Yes, I’m trying to get organized, again. I find that organization is something ongoing and it is definitely a big part of being creative. Lack of organization can slow creativity down; it can even bring it to a grinding halt.

There are two kinds of organization that I usually have to deal with, and if either area is a mess it becomes a roadblock to progress. The first is organization of my thoughts and mental projects. The second is organization of the physical things in my life. These two broad categories cover just about everything.

As I am moving into a new stage of life where young children are not the center of everything I do, a lot of reorganization is needed. It begins with mental reorganization; creating new thought patterns and priorities. However, there’s an awful lot of physical stuff that just seems to collect when you’re raising a family. It can be overwhelming.

However, with my desire to creatively take charge of my life and move forward with new possibilities, I decided to start in the living room. The Feng Shui had become stagnant and the dust bunnies of winter were making nests so I determined to make a change.

It took 2 weeks of thinking about it before I could make any changes. Then it took 2 days of moving shelves, the desk and a computer, getting rid of unnecessary stuff and cleaning. It’s not that the room was a mess, it wasn’t really, but the computer next to the TV was really bothering me, and there were too many books that we didn’t need. I also needed to find a way to store my photo albums.

The living room was just a start that led to some dining room changes, and will continue to some kitchen changes. It’s step by step, but with each step I feel free to be even more creative. Physical organization effects mental organization, and mental organization will help physical organization. You might say they are like two sides of a coin.

During these past few weeks of getting organized I also came in contact with Candy from Finding Order In Chaos and Order Your Steps. Before visiting her blog and website I had only thought about organization as something we just need to do every now & then to make life look, feel and work better. Her work made me realize that organization really is creative activity, and some people have a greater talent in that area than others. So, if I lived in the DC area I would be calling her and saying, “Come on over, I need some expert help.”

I guess I’ll just have to do it myself. It’s coming along, room by room, mental file by mental file. Slowly but surely I will create something new and good.