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The wrench, the garage, and nails.

The wrench, the garage and nails

Today is day 3 of Labor Day weekend and for the first time in months, I feel like I actually have a day off. Does it ever happen to you? It sounds quite funny coming from myself, as sometimes I feel like my whole life is one long day off.

Working from home, homeschooling my kids and being home for the majority of the week kind of instills this idea that my life is a vacation. Only today I suddenly realized that I need a day off of my days off.

I have noticed that I am in the “what else can I do” mode a lot more often than I realize. I am multitasking all the time. Working in the office while my oldest is working on his school at the desk right across from mine. Folding laundry while he is doing school at the dinner table (one of the commodities of homeschooling is that you can bring school with you). Cooking several meals at a time so I can freeze some for future crazy days, and sometimes video recording them for my youtube channel. Oh, snap, you didn’t know I have a YouTube channel? Well, here is the link: WonderCloset Warrior YouTube Channel.

What makes today different? Is it the fact that I took time for myself to do my nails and couldn’t do anything while waiting for them to dry? Is it taking the hubs truck to get the tires changed and being stuck a bit waiting for the call? Is it him fixing the bikes this morning?

I got to tell you summers get really hot here in Texas. We survive by visiting our neighborhood pool in the mornings and staying in air-conditioned space for the rest of the day. When the fall arrives we spend as much time outside as we can. I dig in my garden. We take bike rides. We go to parks… Rewind to bike rides. I don’t know what it is about the bikes. It’s either the bikes are shrinking or my boys are growing. Either way, the bikes needed adjustments and since the dear husband was home I asked him to do that right away.

He showed the boys how to use a wrench and adjust their seats. Then he told me I completely capable of doing it myself and I didn’t have to wait for him to do that.

You know what? He is right.

I am completely capable.

And I am sort of handy. I’ve been fixing lights, outlets, mowing and edging the lawn, I know how to use a drill and how to find a stud. If there is something I don’t know how to do yet, I can find a tutorial and figure out.

The question is, though, why would I want to do it all by myself?

Why would you want to do it all by yourself?

Why would anyone want to do it all by themselves?

The truth is that you don’t have to. Unless you live alone on an island. Which is probably not the case if you are reading this.

We get caught into the “I can do it myself” so much , that we cause ourselves loneliness and overwhelm.

We start to feel like nothing gets done right unless we do it. Nothing ever changes unless we apply our energy to it. As we apply the energy to get things going, the same energy of pushing is being applied to the people closest to us. They may start feeling unneeded and unwanted. We all know and understand what happens to a relationship when one party constantly feels unneeded.

I believe every person has this urge to be needed and to be useful in the group they belong to. If they don’t feel that way they tend to flake off and join a different group.

I said,

“ I know I am totally capable of using the wrench and pumping bikes’ tires. But that puts me in a spot where if i can do everything I must do everything. And I feel like I am doing enough already and don’t need yet another thing on my plate. I am blessed with a handy husband who knows how to fix things and I will be asking you to do them.”

I do have a handy husband who has turned our garage into a woodworking shop. So if the garage door open and you would take a peek inside you would never in life think a professional organizer lives here. We have huge tools sitting in the middle and an unfinished project waiting for the hands to be placed on it. My dear husband is building a king size bed for us and he agreed to put pull out drawers underneath for me. It has been too hot to work there in the summer so… we are waiting. I may be getting a new bed by Thanksgiving, the drawers are already done. He wanted to organize it today for it to be ready to work, but I had my nails appointment.

I am trying the J..y nail wraps, and no, I am not going to be selling them. I just kind of got really curious when I saw people being able to keep them on for weeks and sometimes all I want is a finished manicure. The truth is that I won’t do a manicure at a salon, I am never happy with the results. And paying $25 for something that is going to chip off in two or three days just doesn’t make sense to me. So I went to see me neighbor who happens to be a consultant and I am trying them on. I’ll let you know how it goes, because if it works, it is a huge time saver to me.

This is how the wrench, the garage, and the nails come together this cloudy morning.

Be a blessing and let others be a blessing, too.

Be a blessing and let other be a blessing to you

Be a blessing and let others be a blessing to you

How do you deal with a do-it-all-myself attitude? Do you find it advantageous? What works best for you in your relationships?

7 Reasons Why You Won’t Hire a Professional Organizer

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Reason #1 I should be able to do it all by myself.

When you look at your house through the eyes of your parents who would say something like, why can’t you keep your room clean? you feel sad and guilty. You start getting back into the “what is wrong with me” and “why can’t I, really?”

