How many small, annoying things do we live with everyday that would be so easy to change? Sometimes we have a system of doing something that just needs a little tweaking.
For example, 11 years ago, we put in a new kitchen. When I set up my kitchen, I put the baggies and plastic wrap in the big drawer where all the "kitchen stuff" went right by the oven. There wasn't enough room for the hot pads, so I put them over by the fridge. That is where they stayed. For 11 years. We mentioned it quite often that it made no sense to walk across the room to grab a hot pad, but we never did anything about it. I also pack lunches on the counter where the hot pads were stored and it would have made perfect sense to have the baggies there. Well, last week I finally decided the system was broken and I needed to do something about it. So I did. It took me 5 minutes to make the switch. 5 minutes. How many extra steps did I take over the past 11 years rather than make a 5 minute change?
A couple of observations... Change is never easy, but if we take the time to stop and think, a small change might make more sense than continuing to do something just because we've "always done it that way." It's also interesting to note how difficult it can be to change habits even after we realize that they make no sense. My family and I continue to look for things in those two wrong drawers because we're in the habit of doing things the wrong way.
Organizing our lives can be simple and complicated at the same time, but it's almost always worth the effort in the end. What little change can you make today?
For example, 11 years ago, we put in a new kitchen. When I set up my kitchen, I put the baggies and plastic wrap in the big drawer where all the "kitchen stuff" went right by the oven. There wasn't enough room for the hot pads, so I put them over by the fridge. That is where they stayed. For 11 years. We mentioned it quite often that it made no sense to walk across the room to grab a hot pad, but we never did anything about it. I also pack lunches on the counter where the hot pads were stored and it would have made perfect sense to have the baggies there. Well, last week I finally decided the system was broken and I needed to do something about it. So I did. It took me 5 minutes to make the switch. 5 minutes. How many extra steps did I take over the past 11 years rather than make a 5 minute change?
A couple of observations... Change is never easy, but if we take the time to stop and think, a small change might make more sense than continuing to do something just because we've "always done it that way." It's also interesting to note how difficult it can be to change habits even after we realize that they make no sense. My family and I continue to look for things in those two wrong drawers because we're in the habit of doing things the wrong way.
Organizing our lives can be simple and complicated at the same time, but it's almost always worth the effort in the end. What little change can you make today?
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