• attention deficit
• hyper
• depressed
• anxious
• autistic
• distractable
• anti-social

I feel yucky just typing these. When I was in grade school, my teachers said I was “not performing to potential”, “talkative”, “a daydreamer”. The worst was “Queen of the Space Cadets”. Ouch. Years later, as an adult, I got the label “attention deficit disorder”.

Brain labels erode confidence

Although I’m sure my teachers meant no harm, their labeling made me feel different – in a way that isolated me and prevented me from asking for help. Somehow that label meant that the behavior was my problem. If I would just try harder… (ever heard that one?)

In my heart of hearts, I knew I was fine just the way I was — I loved being creative and imaginative — but not everyone is that lucky. Over time, we unconsciously absorb the belief that being different is not okay. We fall prey to the belief that we’re inferior, not intelligent, or as good as those who easily fit the norm.

Intelligence is more than your IQ

Ode Magazine recently published an article I’m crazy about. It’s called Your Brain is a Rain Forest, by Thomas Armstrong, which explores the concept of “neurodiversity”. Instead of a one-size-fits-all model brain, he suggests that there’s an infinite variety of brain types — all of them useful in their own right.

Instead of automatically labeling brains that deviate from the norm as aberant or inferior, Armstrong  argues persuasively that brain labels are, among other things, an indicator of our culture’s bias. Western culture is fast-paced, highly social, driven, and productive, so it’s inherently biased against brains that process slowly, are introverted, methodical, or dreamy. This is a loss, since all brains (and their people) have something valuable to contribute.

Just look at the life of Temple Grandin, autistic genius and creator of a humane cattle chute.

Caring for your brain in a sped-up, overstimulating world

As I’ve been writing this, the grass is being mowed outside my office. I can’t change this fact. I’ve gotten up about 6 times, turned on classical music, closed the door, closed the window, and put on my noise-canceling headphones — all to manage my focus.

In Armstrong’s article, he emphasizes the importance of constructing what he calls “positive niches” for your kind of brain. Just like birds or plants, different brains thrive in environments that compliment their unique qualities.

In addition to communities and geographic areas Armstrong discusses, at Inspired Home Office we create micro-level positive niches. My purpose is to help you create an environment that supports you and encourages your creativity. I never focus on your brain’s weaknesses. Instead, we explore what your brain does well so that you can integrate it into your work environment.

Some of the the unique traits and intellect that clients demonstrate include:

• emotion
• sensitivity and intuition
• creativity
• vision
• movement
• placement of physical objects
• systems
• relationships

When viewed through this positive lens, “deficiencies” become assets that are used to inform the creation of a nourishing environment. For example, someone who is highly visual might need something beautiful (window view, painting, collage, inspirational quote) to look at while working. Someone with a lot of energy might use a bouncy chair or treadmill while using the computer, so she’s not rigidly confined to a desk. Someone who craves solitude for reflection and renewal can set up systems that buffer her from interruption.

Your brain is a unique and beautiful gift

Take a moment to entertain this idea: if you struggle in your work environment, the problem isn’t your or your brain, it’s simply your environment. It doesn’t yet match your brain’s needs.

Don’t let a label run your life. Take a few minutes to read Armstrong’s article for full impact and begin to celebrate the brain you have.

Then explore: What’s one (small or large) adjustment you can make to your current workspace so that it more closely matches your brain’s strengths?

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Just about everyone has one part of the house where the unwanted curiosities go. Sometimes it’s a drawer or an unused room, sometimes it’s in the attic or basement. When I have an item I’m not sure I need anymore, it goes in the mudroom for the next trip to the garage.

Here’s a list of some of our most recent unwanted oddities:

• a large box from a computer part
• a stack of unloved books
• a huge laundry soap bucket
• several bags of sticky, empty soda cans
• our old mattress

I didn’t think about what I wanted to do with all these things when they went to the garage. I just know I don’t want them in the house — so out they went!

