Tag: emotional energy

The Magazine Rack

Over the last decade or so, we’ve heard all the things the smartphone has replaced.

  • Calculator
  • Camera
  • Rolodex
  • Pager
  • Mp3 player
  • Boom box
  • Computer
  • Typewriter

But what you never hear about is the bathroom magazine holder. For as long as I’ve “played house” which is about 38 years now; I’ve had a basket 🧺 of ‘reading material’ by each toilet.

I can almost say with complete certainty that in the last 10 years, not one book or magazine has been pulled out and looked at except by me to clean the greasy dust of them.

So why do we hold onto completely useless things? Because of tradition? Or habit. I heard an organizer on the l radio say that you don’t need a pile of washcloths in your bathroom by the shower if you never use one. 

That was HUGE for me!

I tend to keep things- just in case someone needs them.

Although I rarely have house guests, there’s always that ‘chance’.

As I looked around at what my attempt of ‘just in case’ was costing me, I noticed the endless half (or less) empty shampoo bottles that I keep because I don’t want to “waste the money”, yet I’ve outgrown the desire to use that brand.

How much is your time/space/clarity/simplification/order/dust-free items/TIME? Worth?

Amazon has it all figured out in this article. But im more interested in what psychological effect the clutter of these items has on a day-to-day basis. Every single thing in our houses has to be

*Looked at*

*Cleaned*

*Moved*

*Stored*

And before all these things- the mental energy has to be conjured up to do each one. This may not seem like a big deal to some, but we really do only have so much mental energy and time. If there is one stressful thing sucking up that time and energy, it pulls it in even tighter.

I guess you could call it Fall cleaning instead of spring cleaning. Practical Perfection has a great fall cleaning checklist.

THE ULTIMATE FALL CLEANING CHECKLIST 

So today is purge day. I got rid of my toilet 🧺 basket! Now I’m working on unused washcloths.

Keep Paddling

Yesterday, I rolled up to the gas station with ZERO miles until empty. How ironic. I feel it. Most people know the feeling of being on auto-pilot. Doing things out of habit, not mindfulness.

When I am pressed by people as to why I don’t do this or that, or why I don’t seem to care; it’s so hard to explain the emotional energy depletion, and what I have left to apply. (my give a damns are gone)

Where Attention goes Energy flows; Where Intention goes Energy flows!
James Redfield

Just like my gas tank; when our emotional buckets are not full; & our energy is all directed toward one problem or situation, we are constantly driving on empty.

That same day I heard this story on the radio about “keeping- on” paddling. It’s a little different context in the sense of “don’t give up“; but you never know when all your paddling will make a difference.

https://www.byuradio.org/89b10fd2-d1a3-4d9a-97f8-8104166c7442