Menopause

Take Time to Be Tidy: A New Challenge

I like my home to be picked up, so its best qualities shine, and I like my house to be organized for efficiency.

But I often fall short on both neatness and organization.

So one of the habits I’ve been working is nicknamed “Take Time to Be Tidy.” I’m supposed to spend the extra minutes it takes to neaten up my cosmetic bag after a trip or keep my paint tubes sorted by color or fold my jeans instead of cramming them onto the closet shelf.

Case in point (pun somewhat intended) is sharpening pencils. It maybe takes three minutes to sharpen a few pencils. But the above pencils sat in my art box for weeks or maybe even months. I would pick up a broken pencil, put it back, pick up another broken pencil, put it back. I would keep this up until I finally found one that was sharp enough to use to sketch out a painting.

I might spend the same three minutes (many times over) online and never think twice. What’s so hard about sharpening some pencils?

I finally did sharpen my pencils. I’m so happy! Those pointy pencils stand ready to do their job.

I get procrastinating the harder stuff, but why do I put off easy tasks? I have no clue if this is a habit I can break, but I seem to be making some progress.

What easy tasks do you put off? Any tips for breaking the habit?

And right as I finished up this post, I learned that there’s such a thing as pencil tip sculptures. Who knew? If you google it, you’ll find a multitude of wonderful creations. Here’s just a taste:

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