I like things orderly and ship-shape. I pre-plan. I’m organized and like organization. I am uncomfortable around clutter. However, I am not compulsive. The only time I’ve had to compulsively clean was when my husband had clients come to our home for appointments. What might have made me a bit overly passionate about cleaning when there were comments about cleanliness or the perceived lack thereof made by some clients. One client “suggested” our guest bathroom (in our fully finished basement) might need cleaning because there was a spider carcass on the floor when they used the facilities. (I don’t know a basement that doesn’t have spiders and other crawly critters who die occasionally. I didn’t check every day 😩.) One complimented the impressive cleanliness, which seemed so sweet, then stated they could never keep up that level of ‘clean’ day in and day out, week in and week out… so it really felt more like a criticism.
I just prefer being organized, knowing what comes next, planning for all contingencies. I believe if I plan, I’m prepared for whatever may happen. I’m better able to deal with problems and either handle them or adjust the plan. Can’t stand last minute pressure to get something done in an artificially created timeframe. I’m not a big fan of deadlines or having to rush through a project. ‘Haste makes waste… the hurrier I go, the behinder I get.’
I’ve taken to making little lists of things I need to get done. I make a list at the beginning of each day. As I do a chore, I scratch it off the list. If I don’t get to everything, I transfer it to the next day’s list. I realized that I’m not overwhelmed by what needs to be done when I make a list. Even so, breaking “To Dos” into smaller portions helps make it easier to actually accomplish something. I don’t feel as if I have a barrel of projects hanging over my head that Must be finished. At the end of the week, instead of looking back over the week and feeling as if I didn’t do anything, I can feel good about what I did get done. Little by little I chip away at all the projects. I don’t feel pressured or rushed or end up spending two days recovering from a day spent over-doing trying to get everything done.
I plan ahead, as well. There’s nothing worse than planning a certain menu or activity only to find at the last minute an ingredient isn’t available or there is no place to do the activity. If I bake or cook as much as I can ahead of time then I don’t feel rushed the day of the event and can enjoy the party or dinner with everyone else. My kitchen is pretty small so having everyone gather in the kitchen while I cook doesn’t work very well. I feel less stressed pre-planning and it’s a great way to get to enjoy a holiday party or family dinner with your friends and family instead of being stuck in the kitchen.
I do laundry and clean my house before going on vacation. I don’t like coming home to mounds of laundry or a dirty house I have to clean after being relaxed and rested on vacation. While my husband and I haven’t taken a vacation for several years, I remember what it was like getting back from a vacation on a Sunday and having to do laundry so I’d have something to wear to work on Monday morning. Vacation is supposed be a break away from work and the routines of daily life. It’s nice to keep that vacation feeling as long as you can after the vacation itself actually ends.
I used to feel as if I needed to justify being organized. Have often felt judged because I preferred to be prepared, preferred to plan. I’m not very spontaneous. I’ve had friends who would go on vacation with no plans, no hotel reservations, not much “ spending cash”. That’s not me. One summer a friend took off and went to San Francisco with nowhere to stay and no job. It was the Summer of Love, after all. That would never have been me. I got fired once and absolutely panicked. I am not that girl who hitch-hiked through Europe alone after high school. I prefer to plan and share travel with someone so we can both get double the enjoyment, double the memories.
I don’t apologize, explain, justify anymore nor will I stop pre-planning and organizing. A lower stress level is more important to me than anyone else’s need to “hurry me along”. If I consider everything that might happen so I can be prepared, ridiculing me won’t change the way I do things. Life will always be capable of throwing me curves and surprising me but I still like being as prepared as I can be. It makes life much more enjoyable.
Soosey’s Ruminations 