A Place for Everything

"A place for everything and everything in its place." 

When our kids were growing up and our house was crammed full of the many artifacts of their lives, I dreamed of a decluttered nirvana. A place for everything... When I retired, I was sure that I would clean out all the closets and other collector's havens in our house and approach my nirvana. But my Myers Briggs results should have tipped me off that I'm very conflicted about a decluttered nirvana and its relative importance to me.

I've taken the Myers Briggs assessment several different times in my life and my results are quite consistent. I'm unequivocally thinking rather than feeling when it comes to making decisions. And I rely on intuition (which I think of as "big picture") much more than lots of details. But I'm typically right on the line (or "conflicted") when it comes to judging versus perceiving, which perhaps explains why I can't even describe very well what this dichotomy even is. According to the MB web site, 

This fourth preference pair describes how you like to live your outer life--what are the behaviors others tend to see? Do you prefer a more structured and decided lifestyle (Judging) or a more flexible and adaptable lifestyle (Perceiving)? This preference may also be thought of as your orientation to the outer world.

Simplistically for me, my conflict between J and P is that I think I should be highly organized and work my to do list, but somehow other things always get in the way. I tend to wing it but not necessarily admit (to myself or to others) that I'm in flight. So when it comes to being organized, I'm destined to live my life as a work in progress. But it also means that I'm always on the lookout for organizational tips or the now-popular term "life hacks." Which leads me to the raison d'être for this blog. I've struggled with creating something that is, more or less, a personal journal. Especially given that many entries aren't my thoughts but the wonderful quotations by others. 

I recently read a tip that you should create some kind of "file" to collect ideas, quotations, etc. that appeal to you. For me, this blog has become that personal organizational tool. Aside from providing an opportunity to capture my ideas, it's also a very satisfying method for recording my collection of quotations and other tidbits. It's visually satisfying and much easier to scroll back through than a physical journal would be. I read someplace that the majority of blogs are, in fact, personal journals with zero or minimal attempt to promote them to a broader audience. Thinking about this place as a tool for imposing outer order definitely elevates my inner peace quotient.

One of my "places for everything..."