Get In the Zone

By Aby Garvey

Are you in “the zone”? Are you in that place where all feels right with your world? This, my friends, is what I call your comfort zone. When you’re in your comfort zone your home and life are operating smoothly, and things just seem to fall into place. Being in the zone is pure bliss…and yet for many, elusive. (Myself included, at times.) When I work with clients, my primary goal is to help them get back into their comfort zone. To do this, the first step is to clearly define what their comfort zone is, and the second step, is to help them move quickly and confidently in the direction of comfort.

If you find yourself out of your comfort zone, here are some ideas to help you quickly get back into that place of comfort and bliss.

Step one: recognize that you’re out of your zone.
And then, quickly, tell yourself “It’s OK.” You won’t get back into your comfort zone by beating yourself up. I promise. It just won’t work. Remember this: everyone gets out of their zone from time to time.

I, for one, am out of my comfort zone right now. With some recent dental and health issues, we’ve been getting by with the household stuff and getting a bit buried by some undone tasks in the process. And guess what? It doesn’t feel good. So I have a choice. I can look at the undone things and feel badly, or I can say, “OK…this is the situation. It happens to everyone from time to time, and now its time to dig out and get back into my zone.” I chose option two, and hope you will, too.

Step two: make a list.
Create a list of the things that are bothering you. Perhaps it’s a pile on the kitchen counter that is nagging at you…because you aren’t quite sure what’s at the bottom. Maybe it’s a neglected email in-box, or a pile of clothes that need to be dropped off at the donation center. (And maybe it’s all of this and more.) Getting these nagging bits out of your head and onto paper will help you do something about them–instead of just having them nag at you over and over and over and…

Step three: prioritize your list.
Prioritize based on consequences. Will it really hurt anyone if the pile of clothes sits for a couple more days while you handle the bills on the kitchen counter? Nope. The trick is this: by consciously deciding what to do now and what to do later, you put yourself in the driver’s seat. Instead of letting those clothes nag at you every time you walk by them, you know you’ve decided they aren’t the most important thing on your list and you’ll get to them in due time.

Step four: work your list.
One by one go down your list. Remember to pat yourself on the back each and every time you check something of your list. Relish in that feeling of accomplishment and use it to energize you to move on to the next item. Before you know it, you’ll find yourself blissfully back in your zone.

I have a list to tend to myself…so I’ll see you soon!

Aby Garvey is a professional organizer and the founder of simplify 101, inc. Her mission is to help you create time and space for what matters most in your home and life. Aby is the author of the e-book “the happy scrapper – simple solutions to get organized and get scrapping!” Visit the simplify 101 website for organizing ideas and to subscribe to Aby’s organizing email newsletter.