How to Avoid Feeling Overwhelmed with Organizing
We all have moments when we look around our homes and think, “There’s no way I can get this place organized!” Yes, even professional organizers can have those feelings. But there are tips and tricks professional organizers use to overcome overwhelm and get back to organizing. These are tips you can use for organizing your own home and avoiding feeling overwhelmed with organizing.
KISS!
Keep it simple, sweetie! Part of the reason anyone feels overwhelmed with organizing is because we look at the whole thing instead of breaking it down into manageable pieces. But in order to accomplish anything, whether it’s an organizing project or any other goal, the best way forward is to break down the big goal into smaller, more accomplishable tasks. For example, instead of thinking about organizing your entire kitchen, which may be completely overwhelming to even know where to begin, think of all the different parts of your kitchen that you could make into individual projects: the dining room table, the junk drawer, the pantry, the refrigerator. At the end of the day, you’ll still accomplish the goal of a more organized kitchen, but by taking it in smaller increments, you’re more likely not only to take action but be motivated by the smaller accomplishments to keep going!
Embrace Imperfection
It’s perfectly ok to be imperfect. We remind our readers about this a lot, because it’s something that’s easy to forget but can really cause you to become overwhelmed at organizing. Expecting perfection from yourself or anyone else just leads to disappointment and frustration. Instead of striving for perfection, strive for balance. For example, if you want your living room to be less cluttered and more organized, don’t benchmark how well organized you are based on the fact that the room gets used. There will always be dust, or kids’ toys, or remote controls. Measure organization based on everything having a place or having only the décor on your shelves that makes you joyful or having cleared off tables where you can set a cup of tea without moving 14 other things first.
Pick Your Battles
You might never be able to have all the laundry done, dry, folded, and put away – and even if you do, it will only last until bath time. But that doesn’t mean you can’t choose the areas of your home that stress you out and overwhelm you the most and make them your target projects. For some people, this might be a dining room table full of mail and paperwork that means no family dinners. For others, it might be a very disorganized closet that makes them late to work every morning. Whatever the spot is that creates the most stress for you, make it the focus of your energy. It’s ok to make a list of all the things you want to do to be more organized, and then rank the items on that list, and then only choose one at a time to work on. And it’s to accomplish your goals at your own pace.
When All Else Fails, Do Some Decluttering
Even if all you do is walk through the house with a trash bag and a basket so that you can remove trash and remove items that don’t belong in the room that they’re in, it can offer a huge sense of relief. Decluttering can also give you a fresh perspective to see what you really want to get under control
Create Time to Organize
Let’s be honest. How much time do you spend scrolling TikTok or Instagram or Pinterest? Could you cut that down by 10 minutes and use that 10 minutes to do quick organizing projects each day or week? I bet you could. Try it. Even for just a couple of weeks. See what a difference 10 minutes a day can make.
Mental Mindset Shift
One of the reasons we become so overwhelmed with organizing is that we can’t shift our mental patterns – away from perfection to positive change, away from whole-house projects to small, meaningful adjustments. So instead of worrying about how to organize your life and home, stop thinking and tackle the junk drawer or the pantry or the entry way of your home. If you spend too much time worrying about how or when or what, you’ll never actually do anything.
And don’t forget, if you need a little help either getting started or for the long haul, the professional organizers at Organizing Maniacs would be thrilled to help.