- No time – This is the excuse I hear most often. Everyone has the time to get organized but you’ve chosen to do something else because getting organized sounds dreadful. True. It can be dreadful and overwhelming but so is clutter. The key is to start and keep going. Simple but true. How many times have you started then stopped when it wasn’t fun anymore. Not that it was to start with but people get bored and move on.
- Didn’t feel like it – So? This has nothing to do with feelings. I bet you have a lot of unfinished projects that make you feel miserable. If you make up your mind that something is worth doing, finish it. Don’t put it on your calendar unless you intend to finish. Not everything is fun. Some things just require a lot of discipline.
- Paralyzed by the ‘what ifs’ – What if someone else could use it? What if I might need it some day? What if my friend finds out I got rid of it? What if I find the other part that goes with this? Your brain is not your friend. It causes a lot of unnecessary anxiety. Your friend would believe you if you told them, “It’s here somewhere.” Donate it if someone could use it. That someone doesn’t have to be you. Make up a box labeled Look Here For Missing Parts if that helps. There is an answer for the ‘what ifs’. 99.9% of the time the right answer is to let it go. In 14 years as a professional organizer, no one has regretted letting anything go. Seriously. It’s a burden to live with too many things.
- Don’t know where to start – It’s simple. What room causes you the most anxiety? Start there.
- If you’ve read this far, you are serious about getting organized. Stop reading and get moving. Enjoy your space. Live and work in a space that’s beautiful and clutter free. You’ll be happier. That’s reason enough.
Let me know why you didn’t get organized in 2018 and what you will change.
