Take Control of Clutter Before it Takes Control of You
When it comes to getting organized, my body begins to tingle + with sweaty palms my heart begins to race. But not because of those paralyzing fear driven tingles (Erp!) that too often go hand-in-hand with clutter, instead an exhilarating wave of ‘creating calm’ in the wake of clutter + chaos washes over me.
I’m literally drowning in ecstasy!
As a child, I remember playing outside in the warm summer sunshine with my brother (and while I love a serious game of 4-square) I’d come up with the most ridiculous reasons to go inside to organize my mothers pantry! Ok, let’s be real... I was enjoying the air conditioning ;) all Jokes aside, I was in absolute heaven. It was like donuts + hi-fives all day!
Shelf-by-shelf I disassembled everything, until it was completely empty. Then methodically, I’d figure out the best way to put the puzzle back together again, but this time it looked wayyyy prettier.
Looking back, the process of taking piles of clutter (big or small) + creating organized systems that are streamlined for the way we live -- has always been incredibly soothing to me.
Apparently, even from an early age, being a personal organizer was my thing!
But for those of you who don’t find decluttering to be as therapeutic (looking at you mom), how can we take back control of clutter ...in our homes + in our lives... before it takes control of us?
STOP STUFFING.
Let’s start by talking about the mess we made + why we made it!
If you’ve been hanging around here for awhile, you’ve heard me say…
In other words, clutter is an inevitable part of our busy, overstuffed, everyday lives + there’s a-b-s-o-l-u-t-el-y nothing to feel embarrassed about!
No matter who you are, we’re all guilty (at one point or another) of having turned a blind eye to the relentless pile of junk mail or the daunting loads of never ending laundry that need to be folded + put away.
Why is it so hard for us to get organized but when it comes to putting stuff where it doesn’t belong, it’s ridiculously easy?
We hold our breath + cross our fingers in hopes that if we shove it out of sight (go ahead + insert your favorite place to dump clutter here -- we’ve all got one) we won’t have to deal with or look at it all the time.
Immediately, we feel a sense of accomplishment + with the mess out-of-sight, we also feel a sigh of relief because the constant reminder of yet another task on our to-do list or something we should’ve taken care of days-weeks-months-(or maybe even years ago!) is out-of-mind #Procrastination
But lets sprinkle a bit of reality on the situation, shall we?
Been there? Me too.
So, why do we turn a blind eye? Why do we look the other way or stuff our belongings out-of-sight out-of-mind?
In this tear-jerking love-story, sometimes all we need is a fresh pair of eyes which is why I’m sharing with you a couple of helpful things to consider…
Maybe we have Too Much Stuff... (+ haven’t come to grips with it!)
Maybe there’s Not Enough Space… (+ again, haven’t come to grips with it!)
Maybe we haven’t Created Homes For Things To Live + we don’t know where else to put it!
REALITY CHECK - stuffing is nothing more than a temporary band-aid. Ouch!
I know it hurts but when it comes to helping you move the needle, stuffing doesn't fix the problem. The longer we ignore things, the worse the clutter gets.
Come on, you can do it! Let’s rip off that band-aid + air it out together.
START SORTING
Have I told you how much I love this part?
All you want is an ice-cold glass of water but then you open the cabinet only to realize your kitchen is a hot mess… not the sassy-sexy kind of mess but rather the frazzling-anxiety-driven pit in your stomach kind.
Again, “life happens” but how did your deodorant wind up in the cabinet with a box of cereal, stack of mail, movie tickets from last weekend + your gym shorts. #TrueStory
When everything’s jumbled together without purpose, our minds bounce from one chaotic mess to another. We struggle to find direction + make sense of it all.
Like a real good BFF though, in order to create a clear focus + help you make better decisions when decluttering your home…
I’ve got a couple of organizing tips to help you sort through the clutter, teach ya how to organize a closet + have top notch garage organization.
Wham. Bam. Done.
Boo, you can thank me later :)
ORGANIZING TIP #1
Start In One Area - remember, ultimately when it comes to getting organized there’s no right or wrong… there’s what works for you + your family. If you’re trying but feel like you still need organizing help… holla atcha girl :)
ORGANIZING TIP #2
Group like items - think about items that go together. It’s literally as easy right now as organizing linens with other linens, balls with other kids toys, kitchen gadgets with other miscellaneous kitchen items.
ORGANIZING TIP #3
Begin Sorting - now, here’s where we start to create organized systems but like all good things it gets difficult before it gets better. Organize everything into 4 distinct piles…
Relocate pile - anything that belongs in a different room (like the deodorant in the kitchen cabinets) goes in the relocate pile. Don’t worry about whether or not you want to keep it, we’ll tackle that decision when we’re organizing that area)
Give Away pile. If it belongs to someone else or has value + can be donated it goes here. (ex. The pyrex dish that belongs to your neighbor or a library book that needs to be returned, a bag of old work clothes that can be donated + given a new life)
Throw-away pile. Anything that’s broken or unusable should be put in the throw-away pile.
I don’t know pile. If it takes you more than 5-seconds to process or complete… it lives in the idk pile because the longer we think about something the more distracted we become.
ORGANIZING TIP #4
Re-focus - So, you’re on your way to becoming a professional declutter are you?
Take a step back + clear your mind. Before we dive into one of the four piles we created it’s important to acknowledge what we’ve accomplished decluttering so far.
ORGANIZING TIP #5
Take Action - our goal is to avoid diluted focus. So, with a fresh start + clear focus tackle 1 pile at a time. For example, start by moving items from the relocate pile into the rooms that make sense in terms of how they’ll be used. Kids toys that belong in the playroom should be moved there.
TAKE CONTROL
Can I be real with you?
When it comes to getting organized + how to take control of your clutter it ultimately comes down to you making a priority to conquer it.
You can do it on your own, with a friend or with a professional organizer… psst: I happen to know an absolutely fab-u-l-o-u-s home organizer *wink*
Subtle nudges aside, it can be hard to get started + stay motivated.
Decluttering your home can be like peeling back a band-aid over an open wound. Underneath it is raw -- but, that’s real life for you.
Put the excuses to not start aside before that narrative in your mind starts telling you all the reasons you can’t.
Because, you absolutely can boo!
— Sherri
p.s. feeling like you can’t do this alone, there is absolutely no shame in asking for organizing help. Our decluttering services are 1-on-1 hands on organizing that teaches you how to be an organizing rockstar while making home the place you never want to leave.