The outcome of deferring

Putting stuff in the garage (or other room) without thinking defers making the final decision. Deferred decisions have a very “ugh” feeling to them. No matter what room you put things in you can tell by how it feels.

Sometimes I go out in the garage and I just can’t bear to look around. It’s too overwhelming. If you can relate to this feeling, it’s normal. Your brain can only handle one thing a a time (no matter how well you multitask), and when there are innumerable things in your garage, it stops your brain in its tracks. Instant overwhelm.

Every time we defer deciding what to do with an object, we add to our feelings of overwhelm.

Wrestling with “more is more”

It’s normal to be overwhelmed, in part because of the world in which you live.

I used to live in a house built in the 1920s. I loved the Craftsman style and architecture – what I hated was the lack of storage. When we finished the basement, the first priority was adding closet space. Looking back, it makes me wonder what’s changed so much about lifestyles in 100 years that would warrant such a drastic need for storage. Many older houses just had a nail to hang a Sunday dress on! Are human beings so different today?

Humans haven’t changed in a century, but our culture’s priorities have. Most Westerners are caught up in the pursuit of the newest, the biggest, the latest trends – even though very little of it adds lasting satisfaction or peace to our lives. I think that marketing messages escalate our fears of being caught unprepared and being the odd-person-out. We collect stuff to feel safe.

The more we stuff we accumulate, the more time we spend managing it all. This effectively reduces the time we have for the relationships we crave.

Alternatives (they do exist!)

A variety of communities have sprung up around voluntary simplicity and the slow movement. Wise people are waking up to the idea that more/newer/better doesn’t fulfill our heart’s needs. These communities help people reclaim their lives and loves.

As I’ve been on my own path to slowing down and choosing simplicity, I am finding more time to self-nourish, to enjoy my partner and friends, and even reclaim a hobby or two. How 20th century!

While I don’t have anything to share in discussions about TV shows or the latest gadgets (I own neither), I would really rather hear about people’s hearts anyway. I’m slowly defining myself less by what I own, and more by who I am.

But what about the stuff in my garage?

Right. About that. Whether your stuff comes from your office, kitchen, or other room, everything makes its way to the garage in the end. And there it sits, accumulating. Waiting for you to decide its fate.

The dread of this project comes from deferring so many decisions into one place – especially if you have attachment or emotions toward any of the items that languish there.

My primary suggestion is to make peace with letting it go. You will inevitably let each thing go – either now or when you die. The question is: how long you want to live with that “ugh” energy?

If you’ve had enough, roll up your sleeves and try these 3 practical steps:

1. The journey of a thousand miles:
Start with one thing in your garage. One thing only. Pick it up and look at it. Make room for any feelings that come up for you around this item.

2. Find where it goes:
Be curious about where it goes next. Once you’ve decided, commit to letting it go even if you haven’t gotten all the possible use out of it. Even if you think you could/should make money from it. Let go.

Research appropriate homes for it, but acknowledge that it’s an alien to you now, not your possession. Once you know where it goes next (recycle, donate, disposal), take it there.

3. Rinse, repeat:
Keep doing these two steps until only the essential remain. It sounds so easy, most people ignore this advice as simplistic. It’s challenging, but very effective. Just start.

Business cards

We put so much work into designing our own and so much money on printing and so much courage into sharing them, it feels terrible to just throw out someone else’s card. Don’t you agree?

Here’s what I do

When it comes to business cards, I have a politeness policy: I accept them if offered (and take them if I want them), but with the inner understanding that I’ll toss/recycle them if I don’t plan to use the information.

It hasn’t always been this way, but I’ve reached a level of trust that when I need something, the right thing will come along. If I need a painter, I’ll ask around and find the perfect person. It takes too much energy for me to hang on to business cards just because I might need them someday. I’m not willing to devote time to organizing every single one anymore.

The business cards I do keep? They go into an alphabetized folder with these handy plastic sheets that look like this (link provided for reference).

I don’t use it often, but it’s helpful to have – and all those cute little cards stay contained.

