Fighting Monotony

This week, Maggie and I spent much of our time sorting and tagging clothes, as we usually do. Luckily, we were not bombarded with clothes like we have been over the last few weeks, so we were able to tidy up a bit. Specifically, we sorted through a large pile of summer clothes by type and size to make them easier to store and put out next year. We also put together some displays on the floor to get much of the Christmas stuff out of the sorting room and make room for other items. 

Boxes of summer clothes that we sorted.

Having passed the mid-point of this internship, I have found that the tasks can get kind of monotonous. Even though I love the people that I work with, sorting, tagging, and putting clothes out on the floor for hours on end each week can get very repetitive. To break this up, Maggie and I do our favorite jobs: taking out the trash and emptying dehumidifiers. (We especially enjoy getting to throw away glass because we can smash them in the dumpster.) 

All of the glass that Maggie and I got to smash today.

These quick tasks help us to avoid burnout and allow us to take a breather while still remaining productive. To effectively serve others, we must ensure that we remain engaged in our service, which requires that we take our own well-being into consideration. Finding ways to cope with the monotony has really helped to keep me engaged and productive in my service.