Managing the Daily Hassles
Managing the Daily Hassles
The accumulation of minor, daily events such as losing a pair of glasses or getting caught in a traffic jam can be more harmful to you than you think. Minor annoyances, or “hassles,” can have a negative impact on your life.
Despite our best efforts, life will always present us with hassles. Remember, though, that what causes your stress is not the hassle but how you respond to it.
Your reaction to hassles determines whether they act as stressors or not. Making light of them, or even laughing at them, and not allowing them to upset you will diffuse them.
How many daily hassles are you experiencing? Are you managing them okay?
Do you struggle with getting and staying organized?
Are you afraid to start an organizing project just to be overwhelmed or lose motivation in the middle, to be left with even more chaos? You are not alone. That’s the fear of most people who don’t have time to allot to a big organizing project.
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Janet Schiesl
Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.
She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.
Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
Janet Schiesl
Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.
She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.
Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
I’m gone to tell my little brother, that he should also visit this blog on regular basis to take updated from newest news update.
Great advice, Janet. Many people do not even know that they are dealing with a daily hassle until someone makes them aware or asks them the question you did above. Thanks for reminding every reader that it is important to streamline our lives. We do not need to struggle.
Thanks Sabrina.
Mindset is everything. How we respond to life’s stressors, disappointments, and ‘surprises’ matters.
When it comes to “daily hassles,” I view them as opportunities. If you’re willing to stop and notice them, they become clues for areas to improve. So, those lost glasses can be a chance to establish a “home” for them. That way, they will be less likely to be misplaced. The stress a traffic jam can bring can be a clue about revisiting some planning or time management routines. Or, it might be an opportunity to introduce positive inputs (like podcasts, audiobooks, etc.) during your drives.
I love your attitude, Linda! I want to be just like you when I grow up.
I love your view Linda1
I once heard someone talk about what comes out of our insides when we “crack,” like when we are under stress or dealing with one of these hassles. It is telling. I often regret words and actions taken during times of immense stress.
I try and move toward controlling the controllables, intentionally setting aside time to pray and breathe, and doing what I can with nutrition/sleep/exercise. That said, life is hard, and there are many twisty points. Good systems can really save us during these tough times, as can good habits. For instance, building in extra time before each client visit saves me when I hit unexpected traffic. I’d rather sit and read for 10 minutes that be dashing!
I agree that systems are everything to stay organized.
I’m also a reader and love it when I find those small bits of time to read. Now that the weather is getting warmer, my second option for when I have a small bit of time is to take a walk.
Exactly! This approach mirrors what the Stoics (Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, Zeno, etc.) taught, that nothing is inherently good or bad except that we make it so by interjecting our thoughts or beliefs about it. Having systems that enable things to work smoothly (at least most of the time) will generally keep us from thinking about them at all, as we tend to focus on what doesn’t work and blissfully ignore what does. But making mountains out of molehills to the point that we’re consumed by stress just means that we’ll have less energy to tackle to true problems when they eventually come alone. Streamline your space and systems, make things run more smoothly, and accepting small problems with grace gives us strength for when we will need it.
Well said Julie!