Everyday Systems: everydaysystems: message 56 of 74

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Hi guys I am going to pick up from this previous post to lead into 
my new ideas for yall :)

A few weeks back I wrote to Rein about some of his 
defunct "systems", just to kill time... The answers were very 

hillarious and entertaining, so I will leave them untouched for you 
to enjoy too :)

I wrote:
> > Ok...I'm back from work, still to ill to
shovelglove, what else is a worthwhile activity for a excitement 
challenged girl to do? Look through "terminated" everyday systems of 

course!

RE: 
> Wow, you really must have been fit for nothing! 

DF:
> > So what's "Schwerpunkt"?...Does this have to do with dropping 

things?...No wait that "plunkt". I don't have a clue, but I'm sure> 

it's funny, and probably very German and functionally efficient 
lol :)

RE: 
> "Schwerpunkt" literally means "heavy point." It's German 
WWII 
military term that means concentrating all your forces on a single, 
narrow front to achieve overwhelming superiority and break through 
the enemy lines. I wanted to apply it to housecleaning, naturally. 
The idea is: certain parts of the house get much dirtier, faster 
than others (in our case: kitchen, bathroom, dining room). Instead 
of diluting your limited cleaning efforts over the whole house,
> focus on these. Not only will you notice the results of your 
efforts more, but (so the theory goes) you'll nip the funk in the 
bud before it migrates to other rooms. Using a manly military term 
for something for mundane "women's work" is supposed to whip up 

inspiration. It's not a terrible idea, as a general principle, just 
insufficiently specific.

DF: 
> > And Cartago Delenda Est?

RE:
> "Cartago delenda est" is kind of similar. It means 
roughly) "Carthage must be utterly destroyed." The ancient roman 

statesman Cato the elder uttered this hard-ass phrase at the end of 
every speech he gave in the senate during the third (?) punic war, 
to remind his fellow senators of the awful but necessary business 
before them. Carthage (located in modern Tunisia) was basically 
Rome's only serious competition in the empire business until the 
barbarian implosion, and the wars between them were close calls, 
fiercely destructive, and "existential." The great Carthaginian 

general Hannibal had scared the pants off them when he brought an 
Elephant mounted army over the Alps and rampaged through Italy. When 
the Romans finally did win, they took Cato's advice literally: they 
burned Carthage to the ground, sold everybody they didn't kill 
outright into slavery, and plowed salt into the fields so they 
couldn't ever grow anything again -- the low tech equivalent of an 
atom bomb. 
> 
> So what activity do I use this awful image to inspire? Doing 
dishes. Except dishes are an even more fearsome enemy than Carthage--
because no matter how many times you do them, however "utterly," 

there will be more tomorrow.
(DF: How about by lunchtime! LOL)

But just because it's hopeless doesn't mean you can't be a hard-ass 
about it. The smaller (qualitatively speaking), more hopeless, and 
repetitive the task, the more we are in need of inspiration, because 
it just won't come with any. So I don't think Cato the Elder is too 
much. Ajaxing the sink makes a great salt substitute. The big 
problem with this system? I got a dishwasher. 
(DF: LOL! So much for hard-ass tactics! :) 

Okay, I'm sure you will all agree that Reinhard could have easily 
been a very fun and inspiring history professor (keep this in mind 
Rein incase computers start to bore you, and you don't care to start 
working at Chippendales, my previous career suggestion! :) 

So this is what I was thinking of saying in the past and since 
there's all this talk about the age old questions that seem to 
plague many of us....How to get stuff done, especially home chores, 
I thought I'd finally write it down. Some of you may choose to 
laugh or dismiss this way of thinking, but I will say, in it's 
defense, that it helps with 1)not feeling overwhelmed with pressure 
2)finding that "inspiration" Rein mentioned before...

I will preface this technique with a thought I have that I heard 
somewhere about "being busy"... I think that sometimes, people, 

unwittingly create busy lives, just to find some sort of sense of 
self worth... Going out alot, always having stuff "to do"... Now 

don't get me wrong, yes there is always stuff to do, and some of it 
isn't fun, but it's necessary *or else* chaos may ensue... But face 
it. Some people wind up being so on the go, and focused on "To do" 

lists that they create a 24/7 self imposed prison of getting things 
done :) But then all those tasks wind up making them feel resentful 
and who can they blame? Themselves! LOL. Then conversely, when 
the "To do's" (Reinhard now I understand that "Todo" is not a 

Spanish word,,LOL) *don't* get done, they feel bad also! This is a 
serious Catch22.
About 7 years ago I remember hearing a guy on the radio talking 
about how important, in this very Yang and external achievement 
driven society, doing things and getting things done, seemed to be 
what defines most of us. Years later, after learning more 
introspective awareness through, meditative techniques, and even 
massage, I accepted this view of Western society, as accurate, and 
very out of balance with our more Yin, quieter side. This all came 
rushing back to me after reading all of Reinhards hillarious and 
admirably goal oriented "systems" for making life better and of 

course, more efficient.... The guy on the radio, and sorry guy I 
don't remember your name!, said, that (paraphrase) "If we are 
always 'doing' then how much time are we 'being'?" and that when he 

has to go and "*do* the dishes" lately, he has chosen to think in a 

different way about it, and instead, opts to "*BE* with the dishes"
"*Be* with the dishes?", you ask! "That sounds so flaky? And what's 

the difference?" you may scoff and protest...:)
The difference is that, for a short period of time, in your busy 
busy day, this drudgery task, can be transformed into a relaxing 
moment of Yin and revelling in the Self, in Being, not 
doing....There is no resentment, it becomes enjoyable, you don't 
procrastinate, because when you think of it this way, as 
unstimulating as "being" sounds on the surface, you may actually, 

and, infact, I'm willing to bet, you guys will experience something
really really nice....Yourself. No rushing, no distractions (Sheats 
that's for you :)! ) just the running warm water and peacefulness as 
you "Be with your dishes"
When I told an ex-friend, back when I heard about this, that I was 
going to "be with my dishes" he laughed his ass off, but guess what? 

I have the last laugh, because, this low tech, low maintenece, 
stress reducing, "anti-system" system, and way of viewing chores 

has really truly helped me enjoy more of my waking time, rather than 
dread it. And if a mountain of dishes raises its ugly head, I throw 
"doing" to the wind and go and "embrace" the mountain of 
Carthage-
like greasy plates! Before you know it they are completed....
So flaky sounding or not, I recommend that all you overachieving 
perfectionists who suffer when things get too overwhelming, take a 
nice breath, start running that warm water, and imagine that your 
hands are visiting a luxury spa, where they get to immerse 
themselves in lovely soapy suds and melt away the "To do" stresses 

of the day :) To me, getting intouch with your inner self, and 
finding moments in this harried world, to reflect and "be" is 

inspiring to a very high degree...Think of this as a means to 
cultivate calm in your home or work :) And having clean cups doesn't 
hurt either! :)
"Being" on its own is enough. "Doing" doesn't make you who you 

are :)
After all, didn't Hamlet say "To be or not to be..." He didn't 
say
"To do or not to do!" LOL...
(but I think he might have had a dishwasher?)

Love and Peace,
Debbie