If you’re like most people, you assume everyone else finds organizing easy. So when you look around at the clutter covering your floors (and the counters and the beds), you start getting mad with yourself.
Organizing’s easy, you should be able to do it.
What’s wrong with you? Why don’t you just get on top of this mess?
Stumbling block #1: You get overwhelmed
- You look at the sea of clutter, gulp and turn to Words With Friends or Wordle for some welcome distraction.
- You gamely get a few boxes and label them ‘Donate’, ‘Keep’ and ‘Recycle’, only to end up with everything in a large box called ‘Maybe’, otherwise known as the room you’re working in.
A professional organizer has a process which has been tried, tested and produced real results. They know how to turn a complex, multi-layered task into specific, do-able action steps.
You see a roomful of overwhelming clutter, they see everything in its organized place and they know how to translate that vision into reality. Their calm confidence will help you hang in there to get the project done.
Stumbling block #2: You get bored
- Your brain rates organizing at about minus 500 on a scale of 1 to 100.
- Grimly wading through your clutter makes you depressed and so you leave it for now and head off to do something else. Anything else.
Organizers are strange creatures who actually like doing this! Their energy will carry you along. Things which seemed like they’d take FOREVER will get taken care of because your organizing cheerleader will make it happen.
Stumbling block #3: You think it’s too expensive
- Working with friends and family turns frosty very quickly. The price may be right but the cost is high.
- You’re only counting the dollars and cents. How do you put a value on being able to have people over without feeling embarrassed?
- Getting something valuable without making a meaningful exchange means your brain doesn’t take it seriously. Putting good money towards quality help is always worth the investment.
If you’ve ever tried to sell your home without using a realtor or cut your own hair because the salon is too pricey for your tastes (not your income), you know that trying to do something you don’t have the skillset for can be a false economy.
Houses sell for more with good realtors, and haircuts look more stylish when you put down the Flowbee.
Stumbling block #4: You’re a kinetic learner
- If you learn by doing, having someone teach you in real time is the most efficient way to get anything done.
- You can read all you want about getting organized but it won’t make the magic happen. It’s not your fault, it’s just the way your brain works.
Why not take advantage of the in-person help out there to master the skills we were never taught in school?
Stumbling block #5: Clutter is serving you in some way
If your clutter gives you lots of excuses for sitting on life’s sidelines, stops people you don’t care for from coming over and you enjoy sifting through it for large portions of the day, thank it and carry on as you are.
READ MORE >>> The importance of clutter
But if it’s reached the point where you’re ready to make a change, where the inconvenience, shame and frustration outweigh the fringe benefits of a messy house, hiring a professional to get the job done will be a game changer.
READ MORE >>> How to hire a professional organizer
by Lucy Kelly