For many years my corporate career took me into Manhattan five days a week. I spent countless hours on the 7:00 a.m. Community Coach bus, many times getting home as late as 8:30 p.m. My day started at 4:45 a.m. as I crawled out of bed to jump on the treadmill (ok, let’s be honest, crawl on the treadmill) to get a decent sweat and heart rate before I left the house to face the corporate demons.
Looking back on that period of commuting, which took place on and off over 25 years, I often felt that I was busier than my friends, other than my friends I commuted with on that darn bus. I felt that my world was more complicated and stressful because of my job, my business travel and my family responsibilities, which included caring for aging parents and a double whammy, caring for my aunt & uncle.
Now I am working in people’s homes with clients of all ages, and I had a big “aha moment” that I would like to share with you. Everyone is busy.
What I find interesting is that the hardest group of clients to schedule time with are seniors. They are busier than I ever expected them to be. Between the doctors’ appointments, picking up the grandkids, playing cards with friends, attending lectures and shows, their calendars are full!
And then there are the baby boomers, of which I am a member. One of my clients referred to herself as the middle of a “triple-decker sandwich” (aging mother with dementia, grown children, and now her first grandchild). Hmm, I guess I am not the busiest person I know. Aha!
Another aha moment…you don’t have to have a full-time job to have a full-time schedule. After I gave birth to our son, I returned to work after a brief 10-week maternity leave. I became one of those women who thought their life was busier because I worked and had a child. I’ve since learned that those wonderful stay-at-home moms who handle the household and child rearing because they have the option to do so have very busy lives. School appointments, homework, swim team, soccer matches, birthday parties, doctor appointments, vet appointments and the list goes on. I wish I had this wisdom back in the day when I thought the burden of being over scheduled was mine and mine alone.
As I look at my calendar for the next six weeks, I see full days with my beloved clients. I see time off to visit with family. I also see my “etched in stone” appointments such as monthly massage, monthly hair touch-up & blow-out, chiropractor appointments and some dinners with friends.
I finally took the blinders off and have opened my eyes to see the world in my clients’ shoes. I am asking you to take your blinders off too. What have you done for yourself lately? Are you tired of doing laundry? Then use the local laundromat. Are you fed up with housekeeping? Get some help with the vacuuming. Food shopping got you down? Get online and order a delivery to be sent to your home. Clutter building up? Call a professional organizer to help you get your world in order. Whether you are 17 years old or 87 years old, it’s ok to be good to yourself. Ask for help, free up some time and take care of you because you deserve it.
Happy Organizing!
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].
