Are you familiar with the feeling of being constantly busy. Picking up, tidying up, on your feet, organising everything only to turn around and it seem as though you have done nothing at all? Yeah, me too. I call this flitting. When you flit about, you are exerting energy but are not actually being productive. You go to do the dishes, then you go and get a glass from the bedroom, but the next thing you know you are making the bed. But you stand on some dirty laundry, so you pick that up and take it to the laundry room and put a load of washing on. You remember the dirty laundry in the bathroom, so you go off to pick that up… only to find yourself cleaning the toilet. This is when you remember that you still have not put the dishwasher on.
If this sound familiar, keep reading.
I did this a lot. I used to visualise that my feet were lead or like rock. So, when I was doing the dishes, I could not leave the kitchen until my job was complete. Here are some things I did myself, to help calm the confusion, frustration, and exhausting flitting that I thought you may like to try.
1. Pick a room.
2. Find a large box or bin. A laundry basket works well.
3. Set a timer - optional.
4. Start from the entry point of the space. Work from the left-hand side and move round in a clockwise direction.
5. Do NOT leave this space- imagine an invisible barrier, that stops you from flitting from room to room.
If there is anything that needs to be taken to another room, place it in the bin or basket. Make your way around the room picking up. This method also works if you are doing a full declutter of a space. It works because you are only focusing on what is in front of you, not the whole room. Setting a timer creates a bit of ‘pressure’. Your up against the clock. It also helps you create personal boundaries – when the timer goes, it is ok for me to take a break and rest.
By practicing these steps, I can now have my home tidy and organised in such a short time, that when it looks overwhelming, I use the above steps to anchor myself. *big breath* "right, I am overwhelmed by this". "I will start here" "set my timer and GO!" I feel more in control, rather than letting the chaos control me. I hope you try this and let me know how you get on!
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