Carrie's "Nudge" Challenge Week 5 = Movin' It
NUDGED: "Rearrange clothing drawers"
BACKSTORY: This nudge suggestion came from a family member (thanks!) and was an opportunity to switch items around between drawers. I am accustomed to reaching for things absentmindedly when getting ready in the mornings, not really considering what I have. It also gave me a chance to purge unneeded clutter. Win!
QUOTE: "Try to see things differently. It's the only way to get a clearer perspective on the world and on your life." - Neal Shusterman
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:
My hubs and I completed home renovation improvements this past spring, which included painting kitchen cabinets blue, new wood flooring and wood stairs instead of carpet, new paint on most of the walls, and updating some items. These were big changes that really improved how our home felt and we love how it all turned out, even though it was an adjustment. After those big changes, it's hard to compare rearranging dresser drawers to that level of change, but it did shift my perspective and made me think in a different way about how I am utilizing the space I have available.
On Sunday night, I first purged clothes and extra items that I haven't been wearing to make room. The "big" switch happened next, moving every item in every drawer in the dresser to a new location within the dresser. To encourage and support my new exercise habit, I devoted prime real estate space (the top two drawers) to my workout clothes. Finished! I then spent the rest of the week opening the wrong drawer when I was looking for an item.
Because this nudge required minimal time commitment and I had another area of my life desperately needing my attention, I "selected" (read: picked intentionally) a second nudge this week on Tuesday. It is big and important, and extremely challenging right now. I'm not ready to share the final results yet for this "super nudge" as it is ongoing and will be for some time. Update to come later!
This week's nudge inspired me to switch up things at work too. I ended up moving the stack of papers that lived on my desk to new homes in nicely labeled, easily accessible folders. I was tired of not being organized and not being able to find papers I needed, so I finally conquered the paper clutter. I appreciate my coworker for the pre-move pep talk and brainstorming session, as well as her making the connection that my work changes would fit my nudge for the week. Gold star for her!
LESSONS LEARNED:
1) There is an adjustment period after making changes. It takes time to get used to the new locations of items, and to have patience when the needed item is not in the first drawer I open.
2) It's funny/eerie how often life will hand me the perfect opportunities to complete a nudge that I happen to be working on that week. I rearranged my work files this week, which was not planned in advance but had great timing with this week's nudge. I helped make a new recipe at a nursing home cooking class during my "try new recipes" week, and painted a small block of wood with a city image at an event during the "paint a canvas" week. Weird.
3) The biggest surprise I discovered while getting organized at work was how much better I felt mentally without a stack of papers sitting next to me. I feel more in control of my work and have a handle on what needs to be done and where to find it. My unorganized and chaotic physical space affected my mental space and made me feel overwhelmed. I instantly felt better when it was gone, even though the work load did not change.
4) I had a dream this week that really stuck with me, which I believe was caused by this project. In my dream, I watched people jumping off a bridge into water below. I could see a little waterfall further down stream that they would encounter, but the people jumping seemed happy and still jumped despite obstacles. I stood watching from the shore, wanting to jump but being too afraid. I'm guessing this means that I see others taking risks in life even when the outcome might not be certain. They jump anyway. I am tired of standing on the sidelines waiting and being afraid. It's time to jump into my big goals and do the things I have always wanted to do. Scary? Yes! Worth it? I hope so! I just know I can't keep standing still watching others live their lives.
NEXT UP: New nudge has been drawn for the upcoming (Thanksgiving!) week: "Connect with someone I haven't talked to in over 6 months". Hmm..... I made a short list of names and will work to connect with each of them this week. I'll let you know how it goes! Tune in next week. ;)
BACKSTORY: This nudge suggestion came from a family member (thanks!) and was an opportunity to switch items around between drawers. I am accustomed to reaching for things absentmindedly when getting ready in the mornings, not really considering what I have. It also gave me a chance to purge unneeded clutter. Win!
QUOTE: "Try to see things differently. It's the only way to get a clearer perspective on the world and on your life." - Neal Shusterman
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:
My hubs and I completed home renovation improvements this past spring, which included painting kitchen cabinets blue, new wood flooring and wood stairs instead of carpet, new paint on most of the walls, and updating some items. These were big changes that really improved how our home felt and we love how it all turned out, even though it was an adjustment. After those big changes, it's hard to compare rearranging dresser drawers to that level of change, but it did shift my perspective and made me think in a different way about how I am utilizing the space I have available.
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| White arrow shows drawers that changed: all. |
Because this nudge required minimal time commitment and I had another area of my life desperately needing my attention, I "selected" (read: picked intentionally) a second nudge this week on Tuesday. It is big and important, and extremely challenging right now. I'm not ready to share the final results yet for this "super nudge" as it is ongoing and will be for some time. Update to come later!
This week's nudge inspired me to switch up things at work too. I ended up moving the stack of papers that lived on my desk to new homes in nicely labeled, easily accessible folders. I was tired of not being organized and not being able to find papers I needed, so I finally conquered the paper clutter. I appreciate my coworker for the pre-move pep talk and brainstorming session, as well as her making the connection that my work changes would fit my nudge for the week. Gold star for her!
 |
| Coco snoring in a pile of blankets. She is a big help. |
1) There is an adjustment period after making changes. It takes time to get used to the new locations of items, and to have patience when the needed item is not in the first drawer I open.
2) It's funny/eerie how often life will hand me the perfect opportunities to complete a nudge that I happen to be working on that week. I rearranged my work files this week, which was not planned in advance but had great timing with this week's nudge. I helped make a new recipe at a nursing home cooking class during my "try new recipes" week, and painted a small block of wood with a city image at an event during the "paint a canvas" week. Weird.
3) The biggest surprise I discovered while getting organized at work was how much better I felt mentally without a stack of papers sitting next to me. I feel more in control of my work and have a handle on what needs to be done and where to find it. My unorganized and chaotic physical space affected my mental space and made me feel overwhelmed. I instantly felt better when it was gone, even though the work load did not change.
4) I had a dream this week that really stuck with me, which I believe was caused by this project. In my dream, I watched people jumping off a bridge into water below. I could see a little waterfall further down stream that they would encounter, but the people jumping seemed happy and still jumped despite obstacles. I stood watching from the shore, wanting to jump but being too afraid. I'm guessing this means that I see others taking risks in life even when the outcome might not be certain. They jump anyway. I am tired of standing on the sidelines waiting and being afraid. It's time to jump into my big goals and do the things I have always wanted to do. Scary? Yes! Worth it? I hope so! I just know I can't keep standing still watching others live their lives.
NEXT UP: New nudge has been drawn for the upcoming (Thanksgiving!) week: "Connect with someone I haven't talked to in over 6 months". Hmm..... I made a short list of names and will work to connect with each of them this week. I'll let you know how it goes! Tune in next week. ;)
Yay!
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