You have had enough! It’s time to make a change. You are tired of wasting time and money looking for items you know you have but can not find! You want your home to be organized! On the weekends instead of working on projects, you would like to spend time with family and friends… Having Fun! Your timeline…. yesterday!
You are Motivated, Committed, and Excited!
Now you’re in the process… but wait there is a mess here and here and here! This is taking up a lot of time and going much slower than you expected. Your still spending your weekends cleaning and organizing. Now you have turned your motivation into frustration. You are again feeling overwelmed and maybe even a little disppointed in the process. These are all very normal feelings.
Whenever we are changing habits, changing lifestyles, it is going to take us through a whirlwind of emotions. Especially if letting go is a difficult thing for you to do in the first place. Our lives get is disarray for many reasons and when you are going through the process of getting to a better place for yourself it can and will be difficult. Getting organized in all aspects of your life, takes time, takes energy, and takes patience.
As a Professional Organizer here are some ideas to keep you on track, keep you motivated, committed and excited about your projects!
Understand the process – There is no quick fix if you have multiple projects in your home. Go over your goals and understand really what it is you are trying to accomplish. Understand organization does not have to look perfect. Being organized means you are able to find your things in your home without wasting time. It means being happy and content with your space. This looks different for everyone. Understand this will take longer than you expect and it will take a considerable toll on you not only physically by the hard work but emotionally as well. Work in time intervals that are best for you. Work when you are feeling your best and most motivated.
Embrace the mess – It will get messy! True fact to clear out a room or a closet – you have to make a mess to sort and clean out. You will be taking everything out, touching everything and making piles. Try not to focus too much on it and just know there is an end in sight. Messes mean progress! You are one step closer to your goal. I do suggest to get your donation items out of your house right away. Instead of piling them up in a corner, take them straight to the car and go that day.
Track your progress – Prior to working on a project, start a tally sheet and track your time. Start with the day and how many minutes or hours you worked that day, and write down what you did. Sometimes seeing it on paper is better than seeing the mess around you. Track how many donation bags you gave away. Take before, during, and after pictures. This is a terrific way to visually track your progress.
Celebrate your successes – No matter how big or small they are. Celebrate the 10 minutes you worked on a drawer today. When the whole room is finished, celebrate then too! To assist you in seeing what is being done, write a master list of all of the projects you want to accomplish, and then break this list into even smaller pieces. When you are done with something, cross it off the list and celebrate!
Avoid multi tasking – Our society has taught us that multi-tasking is this great skill to have. In organizing – not so much! Work on one space at a time! It is too easy to feel you are not accomplishing your goals if you have several spaces being redone at the same time. Start, Finish, Move On.
I hope this gives you some encouragement and motivation to keep going. Don’t give up! If you need support, ask for it, either by a professional, a spouse, a friend, a sister, whomever. It is worth the hard work, the sweat and the tears. It is a process, be patient, do the work and it will be done!
Happy Organizing!
Recent Comments