Ra’al Ki Victorieux

A few weeks have passed, and this is the second text regarding the renovation of my office. I hope this process can give you ideas if you also want to declutter and renovate a space.

Habitability Test

Nacho sent me a questionnaire to measure my level of habitability. The definition seems to be «Livability is both the assessment of the person and being in the act of inhabiting the constructed and built space based on their way of life (their habits and customs), as well as the aspirations of the person and the group in a space-time that has culture as its referent.» In short, it measures how comfortable I feel with order/chaos in my home. He then shared the results with me. The purpose is to lower the score so that I can feel more comfortable in my spaces.

Habitability Questions

He has suggested that I accept that it is a process, that change is not overnight, and that I start by reflecting on various questions, among them. I took some notes, and I seem to remember that these may be the points to ask myself: 1. Am I inviting clutter into my life? 2. How do I feel in my office? 3. Can I improve my space to be more comfortable? 4. How can I exercise decision-making? 5. What objectives, tasks, and strategies, do I want to establish? For example, if I have a life goal in months or years, whether it be in health, abundance, or relationships, how can ordering help me get there? 6. Take pictures of the spaces I want to work on. 7. How do things get to my house? Make a log or diary of how objects enter the home. They are not always the obvious ones, like buying at the supermarket, sometimes there are other ways. It’s about limiting the entry of objects and looking at how we can reverse the flow so that some things can leave. 8. Equate possessions with relationships, that is, name what things are «friends, acquaintances, or strangers.» A friend is something we want in life because it has an emotional, instrumental value. An acquaintance is someone we have little to know and we have not yet decided whether to let him pass as a friend or leave him as a stranger. Strangers are the people we see around us, but we do not find value in the relationship with them, and therefore we stay away. Anthropomorphizing things could help decision-making.

1. Do I invite clutter into my life? Rather than invite it, it «happens.» I recognize that I lack the discipline to consistently designate a time to clean and order. I prefer to spend my time on creative tasks or even accomplish what is urgent.
2. How do I feel in my office?
   When too many things pile up on or around my desk, I feel overwhelmed. The piles mean project documents in progress, which sometimes add up, without being able to solve them before something else urgent to solve appears. When I focus on the computer screen, I am excited, and when I complete a task, I feel proud and satisfied. However, when I see that I have to back up data to external drives because I no longer have space or order the stacks that already exceed 3 or 4, I feel overwhelmed, worried, somewhat guilty for not being able to have a system, a more efficient order.
3. Can I improve my space to be more comfortable? Yeah.
4. How can I exercise decision-making? I use an agenda, but I don’t always keep it up to date. Taking time daily to evaluate my priorities, and actions, would be helpful.
5. What objectives, tasks, and strategies, do I want to establish? For example, if I have a life goal in months or years, whether it be in health, abundance, or relationships, how can ordering help me get there? Regarding my office, my main objectives are 1. Keep my website updated. 2. Have a classification and protection system for my physical and digital documents. This includes curricular information, as well as visual, literary, musical, projects, etc. 3. Establish (recover) my mailing list, and maintain a steady pace of online promotion.
6. Take pictures of the spaces I want to work on. Ok.
7. How do things get to my house? Make a log or diary of how objects enter the home. They are not always the obvious ones, like buying at the supermarket, sometimes there are other ways. It’s about limiting the entry of objects and looking at how we can reverse the flow so that some things can leave. A. Shopping. B. Gifts. C. Mail.
8. Equate possessions with relationships, that is, name what things are «friends, acquaintances, or strangers.» A friend is something we want in life because it has an emotional, instrumental value. An acquaintance is someone we have little to know and we have not yet decided whether to let him pass as a friend or leave him as a stranger. Stranger are the people we see around us, but we do not find value in the relationship with them, and therefore we stay away. Anthropomorphizing things could help decision-making.
   A. Friends: Desk, chairs. Multifunctional, laptop. Cell phone, cell phone holder, charger. Pen holder, clips, liquid paper correction fluid. Glasses holders, drinks, and snacks. Telephone, Modem, network connection. Bookcases, bookholders, books. Archive boxes. Document boxes. Paintings. Lamps, windows, curtains, rugs, pots. Cleaning articles.
   B. Acquaintance: Computer equipment or cell phones that I have not thrown away yet, but that I no longer use.
   C. Strangers: Documents that I have not reviewed yet, to decide what to keep or throw away.

Focus Techniques

NachOrganiza also suggested two techniques for when it’s hard to focus on doing what I need to do. Here I share them.

