not mean that your mind is empty – or ‘clear’. Quite the opposite. If you can sum up mindfulness in a sentence: being able to observe, take in, and experience every moment without getting lost in it. You’ll find a way to experience the moment for what it is – even when it’s a mess. How does this relate to organizing? read on…

Thought 2: messes are a sign that you are living

This isn’t a free pass for your life and space to be messy – but it will happen. News flash: messes are okay. If you are organizing so you can be more mindful, clear-headed, with it – you are going to get really tired and I give you permission to stop. I kept organizing the same space, mess arrives, re-organize it, another mess, re-organize it differently, repeat- in hopes that my mind and life will follow and get it together. It did not. What did work? Practice mindfulness first, then apply this to your organizing and accept that life is going to get messy at some point: relationships get hard, jobs change, grief happens, losses begin to accumulate, and stress seems to be around every corner. However, if you set yourself up for accepting the mess and being prepared for it, then you may find peace – or tidying up – more quickly. You may even be able to find a little joy in the messes.

Thought 3: your organization will be as mindful & successful as you make it

If you find yourself halfway through cleaning and organizing the two-year-old pile of mementos, bills, birthday cards, lists, magazines, receipts, gift cards, etc and you are also on the phone, answering emails, and cooking dinner – well, chances are that pile is going to turn into 3 more specific piles that will go on haunting you. Long point short: be present in your organizing and cleaning out. Life is busy, but we can also ask our selves to commit to 5 minutes of organization for the sake of organization, and not rushing to get to get to the next thing.

Thought 4: mindfulness is a lifestyle that requires upkeep

The only way to bring mindfulness into your life and keep it is to practice it. Same goes for an organized home. With practice and persistence, when the clutter starts to creep in – you will know just what to do. There are many times people avoid their clutter like they avoid being in the moment. The more you practice mindfulness, the more it shows – in your home, with family, how you feel. Just like the dust builds on your table, do you want to take a few moments out of the day to clean it off or wait until it’s so thick you have to bring out the vacuum and spend all day cleaning?

Thought 5: your mindfulness may be another person’s messy nightmare

What if you are the only person in your home practicing mindfulness? Or each person is on their own mindfulness track? When my partner does laundry, it’s done quickly, folded, put away, and in less than an hour. Whew. It makes me anxious (read on for the why) but I do appreciate the folding! My laundry habits are much slower (anxiety producing for partner) I check each piece I’m putting in to make sure it’s not a delicate or line dry item. Plus, hanging items to dry. This may take an entire day while tackling other tasks. Talk about a nightmare for my partner! Is either way wrong? Nope. It does depend on what outcome you are looking for. When the laundry needs to be done fast, partner to the rescue. I also have to put more pep in my step if the goal is to go quicker or to give a break in the nightmares. You can be mindful while working quickly, just check that there aren’t mistakes happening- cue to slow down! My partner has voiced wanting to practice more mindfulness though, especially when two of our white towels have come out pink and blue. Or, when a delicate wash sweater came out looking more like a dog sweater. How about the time the spices ended up in the vitamin bin…and they are labeled. If your organization is set up for accepting the mess, tidying up won’t be too big of a problem for those less than mindful moments – or people. Be sure your accepting of everyone (+you) strengths and weakness and keep practicing 🙂