The Importance of Idleness :-)
Posted by Joanna on Jan 6, 2009
I want to share this sweet mini-article with you! Tho’ there’s lot’s else we’ll be talking about in the NEW YEAR, it fits with all I have been saying about decluttering and organizing. Thank you Sean!
Mini Article: The Importance Of Idleness
So you’re going/have gone on a vacation, aren’t you? Well, the weekend will come up, and you’ll have some sort of break–your to-do list non-withstanding.
But you won’t take a break. No you won’t. You’ll do something silly. Like filling it up with stuff.
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How about filling it with idleness instead?
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Yeah, idleness. As in doing nothing. Yes, we know you’ve got a million things to do. But idleness can’t wait.
The western world in particular have forgotten what it means to be idle. To just sit under a tree and do nothing. Not read. Not scold your kids. Certainly not pick up the phone. Just sit and watch the world go by.
Idleness isn’t as crazy a concept as you think. You DO NOT have to fill your day with stuff. You don’t have visit every monument on your vacation. It’s more beneficial to do nothing. As in N-O-T-H-I-N-G.
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Can you do nothing?
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Can you? Can you? Can you do nothing for even a day this weekend?
How about for an hour then?
Try it. Just be lazy. Just watch butterflies. Or watch the mould growing. But be idle.
Because as an ancient Chinese saying goes: Man who sits by river all day, and doesn’t think it’s a waste of time, is a wise man.
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November Hurrah!
Posted by Joanna on Nov 5, 2008
What an incredible time in our lives! I believe both John McCain
and Barack Obama said it eloquently last night. Now is the time as a
nation and a world to work together on what really matters. We CAN
make things better!
* * *
In my workshops I always say that a DECLUTTERED and ORGANIZED space
is not the end all and be all. In my universe it isn’t even a major
goal. If your space works well enough for you- if it helps you do
what you want to do - SUPER.
But, with that said yet again — please email me about your specific
most troublesome or annoying space and clutter problem! You can
be sure that you are not the only one dealing with it. And
solutions for you will also be helpful to other readers.
My upcoming tips are planned to be VERY hands on - ABC - XYZ kind of
things. Yet for sure, we all - worldwide - are living in a bigger
world that affects us every day at least as much as our spaces.
So just before heading to the basement/attic or closet I want to
mention a fantastic new book that is VERY readable and VERY timely
given our current world with all it’s challenges and opportunities.
The book is called The GREEN COLLAR ECONOMY : How One Solution Can
Fix Our Two Biggest Problems by Van Jones, foreward by Robert J.
Kennedy, Jr…I’m going to be reading it in the next few weeks-
want to join me?
HAPPY NOVEMBER! Joanna
40 years ago today…and priorities
Posted by Joanna on Apr 4, 2008
Today MY office needs a professional organizer — I am seriously thinking of calling one of my colleagues and asking her to come help me - there are so many things that I REALLY want to be doing and my office has gotten out of hand. That is the reality.
But at this moment — I am going to write, surrounded by my chaos, because this seems a higher priority.
Below is part of an email sent out by http://political.moveon.org/ . I quote them here and hope that you can and will take the time to go to the youtube link and hear Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His speech could be given TODAY — just replace one word: “Vietnam”
*******
40 years ago today, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated and this nation lost one of the greatest leaders for peace and justice that we have ever known.
All morning, the staff here at MoveOn have been sending each other his quotes and speeches - words that, decades later, still inspire new generations of folks to action.
We were so moved that we really wanted to share some of them with you, as a celebration of Dr. King’s legacy and a reminder that his words are as important today as they were 40 years ago.
* * *
“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.”
* * *
The Junk Mail Problem
Posted by Joanna on Jan 17, 2008
Imagine not having to deal with ANY mail that you consider junk!
What if everything arriving in your mail is something you
“love, or(a bill for) something you use, or a treasure” of some sort?
What would that be like? Really think about it for a minute!
I know I’ve written about a number of ways to reduce junk mail- but
I’ve only recently learned about doing it online! This could be super
for you who love using the internet. Seems to me that junk mail
reduction is very much a win/win since you end up with less clutter
and the environment is better off as well.
NOTE: I am told there are similar services in other countries - my
apology to readers who are not in the USA as I haven’t looked up
who you would contact. Could you let me know?
In the US, http://www.ecocycle.org is a free service that links you
to a number of mail reduction sites including one for credit card
offers.
http://www.greendimes.com charges a fee of $15 but plants ten trees
when you sign up and gives you some assistance with the process.
There are a number of other sites. Almost all of them quote bunches
of factoids to spur you on to action. Here’s one: ” Each of us will
spend an average of eight months of our lives dealing with junk mail
(Center for a New American Dream).” Yikes!
No matter how you decide to do it- give yourself and the earth a
break in 2008. Find out just how much junk mail you can stop BEFORE
it arrives!
Your New Year Vision
Posted by Joanna on Jan 5, 2008
Happy New Year!
