Pack Rattin’
That’s right! Hang on tightly – because this is a confessional blog. Time for me to fess up and do some heavy duty penance no matter how embarrassing the admission is. I do it for YOU, because you just might be pack rattin’, too.
Last week realized I’m motivated by over-commitment. I’ve noticed having a LOT to do leads to the seduction excuse of pushing organizing stuff to the wayside. So basically, the more I have to do, the less time I have to keep things in their proper places. When I pack rat, I do it in grand style. I have electronic junk and paper junk and some of it isn’t junk at all. I suspect I’m gathering some emotional junk, too. I don’t really have time to clear it all up because…
I’m just soooooo busy.
But, I’m drowning in my own excrement here. (click to Tweet, tho I bet you won’t).
We get so much information each day, and I want to give it all proper attention. Truth is, some of it is just noise and doesn’t deserve attention at all….it’s a time drain! I just deleted over 2,0000 email notifications from Pinterest and that’s barely touching the over 17,000 emails in my inbox (that is not a typo, sorry). Not sure why I need to know what someone I’ve never heard of is pinning. Not sure why I need ever Ethan Allen catalogue that’s crossed my path. I can’t let go of pretty things. My desk is piled with papers and you know what’s ironic?
I’ve missed stuff.
How the hell can I miss stuff when I’ve pack-ratted all the stuff I’ve ever had? (click to Tweet THAT).
Ugh!
Do you think my method might be faulty? Doh!
Don’t misunderstand. You won’t see me on a reality show – it’s not that obvious. It’s just, the busier we I get, the messier I get. Things get misplaced and I know why.
If I put them away, I’d forget where I’d put them. (shhhhhh…)
Right? You know those “safe places” where we stash the most important stuff? They suck.
So, I’m keeping this one short and sweet, because I’ve got some cleaning up to do. I’ve got a bit of organizing ahead of me – penance, for sure, because I don’t need to keep art calls from February and I don’t need most of the junk I’m safe-keeping AND just because I recognize your name, because you’ve SPAMMED me to death, doesn’t mean I know you! So, THERE!!!
Off to Take My Own Advice, (oh, and don’t forget to read about the contest below!)
I’ve got ART. Lots of it. I’m giving away 2 small pieces in my “Fine Art Give-Away” contest. To enter, either sign up for art emails here (usually 1 per month and I’ll NEVER share your address). The other way to win is to follow me on Instagram. On IG, find the “Get Notifications” graphic from my pictures and comment on it. You might as well actually “get notifications” while you’re there. At the end of May, I’ll be selecting 2 winners of original, small art pieces – I announce them in the Art Newsletter. Tell your friends, too. If you’re out of the area, I’ll pop your prize in the mail. Good luck to you! ~m
Michelle Andres is a writer and artist who cultivates her own Well 
Lived Life by drinking in the beauty around her, following her passion, respecting others and doing her best to own her own dookie.
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14 Comments
May 8, 2016 at 2:19 am
Oh I’m with you on the swamped email front. My problem is I delete emails on my phone and laptop but somehow they don’t get deleted from my desktop. SO. I have to do that separately. Man alive. Haven’t done it in a while. Must do it = thank you for the nudge! And when I get busy I get sloppy. I just did a dreadful thing – forgot to put the James Taylor concert on my calendar and booked a flight home on the day after. Had to tell my pal that I was sorry I couldn’t go with her to JT as I’d still be away. All I had to do was WRITE the JT date on the calendar and I would have booked to come home a day early. YIKES.
May 9, 2016 at 2:32 pm
Thank you SO MUCH, Kelly…for making me feel like I’m not the only one. Sorry you missed that concert. What a bummer. Good luck with keeping your life in line!
May 8, 2016 at 2:27 am
I totally relate Michelle – too much stuff, too much mess, too many emails. You’ve inspired me to spend a bit of time tomorrow wrestling some of it into more manageableness. Wishing us both luck.
May 9, 2016 at 2:32 pm
Thanks for the support, Deborah. Let me know how it goes. It always feels great to be organized, but it only lasts (for me) until the next hurricane! 🙂
May 11, 2016 at 11:58 am
Oh no Michelle, you’re not alone on this one. Messiness often is my indicator that I’ve gone off track emotionally and physically. Being creative has always been my excuse but it really hampers my creativity when I let the piles get in the way of my art. When I look at a few piles in way I tend to turn off inside. I’m trying to stay more conscious and plow through. Thanks for this interesting topic. I heard you.
May 11, 2016 at 3:00 pm
Thanks, Kimberly! You said it so concisely – I feel the same way. I still am working and still piling. The road to hell was built on good intentions. Ah, well. Thanks for chiming in!
May 11, 2016 at 8:52 pm
Been there, done that! Good luck with the process of shedding your excess skin. You’ll be glad you did!!
May 11, 2016 at 10:18 pm
I know I will, Amy. It came to a head today when I spent much longer looking for something than the time it would’ve taken to put it away in the first place! Grrrrr!!!!
Thanks for the encouragement!
May 12, 2016 at 1:33 pm
i used to work with someone that cleaned out his email on a daily basis – i was already too out of control to fathom doing this. I did sit down yesterday and clean off my desktop – so that is a beginning. I’ve been slowly unsubscribing to things – there are a couple of health blogs that just inundate me with multiple emails a day – I just stopped reading them – I need to unsubscribe and be more vigilant. So – organization is something I need to concentrate on – a little at a time!
May 13, 2016 at 6:01 pm
My husband manages his emails like that, Vickie! Don’t be fooled – he can’t remember when events start because he’s done away with them! I guess everything has an upside. Do you want to know when the chili cook-off started in 2008? I can help you with that! LOL! Thanks for reading and chiming in. I hope you continue to do so! ~m
May 14, 2016 at 8:30 pm
I have to go through and clear out mailing lists I’ve gotten on periodically to try to lessen the number of emails I get.
May 14, 2016 at 10:06 pm
Thanks Michelle. I think you have lots of company in the pack rat club. I am moving in the next 3 weeks and have been shredding, donating, selling, decluttering, you name it, I’m doing it. It’s actually very freeing to get rid of stuff. I feel lighter and brighter:)
May 14, 2016 at 10:21 pm
Sounds delightful, Nancy, to get rid of the extra weight. Good luck with your move. Yes, SKJAM, I do go through my emails periodically – there are SO MANY! Thank you, both, for chiming in!