State of Mind=State of House, Inbox, and Desktop

I've noticed something about myself. It might be true that correlation does not equal causation but it is an interesting correlation.

Whenever I am feeling particularly bad about myself (stressed, overwhelmed, behind in my work), I also have a messy house, messy email inbox, and messy computer desktop. If I can take care of these three things, life seems to be more under control.

I don't know that the messiness of these three items are causing my feelings or are a symptom. I do know that if I am feeling overwhelmed on a project, I'll leave items saved on my computer desktop instead of filing them away (because "I'm in a middle of a project and it will quicker this way"). I will also be getting a lot of emails and won't be sorting them or deleting them. I will also not have enough time to do house cleaning. So my feelings may cause the messiness but the messiness also adds to the feelings. I can't find things I need in my email box. I find my computer files to be unorganized. I can't find the paperwork I need for a project or forget to do something because I lost a note.

Either way, I think there are a few solutions:

1. I need to recognize the symptoms right away and take steps to remedy it. If my email or desktop is getting cluttered, I need to spend a little time straightening it out instead of goofing off on the internet. Same with house cleaning.

2. When I feel too rushed for time to do simple tasks, I need to recognize that I am only making things worse for myself. Often I do have the time, but I'm making excuses for myself (and being a bit lazy).

3. I have plans to fix things when I wake up each morning but then I get caught up in various projects and don't get to it (all of last week was like this) so I need to do more and think about it less. Instead of planning to straighten up, I should just designate an hour each morning and do it.

My state of mind is cluttered right now, I'd say. Certainly my house, inbox, and desktop are cluttered. The only way one is going to be free is if the others are.