March 14 will go down in my personal history book as a day that I never got out of my pajamas. This is unheard of for me. I am always running, doing, working, thinking, strategizing and planning. With all the excitement about the snowstorm that we were expecting on March 14, I was eager to decide how to spend my time with a forced day off.
Admittedly, I did work at my desk, while praying that we would not lose power with all the high winds and icy snow. I got through that big pile of “to dos” that had been nagging me for the past few months. When I reached the point when I had enough, I decided to shut down and indulge in a few guilty pleasures.
And what were they, you may ask? Fasten your seat belts, because here it is: I made a bowl of yogurt with homemade granola and chopped up Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies. Don and I watched a couple of reruns of “Will and Grace” and laughed our hearts out. We caught up on some other television shows that we had on our DVR…cannot remember what they were, but I do remember sitting on the couch feeling very safe and comfy with the snow falling and the wind howling, knowing that I had nowhere to be except exactly where I was.
I work in homes of busy people who are stressed out or frustrated from family obligations, busy careers, pending moves or active retirement lives. They are trying their best to keep up with their day-to-day responsibilities. Just dealing with the daily influx of mail, e-mail, texts and phone messages can be overwhelming. Our cell phones and our computers are dictating our lives and we never shut down.
My workday typically ends late in the day, with the addition of paperwork that should/must get done before I go to sleep. But, on most nights, I make time for my guilty pleasures, and they are sometimes more than the gourmet meal I made for myself on March 14. Besides, I am running out of Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies. Perhaps next year I will triple my order and freeze them.
What are your guilty pleasures? Is it a fashion magazine that you’ve been reading since you were a teenager? A home design catalog that you may not be able to afford the furnishings but it’s fun to thumb through the pages? A television show about dating, families, reality TV, murder or even something to do with “Real Housewives of…”? It could be reading your favorite romance novel or just taking a nap. Whatever it is, it’s yours to own and enjoy.
No matter what your life situation is, there is an abundant amount of pressure that we all face. Baby boomers, young parents, newlyweds, seniors—we have lives filled with tasks, lists and stress. It’s OK to take a moment off, or even a day off, and “chill” and indulge in your guilty pleasure(s). It’s OK to have time off from the tasks that are building up in our heads, on our desks and our calendars. We need to create the space to just enjoy our homes, our families, friends, or perhaps spend time alone. Tomorrow will be here soon enough; give yourself permission to let the task list go for now and enjoy the snowfall.
Happy Organizing Guilty Pleasures!
By Eileen Bergman
Eileen Bergman is a professional organizer, a proud member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) and the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD). Eileen is listed in the resource directory for the Hoarding Disorder Resource and Training Group. Eileen may be reached at 973 303 3236 or [email protected].
