Last night, I picked up a book on life design that I'd started quite a while ago. I'd left off in a section that talked about paying attention to the things that energize us or create flow for us -- that wonderful feeling of being so absorbed in what we're doing that we lose all track of time. I'd tried to follow the instructions and keep a journal for a couple of days to help myself identify those things but, in the end, it went by the wayside.
At 50-something, I have a pretty good idea of what energizes me and what drains me, and organizing is (no surprise) one of the things that energizes me. But I'd never really taken the next step the authors recommend -- zooming in to figure out what it is about organizing that I find so fulfilling.
So last night, I took that step. After putting the book down, I lay in bed, seeking my answer -- one that arrived almost immediately and, conveniently enough, gave me the topic for this blog.
I am energized by progress.
This explains so much! Why I feel grumpy when I'm interrupted, why small steps work for me, why rediscovered (or newly created) clear space is so satisfying. Interruptions stop me (and my progress) short, leaving me frustrated (and therefore grumpy). Small steps lead to progress, even if it's just a start. And clear space? That's the ultimate proof of progress!
This "revelation" also explains why I love to write (fill up the blank screen with words!) and hate to revise (didn't I do this already??) Progress feels like smooth sailing. Anything else feels like a dirt road full of potholes.
I thought I was pretty good at creating a life that I find satisfying, something I've had a lot of practice doing since I hit reset on my career eight years ago. But this small piece of information gave me an opportunity to reframe my perspective, something the authors spend a lot of time on. For example, about ten seconds ago, I felt myself cringe when I heard the back door squeak open because that's often a sure sign that an interruption (a threat to progress) is on its way. Sure enough, footsteps followed...but they stopped short of the room where I am working.
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| It seemed only fair to credit the book that inspired this post. |
Progress saved.
I often say that organizing is a process. But that process is built on progress -- the small victories we find along the way. For this reason, it's essential to celebrate our progress, no matter how small, because that momentum is often what sustains us through the process.
How about you? Is there a part of organizing that energizes you? Why?
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