Organize Your Life - Save Your Sanity

By Jeffrey VanWingen M.D.

I have always had trouble keeping my life organized - something that was readily brought out in school.

One year (I think it was seventh grade) I got a Trapper Keeper, the iconic mega-folder that was color coded for each class. The effect it had on my performance in school was magical. In the years since, I’ve extrapolated this lesson to other areas of my life, reminding myself of this principal when I am in a slump.

As a doctor, I see people repeatedly whose lives are in disarray.

Their lives have fallen out of line and their health is the ultimate consequence. This syndrome may include fatigue, weight gain, poor sleep and depressed mood. These issues can, in turn, snowball into other health issues (high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiac disease).

Patients often look at me perplexed when I ask them, "What does the interior of your car look like?" or "How much time do you spend planning what they will eat the next day?" or "How much time do you take each day to build yourself up with deliberated relaxation or exercise?"

“I can’t,” they often answer, citing an excuse.

“You can,” I retort, telling them it will help them improve their parenting, job performance, sleep, energy, weight and a whole host of other hurdles.

Start Feeling Better NOW!

Success can be contagious if we take time to regain structure in our lives, as difficult as it may be. It takes an initial impulse to initiate the positive benefits. Start by:

Setting the alarm, getting up, and beginning an exercise routine.
Cleaning your car.
Planning your eating schedule deliberately for the next few days and eliminating fast, processed and unhealthy foods.
For the evenings, tending to your sleep. Pick a sleep time and keep to it. Organize your bedroom. Put clean sheets and good pillow on the bed. Do what you need to do to ensure your bedroom is a quiet, dark environment.

Your body will be rewarded with this “sleep hygiene.” Imagine waking up refreshed, getting your blood pumping with some exercise, knowing what you will eat when you head into the kitchen and then driving to work in a clean car. Where will this day lead you compared to others?

Find the impulse to make changes and the rewards will follow. Start reasonably with something that you know you can accomplish, something tangible.

Do you feel like you’re out of the zone? Make a commitment and get organized. Hear my words - "It’s okay to take time for yourself!" Don’t think of this as selfish. It will make you more effective for who depend on you. If you give, you should get, right?

Let it begin!

8 Comments

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Jessica Corwin, RD
Absolutely beautiful post. Could not agree more!
Commented on HelloLife October 03 2011 at 7:20 am
Laura Hogg
Wise words - something I definitely need to take to heart. I know it sounds simple or trite, but I recently cleaned my room and it's amazing the difference it has made in my attitude and outlook!
Commented on HelloLife October 03 2011 at 8:19 am
Erin Froehlich
I can definitely relate to this.... and it's weird to see this up here today, because I actually sat down and wrote on my home computer yesterday. Steps in a long term plan. After writing it, I felt instantly better - rather than letting life control me, I was controlling the course of my life. I cleaned my house as well - it was hard to work up the motivation to do it, but I felt loads better after I did. And it was nice because my fiance and daughter went to visit his grandma, so I had time to myself to think through things while I did.

The clutter gets to me. It affects my mood, and each little things eats up a bit more of my motivation - the dirty floors, the messy counters, the pile of laundry - I've actually had dreams about the pile of laundry that I've let pile up taller than me and twice as wide on more than one occasion.

Dream interpreters say that in dreams, the state of your home represents the state of your mind, each room playing it's own roll in the equation. I think this carries over into real life in some ways as well.
Commented on HelloLife October 03 2011 at 4:26 pm
Nancy
As I read this - it is a great reminder to take each day one at a time and (sometimes) force myself to get up early or get off the couch and do my work out routine!
Commented on HelloLife October 04 2011 at 4:22 pm
Bri Luginbill
Love this post as well! There is something about organizing that just puts things into perspective. For me, cleaning the kitchen is what helps me feel like I am in control...but I need to do more!

The two messiest places in my life are: my car and my bedroom. Never really thought about how it can affect your overall health, but it makes sense. Time to clean up those areas! :)
Commented on HelloLife January 23 at 3:24 pm
Erin Froehlich
Clutter is also really negative "feng shui." In that practice, like in dream analysis, each room represents a different aspect of our lives - our car represents our ability to travel through our lives, to progress in our career, our bathroom represents our ability to cleanse and purify, our kitchen represents our ability to nourish ourselves physically and emotionally, our living room represents our ability to connect with friends and family, our bedroom represents our ability to replenish our energy and connect with our lover.... while the act of physically improving those areas is very positive feng shui. When you think of it that way it's even MORE motivation to manage the clutter!
Commented on HelloLife January 24 at 2:49 pm
Bri Luginbill
Wow, that's good to know, Erin! I learned a lot about feng shui :D It makes a lot of sense too. Well, I decided to put these into action and cleaned my room and kitchen last night. I felt more rested than normal when I woke up this morning and ready to tackle whatever today brings! :)
Commented on HelloLife January 25 at 7:24 am
tracen916
may i also suggest MAKE YOUR BED EVERY MORNING, EVERY DAY!
Commented on HelloLife April 15 at 9:17 am