It’s worth mentioning that I don’t alphabetize by last name. I file by what I’ll remember. If I look at the card and the first thing that comes to mind is “recycling”, I file it under “R”. If I know that I only remember the person’s first name, I highlight it and put it under the corresponding letter. It’s only a system that works for me, but that’s the point. It works. : )

How about you?

Your turn! If you’d like, please share what you’re doing that helps you keep track of business cards. Your ideas help everyone!

Your comments on your own process are welcome. Just remember to give advice to me or others only when it’s specifically requested. This makes exploring safe and learning possible for every reader.

I wanted something that didn’t stick permanently, but held fast. So, I broke down and did some research online to find a sturdy sticky thing.

And I found it!

3M makes “Command Poster Strips” — and they’re genius! Each strip has two sticky sides that you reveal by peeling off a peel-y paper thing. You position them tab-side down when you hang your poster.

Then, when you want to remove the object from the wall, you slowly pull on the tab and it stretches and unsticks without damaging the wall or the paper.

Before, I probably had 2 feet of blue tape working ineffectively. My collage now has 3 of these strips and hasn’t budged all week. Yay!

Check them out!

Leah Piken Kolidas

Website: www.bluetreeartgallery.com
Blog: www.creativeeveryday.com

What she does: Leah is an artist who sells her originals and prints, and teaches others how to use their creativity.

What she loves best about her office: The light, the views of trees

How her office helps her: It’s still new to her, but in her new space she notices that she sees lots more possibility in her business.

Leah’s everyday genius idea: She creates a visual to-do list in her sketch book, drawing images that go along with the items on her to-do list.

Listen to the recording (13 minutes)

Genius quote:

“Doodling helps people people absorb information and think.”
- Leah Piken Kolidas

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Sometimes it’s not the clutter.

Sometimes it’s what we think that causes the most trouble.

Imagine sitting down at your computer to check your email and, when you open the inbox, the number total unopened emails is in the 4-digits.

You look at that number glowing on your screen and quietly think to yourelf,

“I’m so behind. I’m never going to catch up.”

That little comment to yourself is so quiet that you hardly even notice it. Even if you do, it’s so quick, it barely registers before you’re on to the next thing.

Looking deeper

The effect that thought has on you is immense. Deep in your brain, that thought triggers a response to a threat. Your body begins to prepare for battle or flight – skin begins to sweat, heart rate increases, adrenaline is released to give you the power to run.

Most of the time, you have no idea it’s even happening. Your brain is on auto-pilot.

The problem is that you can’t put this response to good use. You can’t punch your inbox’s lights out. And, faced with 1000 emails, you probably won’t take flight and run screaming down the hall. All the body triggers are out of alignment with the actual stimulus.

Overload

Worst of all, if you’re like a lot of stressed-out, busy people, you’re constantly thinking these kinds of thoughts:

I’m so behind.
I should have this done by now.
I promised I’d have this back to her.
My client is showing up any minute.
I’m never going to get caught up.
I’ll never break through.
I forgot that AGAIN!?
I should be doing way more than I am.

Say these kinds of things to yourself enough times and you’ll feel like you’re always running and always fighting for some peace.

Case in point

If you’ve ever had the illusion that Jen Hofmann has it all figured out, think again. A couple of months ago I started having heart fluttering and chest pain – accompanied by pretty awful digestive problems. I had no idea what was going on and I was really scared.

Interestingly, right before the symptoms started, I had been thinking about how January was (in my mind) “a wash” and I kept telling myself, “I wasted a whole month. I should have been doing more to grow my business.”

I was talking myself into a mental frenzy – for what? January was fine.

When the symptoms started, I failed to see what a compassionate physician did: I was stressed to the point of anxiety. All because of my thoughts.

Stress isn’t a baseline state

When it comes to surviving en encounter with an angry mastodon, stress is a lifesaver. But when your opponent is your inbox or your kitchen counter or the vacuum cleaner, that level of stress is out of alignment. We all do it, but it really does us harm. Ask any cardiac expert.

