The Peace and Productivity Podcast From Chaos to Calm: The Art of Organizing Your Life and Space with Jenny Layton
Do you want to learn more about organizing your space and your life? In this podcast episode, Sarah introduces Jenny Layton, a leading organization expert and mindset coach. They discuss Jenny's approach to organization, which encompasses mindset, space, time, and calendar management.
Creating a Home Base
Jenny talks about how important organization is in people’s lives. Organization does not only apply to labeling bins and organizing physical items, but it is about the ways people take care of themselves and their families. Jenny refers to this as “home base”. A home base is an area in your home that when it is clean, you can think clearly, but when it is messy, you get overwhelmed or edgy. For many, this could be the kitchen or the bedroom.
Organize for You
It is important to ensure organization serves you. Jenny shares how many clients feel like they don't have their lives together because they see others on social media with clean homes, an organized calendar and a “perfect life”. This image of organization is going to look different for everyone. You need to find a method that serves you so you don't feel like it is not a target you can reach.
Tangible and Intangible Clutter
Jenny shares a simple tool people can use when they are overwhelmed and feeling all tasks are becoming a priority. This involves getting all the thoughts in your head out on paper. There is both tangible and intangible clutter. This involves physical clutter and clutter in one’s head, such as thoughts and actions. Write a list of all the tangible clutter in your home and all of the “clutter” in your head and categorize them (ie. errands, cleaning, meals, etc.)
In collaboration with this physical list is the three D mind dump that Jenny shares. These stand for delete, delegate and delay. “Delete” are items that do not need to be done today and can be completed at another time. “Delegate” are tasks that can be put on another individual. This could be picking up groceries for dinner or getting the laundry together. Ask others in your household to help so you feel supported. “Delay” are things that cannot be done today, but will be pushed to the near future such as tomorrow or next week. You can plan time in the calendar for these tasks so you have time to focus on them.
Imperfect Progress
Having a busy life with many moving parts can lead to issues with perfection. Jenny shares the mantra of: “Done is better than perfect”. This can really create a mindset shift for people who struggle with perfectionism. Realistically, no one has the time to do every single task perfectly, especially with so little time. It is important to remember to focus on getting tasks done and not focusing on perfecting them.
If you are really struggling with keeping something in your home organized, start small and work your way up. Maybe focus on re-organizing your kitchen cabinet, your spice drawer or cleaning supplies. Give yourself more time in the calendar to commit to this small project to ensure it gets completed. Think about things you no longer use or need and think about where the items would be better suited in your kitchen. Design your space in a way that works well for you!
➡️ Listen in to learn more!
Episode Highlights:
6:09 How organizing our physical space can have a direct impact
7:41 Introducing the concept of "home base".
10:52 Understanding that organization should serve you
19:54 The three Ds
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