Mission Organization: Week 52 – Keep a Sense of Humor

“Where do I start?”

That was the first thought I remember having when I began the Mission Organization 52 Week Challenge for 2012.

I didn’t have to look far for something to do because it was right after the Christmas holiday, and it was time to take down the tree and deal with all the ornaments and decor. It just seemed to make sense that my first project would be organizing and labeling the Christmas decor for storage. After that first week, there seemed to be no end to the number of household projects needing attention.

Now, after an entire year of weekly projects in addition to the regular cleaning routines, one would think that there would be very little organizing left to do at my house. Oh, if only that were so. Even with all my projects and good intentions, I have not yet achieved that perfectly clean, uncluttered, serene household that I so longingly have desired.

In view of all my household missions for this year, my son found a cartoon that he thought applied to my efforts to get “in control of everything” at home. I have to agree, some days I have just wanted to take this route! Fortunately, this talented cartoonist can put those frustrations on paper and make me laugh at myself.

My son has always been a reminder to me to keep a sense of humor. When he was very young, he loved to read joke books, and he would remember the jokes and retell them to me with delight. Now that he’s older and away from home, sometimes I’ll get a call during his commute to work. He often has a funny story to share about something he has read, heard on NPR, or just observed. I think the cartoon that he sent me about home organization is a good reminder that the home organization process should not take control over our lives. Organization is a tool that should make our lives easier. Taking the housework too seriously can be stressful for the whole family. One thing I noted during my year of organizing is that you can’t organize other people. If the success of a project is dependent upon someone else’s cooperation, then it just might fail.

My best advice after spending a year diligently working on home organization: declutter to make cleaning easier, set cleaning routines that fit your lifestyle and work for your family, utilize quality tools and cleaning supplies, and keep a sense of humor because things won’t always be perfect.

I hope my Mission Organization for 2012 has been helpful to someone. Weeks 1 – 52 are indexed in the Thoughts and Mission Organization Page on the header bar above.

After looking back at the year, I realized that one of my favorite organizational projects of all is not even a part of Mission Organization. One of the most helpful projects that I have done has been to organize a spice drawer in my kitchen.