Thoughts are an inside job

Lots of people jump to the conclusion that if the inbox is causing you stress, the solution is to clean it out. I say, woah there. Not so fast.

Instead, I invite you on a journey of far greater subtlety:

1. Practice noticing your thoughts.

Like a lot of people, if you can’t see something, it doesn’t exist. Inspired Spouse suggested yesterday that I start keeping a list of the thoughts that come up for me. What a fabulous idea. I’m keeping a running list for the next week, just to see what’s there.

Neutrally observing your beliefs is freeing in a way that a desperately clean desk isn’t.

2. See your thoughts as visitors, not guests.

Instead of opening the door and willy-nilly letting in any thought, ask yourself if you want what they’re selling.

Just because a Girl Scout rings the bell, doesn’t mean she can move into the guest room. Just because you think you’re behind, doesn’t mean that belief needs to move in and run your life.

When you start seeing your thoughts as visitors, you’re actively loosening the hold they have on your spirit – not to mention your autonomic nervous system. You get to decide what stays and what goes – which is empowering.

3. Gently start sending your thoughts away.

In other words, when you notice a thought, don’t cause more damage by telling yourself, “Dummy! Why are you thinking that again?”

Be gentle.

Notice if there are thoughts you want to release because they’re not really true. If you’re feeling behind, behind compared to what? What if it were okay to be exactly where you are right now, even if it’s not where you wanted to be?

The key is to begin to cultivate gentleness toward yourself.

The thoughts inside your head are sometimes harsh and cruel – and you can’t thrive in an environment like that. When you put your spirit in front of the line, the thoughts may still come up but they won’t run your life. It might be a long journey to get to that place, but just think of the possibilities.

Thoughts? Yeah, buts? Me toos?

“You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” — E. L. Doctorow (via @artcetera)

If you’re frustrated by the amount of email you have, or the amount of work, or the volume of paper on your desk, or the frazzled nerves in your brain, or the lack of time to do things…

Just remember that you don’t have to do the whole thing. You only need to do the next thing.

• If you have boatload of work to do, pick one thing – even the easiest thing – and start with that.
• If you have a ton of email to read and reply to, start with the one on the bottom.
• If you haven’t had time to write a single Christmas or New Year’s card, don’t do all of them. Just start with one.

It’s the season where you can knock yourself flat, deplete your spirit, and snarl at loved ones.  Not because you want to, but because there’s just so much happening at once that it’s hard to decide where to start.

Just like the quote says, shine your light on one thing. Start with that. You’ll still get to your destination – and you might even feel lighter and more peaceful when you arrive.

For me, that means clicking “publish” on this post so I can share it with you.

What’s the next thing for you?

Do you remember the last time you took a walk in the woods?

Maybe you can recall the quality of the light, the views and scenes that passed you, the kinds of plants and trees along the way, or the companions who accompanied you. There’s something meditative about the woods.

Practically speaking, most people find that a walk in the woods is fairly easy to do. You simply choose a place to begin and then start walking. It’s so obvious how to take a walk in the woods that it hardly seems worthwhile to explain it.

You just start.

You don’t worry about step 247 or bridge number 2 or the fourth squirrel. You just walk.

Organizing is like that too.

Organizing is just like a walk in the woods. You begin. You take a single step forward – and another – and another, pausing occasionally to take in the sights.

Except when it isn’t.

Unlike walking in the woods, people do get stressed about where to put things (step 247) or how to deal with email (bridge number 2) or dealing with time management (the fourth squirrel). When you worry about these things, it’s as though you’re standing stock still in the middle of the path with your eyes closed.

You can’t get there any faster by thinking so hard.

Just take a step.

Depending on the length of your legs, a single step happens in about a half-second. Is there something you can you do in your space today that would take a half-second?

The idea isn’t to get to the end of the trail in one fell swoop. Your legs aren’t that long – and neither is your attention span.

