Tuesday, October 2, 2012

"The Simple Life is a Manly Life"...and Other True Things about Living an Orderly Existence

By Linda Palmer


  There are so many great ideas and thoughts out there about bringing order and simplicity into our lives.  Here are a few favorites I've collected from different sources. I hope you find them helpful.   Let me know of your own favorites! 

For the Upwardly Mobile:
"We tend to think we need more belongings than we really do, to live comfortably. TV shows, commercials and even our friends are constantly showing us new things we can’t live without. Taking the time to sort through the items you've accumulated can be a real wake up call. Once you start to give up a few unnecessary things, you’ll realize how little importance they had to begin with. The change in mindset that comes with this realization can ease the pressure we put on our finances by wanting more."


For the Neat-Freaks
"Everyone knows that getting organized is about creating "order" in your life -- but what the heck does that mean? Going back to my good pal Merriam-Webster, putting something in order is defined as "arranging" or "classifying" or "systematizing." You'll notice there's no mention anywhere of things being "tidy" or "clean" -- that's because it's not about neatness, it's about being able to find what you need, when you need it, so you can function effectively in the world!"
From:   O Is For Order by Ramona Creel:  The A to Z of Getting Organized


For the 99%:
"I recently read the book Great With Money by Melissa Burke and Ellen Rogin. With the goal of the book being to help readers create a prosperous mindset and a confident approach to money, you might expect it to focus on how to earn more and spend less. Well, it may surprise you to know that “clear your clutter” is the first step to prosperity described by the authors. Yup, clearing the clutter in your life is the first step towards prosperity."
From: Clear the Clutter and Find Prosperity, by Sue Becker From Piles To Smiles Organizing Service blog


For the Science Geeks:

"Researchers at the Princeton University Neuroscience Institute published the results of a study they conducted in the January issue of The Journal of Neuroscience that relates directly to uncluttered and organized living. From their report “Interactions of Top-Down and Bottom-Up Mechanisms in Human Visual Cortex”:
"Multiple stimuli present in the visual field at the same time compete for neural representation by mutually suppressing their evoked activity throughout visual cortex, providing a neural correlate for the limited processing capacity of the visual system.
"Or, to paraphrase in non-neuroscience jargon: When your environment is cluttered, the chaos restricts your ability to focus. The clutter also limits your brain’s ability to process information. Clutter makes you distracted and unable to process information as well as you do in an uncluttered, organized, and serene environment."  
From:  Unclutterer.com posted by Erin.

And...for the Guys 
    "The simple life is a manly life. Some of history’s manliest men lived lives of true simplicity, free from unneeded clutter. The Spartans basically had one piece of clothing they wore all year, a spear, a shield, and some farm tools. Because of their simple lifestyle, they were able to focus on learning how to be fighting machines.
    
  "Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson were evangelists of simplicity. When Thoreau went to Walden Pond he brought with him just a few things. Because he didn’t have crap distracting him, he was able to focus his energies into writing some awesomely deep thoughts.

    "The simple life is a manly life because a man defines himself not by his possessions but by his character, virtues, relationships, and experiences. These are the things that he invests his time, energy, and emotions in, because these are the things that no natural disaster, no bomb, no prison can ever take away from him. The less stuff we accumulate, the less energy we have to devote to the maintenance of it, and the more energy we can put into becoming better men."

To find solutions for your organizing challenges, to schedule a free consultation, or have a conversation about your organizing needs:

Linda Palmer
Create Order

Home Organizing and De-materializing Service
262-784-3957
email:  createorder1@gmail.com
on facebook:  Linda Palmer/ Create Order Organizing Service
Serving Milwaukee, WI and surrounding areas

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