My wrists started to hurt a few weeks ago. At the time, I thought it was all the walking I did outside while I was in Florida. Then, I went to my doctor for a checkup. I lost another inch of height! (I was too damn short (TDS) to start with.) But now? Oh. I am definitely a Little Old Lady, although the “lady” part is in question.
Yes, my wrist pain might be a result of all that walking. But more likely, my keyboard is too high for my hands. Why is my keyboard too high? My desk is too high. Because my TDS (Too-Damn-Shortness) is worse.
But I could not just ask Mark to lower my desk. Well, I could, but the desk was messy. I had to clean off the desk to do so. I started, and yes, I will show you images in a minute.
I had many surprises:
- My height, which is data.
- All of my emotions about my height: A little surprise. Mostly resignation. More data, but the emotional kind.
- The event (cleaning up my desk) which triggered more surprises. I am a hoarder of two specific things: headsets and plastic bags.
I’ll start with the before pictures so you can see what I learned.
The Before Images
Even though I had not traveled much since the pandemic, I still traveled a fair amount until last year. So I accumulated things. And, I did not put them away.
Make sure you’re sitting down, because these “Before” images are just hysterical:
Notice several things on the left side of the desk:
- You can see some plastic bags peeking out of the archaeological pile.
- There are file folders behind that pile.
- While you can’t see them, there are plenty of headsets from traveling.
The middle part of the desk is not bad, but every time I had to disconnect a backup disk or connect something new to my dock, it was an adventure.
And the right side of my desk is all about the Kickstarter I just finished, and all kinds of things I do not know what to do with.
The Current In-Progress Images
I’m not done with the right side of my desk, but the left and the center are in reasonable shape:
I’ve made more progress since I took these pictures. I can actually see out of my window! (The file folders are not in the way.)
And I’ve since put away several of the items on my computer. (My black wrist braces are on top of my computer.)
The right side of my desk is still a work in progress, but it’s close. I think I have another hour or so to finish it.
But my hoarding really surprised me.
Messy, Yes. Hoarding? Also Yes.
I knew my desk was messy. That was not a surprise to me.
I did not think I was a hoarder. That surprised me!
Here are the hoarding images:
I had good reasons—extremely good reasons—to hoard the headsets and the bags.
I only hear out of one ear, so I only want a mono headset with one earbud. However, every time I used one on the plane, I allowed my seatmate to walk by it and destroy it. I got tired of replacing my “good” headsets. So I started to take the headsets they offer you on the plane.
I clearly took too many.
And I finally have a system for the headsets—a place for them in my purse.
Now, the plastic bag problem. I travel mostly to Las Vegas and Florida, where all the stores use plastic bags but never recycle those bags. In Massachusetts, we recycle them. So I bring them home.
But, if the bags sit in my office, does that mean I recycle them? No. (Yes, please do laugh along with me.)
I did not realize I had such a hoarding problem until I started to clean up.
How the Change Model Explains These Problems
I was clearly in Old Status Quo regarding the messiness of my office. But my wrists hurt. And once I had the data from my doc that yes, I was, sadly, shorter, it was clear I needed to Do Something about my office messiness.
I had several Transforming Ideas:
- That my past behaviors were a sunk cost. Instead of yelling at myself, I chose to be surprised and then laugh at myself.
- I need a system to practice cleaning up as I go. Because even though I no longer travel nearly as much, I do have many projects in progress. While most of that data is electronic, some if is paper. (Especially the books.)
- I can still bring home plastic bags. But I need to add a task to recycle them, so they do not stay in my office.
I need to go and practice.
Sometimes, we can’t do much about surprises, such as my height.
But more often, a surprise is the first indication of a Foreign Element. That might lead us to other, wonderful surprises as we change. If we look for data, events, and emotion, we might be able to use the Change Model to see a new way forward. That’s my plan. And I hope it might be yours, too.