Return to Ready

(Time to read: ~4 minutes)

For me, this is one of those “obvious” principles that was not obvious to me – and yet has made a huge difference to my ability to live a balanced life.

Simply put, it refers to returning objects to their “homes” when you are finished using them for a particular task.

Before Return to Ready

Before encountering this concept and starting to apply it in my life, you’d see me do things like work on a project involving scissors, glue, or tape at my desk and when I was finished, leave things exactly where they were, or shove them off to one side and start the next task.

A few hours or days later when I next needed to use my scissors, glue or tape, they would be covered with layers of papers from other projects, and I’d pat my hand over the surface trying to feel for them. This was always accompanied by a sense of frustration that they weren’t readily at hand.

Using Return to Ready – An Example

Now, as soon as I’m finished the project involving the scissors, glue or tape – or I need to pause my work on it in order to move on to something else – I put them back in the places where they live on my desktop or drawer, and I put any related papers into a folder which has its own “home”.

The next time I need my scissors, glue or tape my hand automatically reaches for where they live and – like magic – there they are! I can feel the relief and ease in my body.

I can also quickly and readily find the papers for any project I’m working on. And the tidier state of my desk contributes to more mental peace and calm.

How Return to Ready Contributes to Spacious Balance

My first inkling of the benefit of this approach came when I was working in an office. I couldn’t understand why I was so consistently late in leaving for the day.

When I started timing myself, I realized that I would do what I thought of as “finishing work for the day”, but then spend another hour doing the photocopying, filing and mailing that I had been piling up to one side all day, thinking that it would be more efficient to do it all at once at the end of the day.

That approach probably is more efficient – the problem is that I wasn’t taking it into account when I thought about when I would “stop working” for the day. So I tried intending to stop work an hour earlier so I could do all that and leave work on time. But I just wasn’t willing to stop doing what I thought of as meaningful work so early in the day.

Thus I realized that, for me, even though it might be slightly less efficient, it gave me a much more accurate sense of how much work I had actually completed if I returned to ready after each task – because it made it really clear what tasks were actually complete and which were not. As a result I began to develop a more accurate sense of how long tasks actually took, so I could set more realistic intentions for the day.

 Other Examples of Return to Ready

1. Coming back from shopping:
   Before starting anything else, putting the newly purchased items away where they go (e.g., clothes put away in the closet, bathroom supplies on their shelf or drawer in the bathroom), shopping bags where they belong, and receipts in my financial filing system.
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2. Bringing work back to the office from home:
   Completely unpacking the bag(s) I brought with me and putting everything – my computer, notepads, papers and files -back “home” before starting any other work.
   .
3. Returning from a trip:
   Completely unpacking all my bags before doing anything else (including opening mail, checking voicemail or email). I’ve even developed an order in which I unpack – clothes, toiletries and “fun stuff” first, paperwork next and finally my computer – because I’ve learned that as soon as my computer is set up, I’m naturally going to start checking email.I also set aside time to “return to ready” by catching up on email, phonemail and snail mail that has come in while I was away – or at least reading through it so I’m aware of what’s there – before I start having meetings and taking on new work.
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4. There are many home-related examples:
   Bathroom: Leaving it ready for use before I leave by hanging towels, wiping off surfaces, returning any bottles or other containers to their homes, and putting used tissues or cotton balls in the garbage.Kitchen: Putting food away and doing dishes immediately after eating.Laundry: Folding things as soon as they are dry and immediately putting them away.

Adopting Return to Ready

The way I have been able to incorporate this practice into my life is by focusing on one area at a time.

So first it was at my desk – putting supplies away when I had finished with them for the moment. Then putting papers away on my desk when I had finished with them. Then working on what I did when I came home from shopping. Then bathroom, kitchen, laundry in that order… You get the picture.

So what is the area in your life that would give you the easiest “quick win” from applying return to ready?

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