Recondition: Why Good Organizing is Like Powerwashing
Our back patio started getting grungy last year – it was time for powerwashing. I asked my husband to do it but he’s been busy with lots of other projects. And he said he didn’t want me to tackle it.
(You know how when someone tells you that you can’t do something; you want to prove them wrong?) I have been hankering to powerwash that patio now for a year. It would be so gratifying to remove that dark coating. It would be a reconditioning of the stony material
My trigger arm still hurts. My powerwashing hand was still vibrating as I drank my tea this morning. I power-washed for eight long and arduous hours on Saturday, stopping only for dinner. (My kids had to entertain themselves; mom was on a mission!) It was after 9 pm when I finished. It was dark and cold and I was soaked. I had gone through 3 outfits and 3 pairs of boots.
I had a lot of time to think. I concluded that organizing is a lot like powerwashing. Good organizing, that is.
To recondition means to renew, fix up, freshen, refurbish, renew, renovate, or give a new look. Now, that sounds like organizing! Reconditioning something (like your patio or clutter or paper), as it turns out, has more to do with your mental preparation than the object being reconditioned.
Here are 5 Reconditioning Realities for your organizing efforts:
1. We always think it is going to take less time that it does. Before I began, I envisioned that with each stroke of the spray, the original aggregate would appear with ease. It would be a few hours, I knew, but what a payoff it would be! I thought that after I got done, I would plant some flowers. It couldn’t take more than half my day.
Reality: the first few strokes of the spray instructed me in the labor-intensive program I had embarked upon. The level of grunge required the most concentrated spray, achieved only through very close proximity of the water to the patio, yielding only a few inches of cleared track at a time. My brain immediately went into calculator mode, and the time I had allotted skyrocketed in an instant without my permission.
2. We are so conditioned for ease and speed in this life of convenience, that we avoid work that takes a long time. As I surveyed the scope of the project, taking back only one or two inches at a time hardly seemed worth it! The patio seemed like Mt. Everest and I was standing at the base in my shorts and boots (a dashing sight to behold, I assure you.)
Reality: Breaking large projects up into achievable goals is not just a good idea: it’s the only way you won’t quit before you start. Before I started to “awfulize” the gargantuan project, I stopped myself. I noticed that the patio was divided into four equal squares. I told myself that all I had to do was get through the first square. I had to take captive the thought of giving up before it materialized, and put my mind on something achievable.
3. We want shortcuts with the same results as the “long way.” I had to carefully attend to the line I was creating, ensuring that the coating was fully being removed in that track. It was tedious work that required my close attention. I found that if I pulled the handle higher in the air I could get a wider swath, which was attractive, because then I could cover a wider track and speed up my progress. However, whenever I did this, I had to go back over the wider track with a tighter spray because I had inevitably missed some stubborn gunk.
Reality: There are no real tips and tricks or shortcuts to doing a job properly. I know this reality does not sell magazines, nor is it popular. However, the grunge spoke for itself. I could achieve a quicker result, but the coating would still be intact and the effort I had made would be in vain. To properly recondition this patio, it was going to have to be the long way. When I took a break and came back to my work, I could instantly tell where I had tried to shortcut the process; the stubborn coating just gloated back at me as if to say “good try, no deal.”
4. When tackling backlog, we go a little nutty because it’s out of our normal work approach. I became bored about 28 seconds after starting because I couldn’t stand the feeling of being trapped into long, sweeping, vertical motions all day. It was so mechanical. My creative, expressive self was fighting it.
Reality: getting caught up on backlogged projects (like clutter or paper) is going to take a different approach than our daily modus operandi, so you have to know that in advance and alter your approach- frequently. I had to break up the work and try new approaches or I would go crazy. I did not move consistently across each square with long vertical swaths. I tried that for a while, then I moved horizontally from another corner, moving inward, and I would rotate often, and the remaining section shifted in size. At least by changing my tactics, I could control some little aspect of this tedious work.
5. We want respite and recognition for our reconditioning efforts. Let’s face it: tedious projects require stick-to-it-iveness and these are often not as glamorous as more splashy projects that get built-in recognition (like remodels).
Reality: very few others are going to cheer you on the way you deserve for tackling organizing, so you must reward yourself and build in breaks to the process. I told myself that once I got the first square done I would let myself powerwash the barbecue. For the second square it was the wooden bench, the third square it was the flower pots and the final square: the grand prize – I would get the patio furniture out of the shop loft and set it up. This kept me going through soggy boots, wind that was picking up, and the strong desire to bail from this thankless work. For our clients, our organizers have been known to show up at their homes with their favorite coffee drink, help them pack for a trip, fold some laundry, or take a tea break, just to keep the rest breaks and rewards flowing. To tackle backlog and get to a baseline that you can maintain, you must slog through the “hard stuff” and this requires outwitting the trench work.
My patio gunk is no different than clutter; it is just a layer – that took a while to accumulate – that is covering the good stuff underneath that deserves a chance to be used and enjoyed. Not all organizing is like powerwashing, of course, just tackling the backlog, the layers of accumulation.
Once you’ve gutted through the backlog, you get to the baseline. From there, you can set up new systems for going forward. That’s when organizing gets creative, fun, and customized to your unique life and work style. Unfortunately, most organizing magazines and media tend to focus on the bins, baskets, and color palettes- the “before and after.”
The tragic mistake of ignoring the reality of the “clutter coating” makes normal people feel alone, disillusioned, and like they’re doing something wrong. Take heart – there’s just a backlog you’re dealing with now. So, get through that backlog however you must, doing it right, or you’ll just have to re-do it later.
I still have to powerwash the pathway. After I get done with that, I’ve decided I’m going to store the powerwasher nearby in the garage for easy access (rather than out in the shop), so the gunk will never get that bad again. After all, once we’ve “paid the piper” and dealt with the backlog, we never want to revisit that grueling effort again. Powerwashing is, in summary, like organizing backlogged clutter. You never want to do that deep reconditioning again, and you’re enjoying the outcome and freedom of your hard work, so going forward, you keep the layers light!
Related
- Learn more about hiring Restoring Order to help in your home or business
- Check out our Organizing Books and DVDs for do-it-yourself help
- Join the movement of Life Reclaimists by signing up for my free Life Reclaimist Jumpstart
- Visit our Life Reclaimist page for more resources
