Wednesday True Confessions: Think Time

True Confession #36: I need time to let things evolve. In education, we call this "think time" -- the space we leave between a question we've posed and the answers our students provide. When it comes to organizing, it's the space between the start of a project and its completion, especially when we're taking small steps and working on something a little at a time.

That's exactly the approach I've been taking with the counter in my office. As promised here and to myself, I'm working on it for 15 minutes every day until I get it de-cluttered and looking nice. I've chipped away at it since we got home from the beach, missing only one day (but spending way more than 15 minutes on it on other days) and I'm discovering that the closer I get to finishing the project, the more think time I need. 

Last night, for example, I don't think I got rid of anything. I'm down to one small pile of miscellaneous items, none of which is likely to be tossed and all of which need a home. Instead of tackling those decisions, I spent my 15+ minutes cleaning the counter and rearranging the decorative items that are vying for a place of honor on the finished space. Some might call this procrastination, and they wouldn't be entirely wrong.

But it's more than that. When I set the timer last night, the first thing that caught my eye was a mini display I'd created. It was too tall and, even though it was organized, it made the space look cluttered. So, I took it apart and played with the arrangement, moving this item and relocating that one and, in the end, the counter looked better than it had when I started, which is my only goal in my daily plan of attack.

If we want to organize in a sustainable way, we need to take our time, considering what belongs, what doesn't, what deserves a home, (even if it's somewhere else in the room or in the house), as well as what that home should look like. One reason I like taking small steps is that I'm more likely to remember what I put where and to create a space that's not only organized, but also pleasing to the eye. Because the line between the right amount of stuff and too much stuff can be very thin, this process takes time.

I'm happy with the gradual uncovering of clear space this project has yielded, and I enjoy hearing my family comment on it as well. But, once I've removed all the papers and clutter, I want the counter to look nice not just because it's clear, but because it's a reflection of the inhabitant of the space as well.

And that takes not only organizing time, but think time as well.