Did you ever have a moment where you were looking around your room and just decided it was time for a change? That happened to me today. The day started with waking up at 5 AM with a migraine. I knew I wasn't going to be able to get out of bed just yet, so I went back to sleep until about 8:30 AM. When I woke up, the headache was gone, thank God. As I was getting myself together, I looked at the haphazard stack of plastic milk crates next to my night stand and it hit me: time to do something about that cluster.
So, I proceeded to unload all the books onto my bed. Then I removed all the other junk that had accumulated over the last year or so it had been there. I took the milk crates and connected them together with zip ties, in 3 rows of 3. There was dusting and vacuuming I had to do. I had to sort the books and recycle any that I didn't want anymore (that list was very short). Finally I moved this makeshift bookshelf to the other side of the room and loaded it with books.
It took about 3 hours for the whole process. That's 3 hours I could have spent reading, or training, or writing. But, that time was well spent because the feeling of peace and calmness that I now have by doing that one project is immeasurable. Making order out of chaos. I have written about this before, when I cleaned up my desk. It bears repeating. Sometimes the best thing I can do to feel good is to make order out of chaos.
My room is my safe space, and when it's disorganized, cluttered, and messy—my brain feels the same way. That's not good for any of the things I am working on. Be it my writing, my Data Engineering projects, or my spiritual life. Having a cluttered and clouded mind is a disaster waiting to happen. Reorganizing my books helps clear the brain fog and get me mentally back on track. Next time you are in a chaotic situation or a messy room, take a moment to think about how that chaos makes you feel. Is it hard for you to concentrate when surrounded by anarchy? I know it is for me.
I can only imagine that the idea to reorganize my books was a result of my post-migraine fog. My thoughts were already cloudy, so my brain did the one thing it knows will help clear the cobwebs—turn chaos into order. It all goes back to the beginning, when God created order out of chaos. There is something powerful in replicating this on a small scale. Our brains were made for order, not chaos. And we are influenced by the situations that surround us. I do not like chaos, I prefer order. It helps me think clearly.
Are you a person who loves order or do you thrive on chaos? Can you tune out the disorder around you to accomplish what needs to be done? I would love to hear about it.
—Daniel