I’ve been thinking about you - wanting you to start off the New Year
with a sense of comfort and possibility about the spaces you occupy.
I was about to send a specific action tip, but talking about it with
my friend May of www.delicioushealing.com, we realized that we both
wanted our first communication of 2008 to be about the heart of
matters.
So breathe! There’ll be plenty of “what to do” organizing tips
coming your way in 2008 … starting with the one I was about to
send, but right now, as the New Year begins, take a long deep
breath in/out …ahhhhhhhh - and then another, and one more. Yay!
Now, in your thoughts choose one space you wish was working better
for you. If you can spare 15 minutes now to mull over the
questions below - great. If not- make note of the space you want
to think about when you have a tad more time.
Here are a few questions that will help as you consider your space.
Depending on your usual thought process and your current mood some
will work better for you than others. See which one(s)speak to you!
- What is the purpose of this space? Has the purpose changed? And if so- does the physical lay out and the stuff in it still fit?
- How would I most like to use the space? Can I make a shift in that direction?
- What do I really NOT like in this space?
- What do I NEED to have in the space?
- Is there something I would like to feature? A piece of art or a plant or something else?
- If I had a magic wand how would the space feel and look?
Answers to any of these questions will help you envision changes in
your surroundings that will give you a boost as the year unfolds.
As always, I’d love to hear — either by email, phone,(or as a comment
on my blog where these tips
are also posted) what you discover, and what happens after that.
Wishing you great spaces and lots of good surprises in the year
ahead!
Re-gifting in a Greening World
Posted by Joanna on Dec 13, 2007
You still have time to try this holiday tip. It’s something that
I’ve been thinking about a lot as 190 countries gather in Bali for
the UN Conference on Climate Change. My tip is about re-gifting
and making it a GREAT thing to do for your loved ones AND the planet.
I’ve just finished reading a wonderful book - THREE CUPS OF TEA,
about Greg Mortensen, an American high peak climber who turned his
efforts to building schools in Pakistan…building peace, one school
at a time. A client had read it, didn’t plan to read it again, and
enthusiastically passed it on to me.
It turns out that this book is on my mother-in-law’s AAUW book group
reading list for 2008 and I drew her name for Christmas. I KNOW
that in the “old days” giving her this well read copy might have been
considered cheapskate - a lesser present than a brand new copy. BUT
I propose rethinking this viewpoint. WHY is a brand new copy better?
There’s an animation on www.storyofstuff.com that includes these
statistics:The US has 5% of the world’s population but uses 30% of
the world’s resources and produces 30% of the world’s waste. The
video is worth watching as it gives easy to comprehend information
about HOW we got here and what we can do. Perhaps watch it with your
family and friends.
But in the meantime, how GREEN can you be this holiday? What in
your space HAVE you cherished but no longer really see or use? Who
in your life would love it? In what ways can you express your love
by regifting or giving a gift of service or shared time instead of
stuff?
The production and consumption of STUFF
Posted by Joanna on Dec 10, 2007
A friend just sent me the link to this “Story of Stuff” ! It isn’t how I usually communicate but it certainly is valid and I
wanted to make it available to you.
A 20-minute, fact-filled look at our production and consumption patterns with some solutions offered at the end. Worth a watch before going “holiday shopping .”
All the stuff in our lives, from its extraction through sale, use and disposal, affects the environment and communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The “Story of Stuff “ looks at the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.
Have a wonderful and stuff-free holiday!
–
Holiday Priorities
Posted by Joanna on Nov 19, 2007
I’ve been thinking that for most of us, the weeks ahead only get
busier. So here’s my proposal/tip:
THIS WEEK - Take time with friends and family to chat together
about their and your true priorities. Try discussing which of your
traditions are the most meaningful to you; which activities give
you the most joy. Think about what would you like to do
more of THIS year. What do you really want to share together in
December 2007?
Let it be an experiment… Your decisions can be for just this one
year. Try something different. See how it feels.
And now, my heartfelt thanks to each of you for the priviledge of
communicating with you. I love having the chance to try to help make
life easier.
SURVIVORS !? and what matters
Posted by Joanna on Sep 21, 2007
I am writing at the moment about SURVIVORS- yes the show. For me this IS a question that relates to the world of stuff and balance and sanity. Thought I would post it here - after a long time of not writing. I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions…
This is my question.
In the midst of a master mind session the other day I got on the topic of REAL struggles and how it’s a long time wish of mine that the SURVIVORS show would give their teams challenges which if solved would make a difference in the world!
It drives me crazy (when I put my attention there) that all that money and energy are not channelled to solve something like some problem in Bangladesh or Sudan or where-ever. What if the teams were given real world problems — to solve. The same million dollar reward for the winner but at least a struggle that NEEDS to be resolved.
Decided to see if any of you have connections which would help my idea along. - as in - who do you know who knows someone who knows someone who might catch hold of the idea.
???
