Client’s Fears: 1. Not being able to part with things that brought back memories.

2. Her child would resist letting go so it would be too much of a struggle getting the child’s room organized.

3. Nervous about having someone she doesn’t know in her space and possibly judging her harshly or not understanding

Erin struggled with organization her entire life. It got to the point where it was affecting family relationships. She was very nervous when I arrived and even thought about canceling. Bravely, she let me into her space, showed me around, and shared her story. I painted a picture of what her space could look like and we started organizing a small area of the kitchen and a box of paperwork.  Erin learned what papers weren’t necessary to keep so she didn’t worry about shredding most of what was in the box. She said that because I was there to help her focus and be supportive, she was able to make decisions a lot faster. Everyone around her questioned why she was paying someone to do what they would help her do for free.  After the next appointment where we completely organized her bedroom, (Erin already bought the necessary supplies and did a great job carrying out the plan for the bathroom before the appointment) she figured out that I was able to help her in ways her relatives and friends could not. She said it was worth the money because her bedroom was organized through a process where she didn’t feel bad about herself or didn’t have to explain why she kept something. In other words, a professional versus friends made a huge difference.

Erin was nervous before every appointment but knew she would feel so much better by the end of the session. She didn’t allow her nerves to get the better of her. As for her daughter, Erin was in for a surprise. We started out deciding on stuffed animals in her daughter’s room because it was the one area she thought her ten-year-old daughter would have the biggest problems with letting go. I suggested adding a shelf  to display the stuffed animals she was keeping; however, this would require deciding which animals to put on display. This made it a lot easier for her daughter to let go of two trash bags full of animals because she understood how much more she was going to enjoy the ones she kept. Once that was done, her daughter left on her own and we finished the job. The huge smile on her face when she saw her room organized was a wonderful thank you. Because her play things were well organized, she couldn’t wait to start playing.

I know it’s hard to have someone you don’t know in your home. But if you’ve spent years saying that some day you are going to get organized. The evidence shows you need someone from the outside to give you a plan, focus, and a helping hand.

Pottery Barn Cubby Organizer

Most of us keep our memorabilia hidden away in trunks and boxes. A lot of the items we save are small: ticket stubs, a note or card, photo, or special keepsake a loved one gave us. Why not bring them out and put them on display not only for your own enjoyment but to share with others. Pottery Barn Cubby Organizer is perfect for organizing and displaying memorabilia. My sister, Barbara, changes out the items seasonally: Christmas, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Valentine’s Day. When my sister, Carol, spent a week with Barbara, she brought out photos and remembrances of their childhood.  Great idea!

I find women have a really difficult time saying “no” especially at this time of year. Force yourself to say, “Let me think about your request and get back to you.” Give yourself time to think and consider the request. If you make this a habit, you’ll find yourself only taking on the tasks that you have time for and enjoy instead of those that cause more stress and add to your feelings of overwhelm. This applies to all the things you think you need to get done before Christmas. What would be the consequences if you didn’t send out cards this year, or only made one or two types of cookies instead of five or six? What if you used kraft paper to wrap all your gifts instead of three or four different types of wrapping paper? It might be helpful to pick one source for all your Christmas shopping instead of spending so much time going from store to store.

Be careful to finish one project at a time. You will feel better when you finish a task instead of many partially started projects. You don’t need to be Martha Stewart and your home doesn’t need to look like those in the magazines.

Is your family happy? Are you focused on the true meaning of Christmas? Isn’t that enough?

• Spend more time planning rather than doing
• Keep shopping
• Don’t make learning organizing skills a priority
• Make excuses
• Think you have to feel motivated to get organized
• Aren’t willing to change your habits
• Shuffle papers around rather than make decisions
• Over-commit to demands on your time
• Give in to distractions
• Don’t exercise discipline

The only way to get more organized is to spend time getting organized.

In the present difficulty, I’ve been extremely disappointed but not surprised that I’ve not seen courage from the adult men in leadership or mentoring positions.  As C.S. Lewis said, “We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise.” I’ve seen a great deal of courage in one particular young man, however.  I think he’s learned that fear won’t get you very far but courage will take you a long way.