I’m a pretty neat person. Not obsessively neat, but I like things a certain way. I never lose my keys at home, because I always put them in the same place. I never have to search for a left shoe, because all my shoes go back in the box as soon as I take them off. I never have to pick up clothes off the floor, because I just don’t put them on the floor. 

Although I don’t like to clean, at times, I’m pretty much a robot when it comes to keeping my living and working space neat and tidy. There are times, though, when I let it get out of hand. Surprisingly enough, the cleanliness of my home is usually a direct reflection of what’s going on in my life. 

When I’m feeling great about life and everything is somewhat in order, my space is clean and neat. When I feel like my life is out of order, you guessed it —I allow my space to get out of order and messy.

I only noticed this pattern a few years ago. I noticed that when I was...