declutter – Getting to Goal

If only this post’s featured image was my kitchen. It comes from a beautiful blog called, The Spruce. What is it about looking at organized spaces that are so appealing? Perhaps it has something to do with the brain and patterns (the brain LOVES patterns). Maybe it has something to do with exercising control over the environment. Or could it be the appeal of having others think, “Wow, she really has her life all figured out.” Ha!

Whatever the reason, I do love an organized space. Yet, I’m the kind of person who, when she is working, makes a big mess. I pull things out, I make piles, and I don’t always make the best choices for how to store things away. My goal is to declutter one cabinet in my kitchen. I decided on one cabinet because I don’t really want to spend hours doing this, and I don’t want to feel overwhelmed. This is a doable goal for me, and if all goes well, I will do another cabinet tomorrow. Maybe.

Why the kitchen? Since I have been so engaged with my weight loss journey, my kitchen has been taking a beating with all the COOKING I’ve been doing. I actually do like to cook, and I do enjoy the food I make. I enjoy it when I have the time, I’m not too exhausted from working all day, and when I can find everything I need. So mostly, I enjoy cooking on the weekends and during the summer when I work a little less. In the meantime, I still have to cook on all those other days, and if I am a bit more organized I think it will help me.

Why have these daily challenges?

Simply, having small doable goals brings me joy. Small goals also spark momentum. Having a sense of momentum is especially important when you have a lot of weight to lose. I say this because a successful weight-loss journey relies on habits that form a network of predictable systems. I think of these daily challenges as a way to mix it up.

may-challenge_-getting-to-goal Download

Growing up is hard. As I think back to my emotional teenage years, I am grateful that I had such loving insightful parents. One memory came to mind as I was reading an article this morning. Teenage me had a huge argument with my mother, I sat in my messy room crying My dad came in my room and said, “Clean up your room, it will help put things into perspective.” He patted me on the shoulder and closed the door quietly behind him. Sure enough, as I picked up each piece of clothing strewn on the floor (dirty and clean alike) I began to feel lighter. Sniffling waned as I cleared off my vanity, putting away mascara, wiping down the mirror, hanging the blow dryer on the hook nestled into it side, and then capping the big white aerosol can of hairspray Halfway through I started feeling calmer and more centered. By the time I was done, I did feel better, dad was right.

I used to watch sitcom reruns from the 1950’s & 1960’s as a kid this was a recurring theme.

This was a lesson I’ve kept with me my whole life. Cleaning up the chaos around me, helps me find the calm within me. Funny thing, decluttering your environment also happens to help with weight loss. I’m dong a deep dive this week into all the articles that helped me to develop my tool, WW Recovery Checklist.

Today, I’m thinking about the Prevention article, How Getting Organized Can Help You Lose Weight. Essentially, science agrees with my dad: organizing your environment helps to organize your mind. If we are faced with too many choices off the bat we can struggle to pick the best option. Decluttering the environment helps to make our options more readily available and that helps to put control back in our hands. Makes sense, doesn’t it?

My dad used to come home with little gifts for me and this album was one of my favorites. As a kid I fell in love with the music (even commercials) of his generation.

The author, Joni Sweet, recommends starting with the refrigerator:

Getting organized is just the good strategy I need as I get ready to head back to school. As I took some time to clean my refrigerator I kept thinking, “I’m doing this for me. This is a way to be kind to myself.” I had a my candle burning, the cheerful music playing, and in the end a clean, well-organized refrigerator was not my only reward, I felt really good. I felt calm, centered, and cared for. This is one way to help myself lose weight and live my life in better health.