Maybe, just maybe, you’d be willing to take a “walk” through your workspace today, taking half-second actions to move what you can.

That fourth squirrel will appear when it’s supposed to and no amount of thinking will make it come faster.

Enjoy your walk.

Pets.

God love them.

The Inspired Cat thinks (perhaps rightfully) that she owns the whole place. Including my bill basket.

Cat and mouse at rest

Read on and you’ll discover that it basically *is* her house. I can’t imagine my life without her, so I know pets are here in my life to stay. However, having pets in your home office presents some small challenges.

Keeping pet issues at bay

What is currently working well for me:

A designated resting place. When I’m not in the office, Inspired Cat thinks that my Captain Picard Chair is her bed. Fortunately, it’s big enough for the both of us. In reality, she has a real pet bed on my desk that she uses a lot. It’s close enough for me to pet her, but out of the way enough that I don’t need the turf for work stuff.

Noise-canceling headphones. Sassafras is fastidious. Just ask Bridget. Her licking (Sassy’s, not Bridget’s) is sometimes incessant and it can drive me up a wall. Especially when I’m trying to concentrate on something. Agh!

Yelling at or otherwise dissuading a cat from doing anything it wants to do is pointless. Not to mention, rude. And I don’t want to lock her out of the office because I’m a big ol’ softy.

So I use noise-canceling headphones once a day for about 20 minutes to block out the noise and keep working. Then, once the lick-fest is over, Inspired Cat deigns to take her afternoon nap on my desk. It’s very sweet.

What I’m currently working on:

Cat toys. Everywhere. There’s the collection of feather toys, ribbons, the catnip pillow. If you have pets, you know what I mean. I’ve managed to move the scratching post to another room, but I haven’t found a handy way to store toys that she likes to play with during the day. It’s an organizing dilemma, I tell you.

Mom’s lap is a bed. We just can’t find a win-win for this, either. I don’t have enough lap or arms for her to lay on me/have me hold her while I’m trying to work at my computer. She looks at me adoringly and I usually give in and pick her up… but I “hate” that she can play me like that. Doesn’t she appreciate everything I do to keep food in her dish and a roof over her head? Doesn’t she know I have work to do?

It’s true what they say: Dogs have people, cats have staff.

What do YOU do to keep pet issues at bay?

Dogs? Cats? Echindas? Enlighten us. What works really well for you? What are you working on?

Do you have a beloved corner in your workspace that radiates inspiration and intention?

Although it can sometimes become dusty and neglected, many home offices have sacred corners or little altars that remind of of who we are, of our place in the world, and provide us with a glimmer of transcendence in the midst of our harried lives.

My home office altar of inspiration

What is currently working well for me:

Lovingly chosen objects displayed together. A few months ago, I re-created my sacred space and took a photo to share. There are just a few things on a bookshelf – a painting my grandmother did, a finger labyrinth I made with some cherished friends, and a sign I made that reminds me of Who’s In Charge.

I add objects periodically, significant ones that remind me of people I love and cherished moments and places.

Big, fat collages all over. I make a collage for each of the 9 areas of life – about every year – and I hang them all over my office. I love them. They’re beautiful to look at, inspirational, and they turn my whole office into sacred space.

All office, all the time. A while ago, I decided that I didn’t want my clothes to live in my office closet anymore and moved them out. Now everything in my office relates to my business. This helps me feel more focused and my office is less sloppy.

What I’m currently working on

Outdated inspiration. My collages are about 2 years old now, and starting to feel a little stale. I’m planning to remedy that over the Christmas holiday, but I notice that they don’t inspire me the way they used to. They represent who I was, not where I’m going.

Dust. It’s right up there with vacuuming.

What do YOU do to put the sacred in your space?

What works really well for you? What are you working on?

Share your insights and ideas! Your comments on your own process are welcome. I also request kindly, firmly, that you not give advice to me or others unless it’s specifically requested. This makes exploring safe and learning possible for every reader.