Let’s face it, most people are not organized. We are busy with work, kids, extended family, social calendar, extracurriculars, not to mention all the holiday functions throughout the year.
Life gets in the way and we prioritize family/social lives over being neat and organized! Not groundbreaking news, but what’s funny is most people, although they are not organized, desperately want to be.
That’s where I come in. I was blessed with the “need for neat” as I called it. I transform people’s homes into sorted sanctuaries while giving them tips and tricks for how to keep the zen in their busy lives.
Here is a sneak peek to what you can do to keep the clutter at bay:
Schedule 15-Minute Monthly Sorting Sessions
We have a tendency to get overwhelmed and instead of spending a few minutes going through the closet to get rid of things, we let stuff pile up until there is no room and you cant find anything.
Start by scheduling just 15 minutes a month to go through your closet or kitchen and say to yourself: Do I wear/use this? When was the last time I wore/used this? How do I feel in this? It creates awareness and accountability and what tends to happen is you may actually spend more than 15 minutes organizing or purging. By setting the bar low, it creates a sense of ease that is do-able for even the busiest person.
Let It Go
We have a tendency to hold onto items in hopes that we will repurpose them. Does this sound familiar: “I just need to lose 10 lbs. then that top will fit perfectly!” or “I’m planning on making a quilt with my son’s old sports t-shirts.” The likelihood of you wanting to wear that top if and when you lose the 10 lbs., or finding the 24 hours needed to sew a quilt out of your son’s old t-shirts is highly unlikely.
Instead, what I find most helpful is immediate action. I gently nudge the client to make a decision on sentimental items that day. If you have boxes and boxes of photographs and cards that are just collecting dust, display them all in a photo album to leave in your living room. Or choose a few of your son’s sports t shirts and frame them for him or make a pillowcase cover.
By keeping clothes that don’t fit you right now, you end up feeling insecure and unhappy about your body. Although some think it’s motivation, it does produce this thought of currently not being good enough in your own body. I know this feeling well as 10 years ago I lost 100 lbs. in one year. I was guilty of holding onto clothes 4 sizes too small in hopes that it would give me the motivation to lose that weight before summer. Instead it made me anxious and depressed. I ended up giving all the clothes that were too small to friends or family. Giving gifts is one of the easiest ways to feel happy, and if and when you do lose the weight, you know where the clothes are!
Get Social!
Chances are, if you are super unorganized, you don’t have people over very often. We are social creatures and we need quality hygge time with family and friends. Plan a small potluck dinner at your place, for a change. Everyone will bring a dish, so you’re off the hook from cooking; all you need to worry about is tidying up! Having a set date on the calendar is a great motivator for many to start getting sorted.
Start in the main living area where your guests will be hanging out. Remove any trash that’s lying about, then move on to items that don’t belong in the living room like clothing, workout gear, etc. If you don’t have a designated workout gear area yet, move the foam rollers, weights and jump rope to an area of your house with extra space. One idea for storing workout gear is buying a pretty hamper like this one and keeping everything upright inside.