Spring-cleaning: setting up your environment to win!

Better Nutrition, March, 2005 by Marilu Henner

Wouldn't you love to set up your living and working space to, once and for all, function most efficiently. for your health, well-being, and career? Think of the benefits that come from having a well-organized life: You can focus on your priorities while not being distracted (and stressed) by the disorder that clouds your mind and body with clutter. You can instantly access everything you need. You can surround yourself with a system and equipment that are conducive to healthful eating and exercise. And most important of all, you can allow friends, neighbors and co-workers to visit anytime--without warning!

For most people, the thought of spring-cleaning sends shivers up their spines. Not me. I celebrate it! I love spring-cleaning! It's the perfect time to get rid of the old and bring in the new; the ideal opportunity to reevaluate your health, diet, family and career goals and decide if your current environment is working for you or against you. I start to salivate every year, sometime around midwinter, over the prospects of spring-cleaning. You've heard of Pavlov's dog? Well, I'm his cleaning lady.

Childhood Influence

This probably dates back to the living conditions I was subjected to while growing up. I was forced into a tidy lifestyle in early childhood because my tiny bedroom had no door and was openly connected to our kitchen, the unofficial lobby/ meeting hall/Grand Central Station of the household--and neighborhood! My family was very popular, and our kitchen door was perpetually open to all--and so was mine. I was the only kid in the family (and probably in the neighborhood) who didn't have a bedroom door.

My siblings were able to hide their messy lifestyles behind closed doors, and my parents wisely insisted those doors stay locked when company was around. Clutter was allowed to run rampant in all of their rooms while mine was the exemplary display model for the viewing public. My brothers' room was the worst. Buried deep beneath an avalanche of grass-stained jerseys, baseball cards, and dirty magazines, I once found a Native American with a tear running down his cheek. Whenever their door opened, a mushroom-cloud odor of gym socks and box turtles wafted through the house. I'll never understand why that stench lingered years after their turtles died. I still get homesick every time I visit PETCO.

My childhood was like Jim Garrey's character in The Truman Show, and because of it, I became accustomed to lots of noise and activity, bright lights in my face, people being able to watch me work--and a need to keep my environment neat and organized. This has had lasting consequences. To be most productive, I still need some of those conditions. I always did my homework on the bus or in the cafeteria instead of in the library or study hall, and I still work that way. Silence and solitude are more distracting to me than chatter and commotion. But I also can't focus when I'm surrounded by clutter. I can't work in a messy room. Ideally, I should work at a very tidy but crowded bus depot. But that's just me.

Organizing Principle

Everyone thrives most in his or her own unique environment. And that's what this article is all about--finding the environment that's right for you. There isn't just one universal template to follow for organizing your "winning" environment. It's important to determine which surroundings work best for you, and then build that environment to suit your needs.

Some people need everything to be just right before they can get down to business. If that's what you need, then by all means, begin working on creating that perfect world today. However, don't let perfectionism become an excuse for never getting started. I have a friend who wants to be a screenwriter but feels he can't become one without an elaborate software program to help him write. Unfortunately, the software program won't really help him because he doesn't have a computer. But he can't afford a computer until he gets a better job. And according to him, he won't get a better-paying job until he becomes a writer. You get the picture. It's important to learn to recognize the difference between a real need and a lame excuse.

So before beginning your spring-cleaning, carefully examine your goals. You must get to the root of what it takes for you to get what you want. Everybody is different. There are the obvious physical requirements everyone needs to exercise, eat right and be productive. And then there are the less-obvious factors such as how your space affects you psychologically, emotionally and aesthetically--and also how it conflicts or blends with family members, roommates and co-workers.

Personal System

Are you the kind of person who thrives when you work as part of a team with your mate, colleagues or friends? Or do you need to work and/or exercise in isolation? Are you most successful when you're challenged under pressure? Or do you need regular coddling and encouragement? Are you an "I'll show you" or an "I'll show me"?

Also think about what needs the most attention in your life. Which of all the plates you have spinning is most in jeopardy of crashing to the ground? If you're seriously overweight or have another severe diet-related health issue such as heart disease (actually ALL health issues are diet-related), it is most important for you to focus on organizing your kitchen in a way that will change your destructive pattern. If you're unemployed or your career is stagnant, then you may need to change your work space and reorganize all of your job-related paraphernalia in a way that will best guide you toward your goals.