Welcome to my blog, What’s Your Story? I am so looking forward to sharing some organizing tips and skills I’ve learned along the way, but more importantly, I want to connect with you and encourage you wherever you are in your organization journey and your life journey.
You may be asking what your story has to do with organizing. As a Professional Organizer, I have the privilege of working with so many people in many different chapters of their stories. Some of us are naturally organized, some are naturally disorganized. Many are simply overwhelmed with life and need some reinforcement to get back on track. For some, the problem has been festering for years if they are not naturally organized. Others get thrown into a crisis with an unexpected event-move, illness, new job, etc. Most all of my clients find themselves in some form of life transition. I love working side by side with them all, hearing their stories unfold and watching transformation take place as they reclaim control over their “stuff” and their time.
Wherever you are in your life journey, know that organization or disorganization does not define you. It is simply a state of your external, and sometimes internal, environment that either supports you in this season of your life or makes it harder. If your surroundings are orderly, and your weeks are filled with routines, your life is more fulfilling and enjoyable. You have more time and energy to enjoy the ride. During difficult times, you feel more in control when your environment is peaceful, and you are able to give your attention to the important things without the distraction of chaos. No matter where we fall on the organized spectrum, most of us are looking to be more organized and peaceful in our lives. The good news is that it is indeed possible to make progress with some effort.
If you are feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of getting it all together, clearing the clutter, or creating a peaceful environment and routines, I want to encourage you. Have you heard advice on how to eat an elephant? You do so one bite at a time. Same with organizing. Wherever your biggest point of frustration or pain is, start there. Just do one thing. Discard expired food from your pantry, go through that stack of mail, or purge your coat closet and take donations to charity. Don’t look at the whole; just look at that one task. Set a timer for 15 minutes to tackle the project if that’s helpful, and stop when the timer goes off. Just do a little at a time or even a little each day. You will make progress.
Disorganization is sometimes defined as a series of unmade or postponed decisions. Make just one decision today to become more organized. You’ll feel accomplished, and the momentum will take over.
In future posts, I will share some more practical tips. Today, my intent is to motivate you to own where you are in your story. Although the people behind them do, Pinterest Boards and Instagram accounts don’t have stories. All those beautifully organized snapshots are what we tend to compare ourselves to. Do not fall into the comparison game. Whatever your goals, whatever your life season, own it and be encouraged that progress is possible.
I’d love it if you would take a minute and share where you are in your story, your organizational goal/frustration and the one step you will commit to taking today.