Growing up, I was told my future husband would throw me out of the house because I am so untidy. But I learned. It took more than three days. I lived on my own and learned the rule of Sunday. Sunday is the day when my place is supposed to be cleaned out and picked up. It was way too much fun to get my friends over. I was ready every Sunday. I learned basic meal planning when my mom would tell me we were having company and she was too busy at work. I had to figure out finances when she had two major surgeries in a row and I was left in charge of the household, my brother’s dinners and hospital visits.

There was nothing wrong with me. There was a time when I didn’t have the skill and I now have it. I learned it, so can you.

Sometimes, though, you are not ready or are just not willing to spend time learning on your own.

Self-studies are great as long as you stay diligent. BUT, there are other times.

The times when you want it done.

When a tap is leaking, you hire a plumber.

When you need to get organized, you hire a professional organizer.

Reason #2 What? You mean someone actually would be going through my things and telling me I MUST throw them away?

Well, kind of… That’s a really good one. We tend to multiply the things we own. They make us feel better about ourselves, keep the hope that some of the burned bridges can be restored, help us keep the memories.

At some point, though, you may ask yourself if it is you who owns the things or the things own you? Have they taken over the prime real estate of your home?

Let me be more specific. Do you own so much makeup that to get ready in the morning you spend more time digging through it than applying? If your answer is yes, then it may not be a bad idea to have someone else take a look at your collection and help you discard the items you don’t use, don’t like, or it’s just time for them to go.

Do you wear everything that is stashed in your closet?

Is your pantry organized enough so you can make dinner without having to run to the store?

Are your drawers so full, you can’t even close them, and you garage is a dumping ground?

All of the above would be a good reason to hire a professional organizer.

Reason #3 Why would I need one? I can find everything in my house. Eventually.

When you spend 5 minutes a day looking for something, it is really no big deal, right? Make it ten.. Or twenty. And now you are late. You are stressed. You are sweating and your hair’s a mess. You get to the meeting and you start thinking up one more reason. Another lie to cover up why you really are late. Tired of lying yet?

Another way to look at it is to add up all those minutes. 20 minutes a day add up to 7,300 minutes a year. That is 121 hours. That is 5 days. What could you have accomplished in 5 days?

Reason #4 I don’t need anyone else confirm I am a slob.

This has nothing to do with you being a slob. There always is a reason for a person to seek the help of a professional organizer. You may have never had a chance to learn certain organizing skills. They never teach that at school, you know.

You might have fallen a victim to the “get more” disease and are having a hard time to stop.

You may be an exhausted and sleep deprived mom who just doesn’t have the mental energy to get through this on her own.

Whatever your reason is, if you are considering getting help, this is the first step.

Reason #5 There will be a better time for it

There will be a better time to wear this pretty dress, and then i gained 20 pounds and it wouldn’t fit. There will be a better time to chat with this neighbor. The neighbor moves to a different state and never hear of her again.

There will be a better time to read this book, cook this meal, enjoy this bottle of wine, fall back in love with my house…

You get the picture. The life is now and the time is now. What are you really waiting for?

Reason #6 I can just go with a cleaning service. Professional Organizing is overrated.

Yes and no. I had a client who had her cleaning lady help her get organized. They bought a lot of plastic bins and moved all the belongings from overstuffed drawers into those bins and in the garage. Where it stayed until she realized she needed to park her car in there. This was when I came in. We spent three days organizing that garage. We ended up digging through every single bin and purging, purging, purging. Getting organized doesn’t mean you have to purge. It means you can not organize one spot at the expense of the other. Your house should become and well oiled mechanism that makes your life easier not over complicates it.

Reason#7 This is too expensive

Let me ask you this. What are the options?

Option #1 You could sell your home and shoot for a bigger one.

Pros: you get more space, the need for a professional organizer is non-existent anymore

Cons: you pay for the move $5,000. You pay the fee to your real estate agent $7,000. You move into a new house, you need new furniture, appliances, hire a painter to get the walls repainted and such… anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000. AND, let’s not forget, your mortgage and property tax skyrockets. You do the math. Just seeing these numbers freaks me out. Haha.

Option #2 You could do everything in your power to fall in love with your house again. If it takes some painting done, so be it. If it takes rearranging the furniture and maybe swapping a couple pieces, great!

If you need more space, you know who to call. GhostBusters! Just kidding.

Having said all the above, it really is up to you. It is up to you if you had had enough and you want your house back. It is up to you if you want to gain the control and be in charge of your things. It is up to you if you are done wasting your time and making up excuses.

This is all your choice.

BUT, if one day you know you are ready to get help, – do hire a professional organizer.