Mary Poppins Had It Right: A Spoon Full of Sugar & Work

I (Lisa) hadn't intended to clean my office. I was innocently chatting via Skype with Wendy, and it just sort of happened. We were checking in with each other, both feeling fairly low energy, and Wendy mentioned a number of things she had to do. Then this came across my screen:

"There! I just picked up one folder and put it away as I'm done with it - (pattingselfontheback)."

We celebrated with a little emoticon party, then I realized that I, too, could put a folder away. So I did. Then I put away one more! I skyped to Wendy: "I see your folder, and raise you one!"

She countered with seeing my folder and raising me two books and a binder (and expressed jubilation at seeing carpet space!). I put away my camera, camcorder, and a plastic bag that was just laying on my desk.

Before I knew it, we were in an ad hoc online office clean-off. We went back and forth until we each had cleared a sizable space in our offices and had other commitments to attend to. I didn't clean my whole office, and this wasn't on my to-do list (which, these days, is nonexistent anyways). Instead, Wendy and I seized the moment, spurred each other on with our energy and encouragement, and accomplished something in the spirit of play. Something about the spontaneity, the online interaction, and having someone with whom to share the experience made this activity not just fun but memorable.

For those of us who live on Planet Chaos, play is powerful. We don't respond well to structure, have-to's, to-do lists. Instead, if we can create a spark when we do a task, even something mundane, we can make things happen and feel joy as we do.

When both Wendy and I had to leave, I hopped onto blip.fm and dedicated this song to Wendy: http://blip.fm/profile/deepwaterscoach/blip/35800600/Spoon+Full+of+sugar–Mary+poppins. It seemed the fitting way to complete our experience. Enjoy, and maybe you'll get something done too!

Floorganization at its Finest

The podcast on floorganization has arrived at last! For those of you who need a refresher, floorganization is a Chaotish word (the official language of Planet Chaos) that stands for what we do when we use the floor to organize things, tasks, and other sundry items. Its that simple...or is it? Check out our podcast and hear more on organization games and what we can do as gifted and system thinkers to actually enjoy organizing...and floorganizing.

The pics above are from my very own floor showing a floorganization process I went through recently. The floorganization of my books progressed in concert with the progression of the writing of a school paper.

Also, a special shout out to Jeff Brumley who contributed to this topic. You could be our next featured topic contributor by contacting us with your blog and/or podcast topic suggestions or contributions. Contact us through blog comments, email or twitter. We'd love to hear from you!

A Time to Rest

I never thought I'd feel good about not dancing. I am a dance-aholic! I love my Nia workouts. I thrive on moving my body. If I don't, I become fidgety, my body starts to ache, and I feel less able to focus.

But I've had to let my dancing go for now. At my house, we're enduring the final weeks of our marathon summer break, forced on us due to my kids' school constructing a brand new building that will open in ten days (but who's counting?). And we've all had enough of vacation. Even my kids have proclaimed their wishes to return to school. They want to see their friends. They're ready to start classroom learning again. And they're getting on each other's last nerve.

Hence, my current dancing hiatus. While my kids are old enough to be left alone, they no longer have the wherewithal to get along, both in my presence and even less so in my absence. If I leave them while I go dancing, I have no guarantees that I won't return home to tears, and I'm not willing to gamble like that. The places where I dance don't have childcare for kids my kids' age, so I've decided that for the last couple weeks of summer break, I'll forego my dancing routine. It's not ideal, but I'll survive.

What I didn't expect was that I'd actually thrive. Yes, I'd rather have the opportunity to go dancing, but not dancing has opened up other possibilities for me. Not only have I let go of dancing, I've also let go of having to be my children's constant schedule planner and entertainer. I've let go have having these final two weeks be "meaningful," of creating memorable moments and learning opportunities for my gifted kids. I think they feel that some kind of pressure, which I never intended to create, has lifted, and they can just laze around, be bored if they want to, and if they don't, create their own entertainment.

As well, my body seems to be responding to the rest. I have a few aches and pains that will probably diminish now that I'm taking a breather. I hope that when I can return to dancing I'll have more energy and fewer twinges throughout my body.

And last but not least, while I've devoted fewer hours to exercise and less mental energy toward managing my kids, I've actually accomplished something huge! Today I cleaned out and organized my office! I still have a ways to go, but I've made a huge dent in an area that has felt out of control to me for a long time. I've moved things around, created space for a bookcase to make its home here, and released energy-draining clutter. Amid this cleaning frenzy, I've still moved my body, and I've made pathways for physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual energy.

So while I'm looking forward to returning to my dancing, I can say that I believe in the assertion that "There's a time to rest." I find that as a gifted person, I tend to create grand schemes for my life, and I can be somewhat rigid about making them happen. But sometimes releasing my agenda is good. In fact, sometimes restful periods can be surprisingly and ironically productive.