The New Year brings a bombardment of chatter about how people are going to get fit, keep their house clean, work harder, eat healthier, go on more walks, pay more attention to their dog, do more good for society, and the list goes on for miles. Generally, I don’t make a New Year’s resolution. New Year’s resolutions usually seem to be all too convenient, like it’s just an easy time to start working to get better at something. Oh, so easy to break too. However, this year I need to make a serious change. So I set a New Year’s resolution of my own. I need to organize.
Many of you know that I’ve traveled from Italy, to France, Copenhagen, and New York to apprentice in some of the most famous and high level kitchens in the world. While all of these places have their own style, their own cuisine, and way of doing things, there’s one thing that is a constant denominator throughout, organization. Over and over the chefs preached to me to clean and organize, clean and organize. The basis of good food and success in these kitchens, are the systems of organization that they practiced. These systems range from how they clean and store vegetables, to butchering and cooking meats. Everything is done a certain way. A way that has been refined to be the best it can be. Although I have tried many times to incorporate this intensity for organization into my life, I have floundered.
A couple of weeks ago, I was sitting in my house and was so annoyed at my lack of organization. Don’t get me wrong, my house is not dirty, things just don’t always have a particular place. The worst spot for me is my desk. Constantly cluttered with receipts, business cards, coins, pens, letters, or newspapers. It seems just when I begin to get things sorted out, it is already back to a mishmosh of stuff. The few times my desk has been totally clean and organized I feel like a million bucks. Most of the time, when it is out of control, I feel like there is a weight on me, like I’m being held down.
About a year ago I decided I was going to put away every article of clothing I took off. Most of the time it works, but not always. At times it’s easy to get caught up in trying to do so many things. Recently, I read that part of being successful is simplifying things. I need to simplify, and focus solely on my desk, until I can keep it clean without even thinking about it. My recipe for success will be to consistently work on fixing this one thing, one thing only. I must put everything away once I finish using it. In theory this sounds so plain and simple, it has proven to be otherwise. Until I make this a habit I cannot move on.
My hope is that becoming as organized in my home as I am in my swimming will help me reach a new level of success and freedom. I’m sick of the weight bearing down on me from feeling like things are always in disarray. I know I must find a way to conquer this simple task if I am ever going to be ready to accomplish my reals goals in the bigger scheme of life. I can do this!
Garrett Weber-Gale 
