When I work with clients they usually feel overwhelmed by clutter and piles of stuff in their home. They feel like they have projects “everywhere” and that leaves them feeling stuck and frozen because they don’t know where to start or what to tackle first. This is very common, and I’ve felt it myself in my own home. I’m organized and I don’t have too much stuff, but there are times when each room of my home needs attention or I got busy and my desk is messy. Suddenly it’s hard to focus or figure out where to start. What usually happens is people don’t begin with a plan, they just jump in and start and they do a little here and a little there and end up feeling frustrated because nothing gets done. Yet, they’re tired because they used their energy moving about here and there from room to room working in a haphazard way.
When I’m teaching classes on decluttering or working with a new client, I always want them to think about where the most pain is and start there. What’s making you crazy in your home? Is there something that’s causing a blockage? Is there something that you have to step over or walk around? If just one room was completely organized, which one would be the most helpful first?
We can’t organize every room at the same time, unless you have a whole crew I suppose. But for most of us, we’re doing this on our own or with the help of one person. So, we need to focus on just one area or one room at a time. Keep at it consistently and you’ll start to enjoy the satisfaction of seeing multiple spaces or multiple rooms coming together.
It takes a bit of patience to dedicate ourselves to just one area at a time, but it’s the most effective way to work. So, take a deep breath, look around, create a plan and get started.
