How to Eliminate Roadblocks to Success When Organizing Your Home

Do one or more of these places – home, office, or car – feel overwhelming due to the amount of stuff in the space or possessions being scattered all over?

THE PROBLEM

I won’t bore you with statistics of how much time people waste looking for items each year. You know it because you live it:

• frustration spending a long time looking for something you need that you know you have.
• exasperation looking through piles of paper to locate an interesting article you printed out. Yet, you’re not sure which takes more time: going through the pile or finding it again on the web.
• irritation when you need to rebuy an item that you have but can’t find.

You may think, “If I could just get organized, everything would be so much better.”

This is true – however – it’s only part of a larger truth:

Organizing isn’t a one-time activity.

Yes, there’s the initial “getting things in order.” However, most days, more stuff enters your space than leaves it. You get mail and maybe a delivery. You buy groceries or toiletries.

Or items move around because you interacted with them. You cooked dinner so now there are pans and dishes out. You did laundry so you have clothes and towels that need to return to their locations.

You may be thinking, “So why bother to get organized if I know I’m not going to be able to keep it up?”

Because giving up only leads to increased aggravation.

THE ANSWER

While there are lots of reasons why people have trouble getting or staying organized, I find it boils down into two main categories: initiating and maintaining.

INITIATING. You might say, “I want to get organized but I don’t know how to start.“

Are you referring to an actual location, like the kitchen or the office? Are you thinking of a category of stuff, such as papers vs. clothes? Do you mean you don’t know how to approach the activity of getting organized?

Regardless of the reason for not organizing, you feel stuck before you even start.

Similar to medical conditions, you have to identify the reason in order to know how to treat it! If you’re having a number of symptoms, then there are multiple possibilities for diagnosis and treatment. That feels overwhelming! Once you make a determination, you can form a plan to manage the disease.

 

In organizing, if you want to rework your office, you’re not going to look for ideas on how to get a closet in order. If you need to bring order to your papers, you’re not going to seek answers for how to arrange your spices. If you are unsure how to start organizing, you’re not going to look up information about how to purchase a car.

Even if you’re not a DIY person, knowing what’s been preventing you from getting organized will help the professional that you call for help.

MAINTAINING. I often hear, “I used to be organized but now I’m not” from a potential client. Often this is because of a change in their life.

Frequently, the pace of our personal and professional life interferes with “finishing.” So, you may drop your briefcase, purse, or purchases at the door in exhaustion and not return to process items in them. Or you keep adding papers to a file cabinet while saying that you’ll remove obsolete documents “another time.” Maybe you start a load of laundry, move it to the dryer, but don’t remove, fold, and put it away.

I’m not judging you. I know these things can happen. It’s happened to me.

Commonly a system that was functioning, stops working because of life transitions or changes in responsibilities.

So what can you do if you are overwhelmed by your stuff?

• Take one small step. Brought in some purchases? Put away those that have designated homes. Don’t agonize about the other ones just yet.
• Make one smart choice. Don’t buy more until you only have one or two left.
• Create one little habit. When you get the mail, recycle as much as possible without even opening it. This will leave a smaller pile to process later.

I’m talking “tiny” here!

Whether initiating or maintaining is more problematic for you, I guarantee that if you don’t do something, your stuff won’t organize itself!

If the issue is getting started, pinpoint the specific reason so that you can address it. Then take one small step.

If the holdup is keeping your stuff organized, choose the area (of the house or office) or the category (of items) that bothers you the most and create a little habit.

Do you find it more difficult to initiate or maintain organization?

Let me know below and I’ll respond with an idea or two.