1. Pomodoro Technique
   Use a timer, or alarm, to propose to work focused for at least 5, 10, 15, or more minutes. There are apps for the computer or cell phone that make it easy to measure and visualize time. Among these apps are: Time Timer. Big Timer. Online Stop Watch. Online Clock. Countdown Pages. Clearleft Timer. Egg Timer. Uniltu Audio Timer. Google Timer. Pomofocus. There are also some timers for children and not so children, that is, with more colors and visual appeal, just search for «Timer for Kids» and you will find several alternatives.
2. Body Double
   With this technique, we ask for help from a person who is like an anchor, or a mirror, who accompanies us while we work on something we need to do. For those who find it difficult to go out alone to run errands, a patient, a non-judgmental companion can be very helpful.
3. Accountability Partners
   To accomplish necessary activities, it is helpful to have a partner. We ask a person to accompany us with their attention while we perform a task. We let you know the homework and the due date. So, every day you can send us a message saying: How are you doing, have you finished such a task? And this serves as a reminder of what is a priority to do. Also, you can connect with us through zoom or another app with video, not to chat, just to join us while we focus on the task at hand.

I tried the Pomodoro technique first, I installed an app on my phone, but I couldn’t get the screen to keep on, it was distracting and I could never remember it was there. Then I installed Smart Countdown Timer on my lap, and when I want to measure the time it will take me to do a task, an article for example, I enter the time I suppose I need to do it. Sometimes I finish just in time, and other times sooner or later, but since it appears in the toolbar on the screen, I manage to keep it in mind.

Due to my social phobia, I sometimes put off activities that require me to go outside for longer than necessary. So, according to the BodyDouble technique, I asked some friends to come with me, even offering to pay them a token fee. One of them, let’s call him subject A, although he kindly accompanied me to various destinations, took money from my bag in an oversight. When you lose trust in someone, they go from friend not just to stranger, but to potential threat, so I didn’t summon him again. Another day I called another person, let’s say subject B, he was nice, whether or not he judged my actions, kept silent and was a discreet companion. Nevertheless, he said he was about to get into a new job, so he won’t be able to accompany me soon. So, weeks later, I made an arrangement with subject C, we established that he would accompany me from 10 am to 3 pm for a nominal fee. He arrived 1:30 hrs later, and also made me very nervous because he kept talking about his depression and suicidal tendencies, for example, he argued that he just wants to save money for a gas tank and a hotel room to commit suicide. Later, although he received the agreed fee, he asked me to go out to eat, I felt obligated and so I invited him to eat, but it annoyed me that if you ask for support because you have social phobia, they coerce you into socializing. Although when they brought the bill he offered to cooperate, I said no, and I paid in full. He probably insisted on the food to get a little more money. At that moment it did not occur to me that when he suggested going to a restaurant, I could have said – «That was not in the plan, if you want, I’ll give you such an amount more, and I’ll bring you closer to transportation because I have another commitment.»Since B and C are very close, I feel that moving away from one is equivalent to moving away from both. In short, I wonder if I don’t have reliable relationships to practice this technique. It’s funny how something so simple makes you see your shortcomings. I asked a neighbor if she knew anyone who would agree to accompany me. She said she would ask, maybe an older lady… Then I received a call from a friend who told me that he would take a vacation day and could support me. While I greatly appreciate this friendly gesture, I understand that I cannot depend on his vacation days. I need to find either a way to earn more to be able to pay for an assistant, or a way to face my commitments alone.

However, also I tried the Accountability Partners technique with a friend, to write a text that I was finding difficult to control. On this occasion, we were chatting hands-free, while I was typing on the computer. The result was good because although the call took two hours, it was time focused on the required activity.

Memory & Identity

Also, I reviewed what I wrote in the first one of these articles. Regarding the text of the Doctor Miracle series, later in the series, Ferda, the daughter of Dr. Adil, leaves town after having an emotional outburst due to work problems. Then I thought that her father had thrown away so many objects that were memories of her life, to receive her, and she left without much justification and without saying goodbye. It seemed to me then that the sacrifice that Dr. Adil had made, or that any of us could make for another, of throwing away our memory documents, is not necessary. If someone loves us, they should accept and respect us with the signs of our identity.

Anyway, for now, I conclude this exercise, if you are going through a similar process, I appreciate you sharing your experience in the comments. See you in the next article.

*God bless, I wish you healing and light. I appreciate it if you like or share this post.

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