A Simple Way to Get Back a Sense of Control

Have you ever had a moment like this? Before heading out, you want to find your earbuds, your ID card, or something else, but you search every bag you usually use and can't find it. You get anxious, even a little angry. The thing eventually turns up in some corner, but by then you've wasted time and lost the calm you had when everything felt in order. Two months ago, this kind of losing control happened to me all the time. It got bad enough that it was starting to affect my state of mind for days at a stretch, so I had to take it seriously and look for a solution. Now, a little over two months later, I think I've found one: let things live where they're supposed to be. In other words, "put it back where you got it." It sounds simple, but when I first started doing it, it was actually a bit hard. So I started with one small area, my shoe rack, and from there I gradually got back a sense of control over my life. Apart from my wardrobe, the area of my home most packed with stuff is my shoe rack. It has five shelves, and each shelf holds three pairs, fifteen pairs in all. I own 16 pairs of shoes. That means that as long as I'm wearing a pair of slippers, the rack is always full. In the past, I found it hard to keep it that neat, because I always left my shoes wherever. In the bedroom, on the balcony, or scattered every which way in front of the rack... They could be anywhere except on the rack. To change that, I didn't do anything fancy. Whenever I changed shoes, I put the pair on the rack right away. Now my shoe rack is always full, and sometimes when I glance at it on purpose, it feels really soothing. A sense of control over your life starts with things like putting your shoes on the rack after you change them. After my danshari (the Japanese practice of decluttering and letting go), I don't have that many things at home anymore. On that foundation, I can give every single thing I own a place where it belongs. Take my earbuds, which used to give me so many headaches. Now they're only ever on their wireless charger or right next to it. When I head out, I know they're there, and I never get that sudden panic and irritation of not being able to find something. So if you have a similar problem, why not start by sorting out your shoe rack or your wardrobe? Bit by bit, widen your control over your things and bring back the sense of order that slipped out of your life. Don't worry that this method is too trivial. We always think solving a problem takes a "heavy-duty" method, but that's often not true. Actions that look trivial can hold enormous power, like cracking an egg. The key isn't how hard you hit. It's finding the right spot and giving it a light tap.