Why is There So Much Crap in Your Life?

Your mental state of affairs could be keeping you from success

Jill Reid

Mar 21, 2023

Available for iOS and Android

You wake up from a full night’s sleep feeling refreshed and energized.

A sliver of sunlight peeks through the dark-out curtains — a signal the day has begun.

Tossing back the sheets, you sit on the side of the bed and stretch your arms, ready to embrace the world. Feeling rested, you take a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Walking to the bathroom, your mind begins to churn with thoughts of promise. Maybe you’ll take a walk, or do a sitting meditation, or visit the local coffee shop and see who shows up.

Then, you see it.

The bathroom vanity is covered with jars, bottles, brushes and combs, damp washcloths, an open toothpaste tube, and several empty plastic cups. It’s a total mess.

And just like that, your mind follows suit.

Taken off course, you head to the kitchen, where another unpleasant scene awaits you — dirty dishes, glasses, and pans fill the sink. Open boxes of crackers, raisins, and pretzels line the counters. And not a clean towel in sight.

I think you get the drift.

I hope you also get the jist of the problem: All that clutter didn’t get there by itself.

Here’s a short excerpt from a story in Real Life that may be uncomfortable to read — and completely necessary if you want to improve your mental state of affairs.

Is the Chaos of Clutter Keeping You from Enjoying Your Home?

Every now and then I’ll meet someone who tries to convince me the organizational state of their home doesn’t matter. They could be living in a setting of literal chaos, and still argue it doesn’t affect their mood, attitude, or productivity.

I’ve tried it both ways and can definitely say, at least for me, the state of my surroundings makes a huge difference in my effectiveness — and my motivation.

Perhaps those who prefer “creative clutter” have formed an alliance with a distant cousin of Zen — confident their messy environment is born from esoteric comfort rather than laziness or denial.

But it’s not an explanation I can easily accept. I’m an organizer — a dedicated advocate of a clear and open field.

The problem is, even on a good day, most things seem to be in a state of:

Not yet started,
Needing to be finished, or
Must be put away

And it requires me to spend a lot of time in maintenance mode — clearing surfaces, picking up and storing scattered stuff, and completing undone tasks and chores.

While necessary, spending an hour or two performing organizational maintenance is a huge time-waster.

The fact is none of us have enough disposable minutes or hours in our day to do it all.

What we need are a few practical systems that make a difference in the look and feel of the space we occupy. Because that first impression is the one that usually counts — and sets the mood for what follows.

Thanks for reading this excerpt from Real Life. For a look inside, watch the Book Trailer — right here.

In health & happiness,

Jill Reid

Jill Reid is the author of Real Life, Discover Your Personal Truth, Life in Small Doses, and Please God, Make Me A Writer. Her books, videos, and newsletter explore life, relationships, self-improvement, health, and personal success strategies for working through the challenges of everyday life.

Real Life by Jill Reid — **Click here for Real Life on Amazon**