We all do it! Hold on to things that we think we need, but don't really have a place for! Eventually we find ourselves surrounded by these things that start to clutter our homes and eventually our lives.
If you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed out take a look at what is around you? What is your living environment like? Is it tidy, organized and manageable? If not, this could be a huge part what is causing underlined stress in your life. Many times people are so overwhelmed with their lack of organization that they don't do it at all. DON'T let it overwhelm you! You just need to follow a few simple steps to get started and be successful.
Step 1- If so why? Pin point how your current state of organization has affected your life. Understanding the why is an important part of achieving long term success because it helps you recognize the consequences that being unorganized has caused in your life. You will find that the lack of organization costs you time, money and sometimes can be a health risk.
Step 2- Write it down. What is your overall goal? If it is to clean your entire house, write that down but don't let it overwhelm you. Every goal will be broken down several times to make it doable.
Step 3- Make a plan. Be realistic. Don't expect everything to change overnight. It took awhile to create the clutter, it will take some time to organize it. Where do you want to start? Choose a room that has the least amount of work. This will help you see quicker results and keep you motivated. Each room is a project in itself. Take each project and write down what you want to happen in that room. If you start in a bathroom, identify individual projects in the bathroom and set small goals for each individual project.
For example:
Overall goal- CLEAN AND ORGANIZE THE HOUSE
BREAKDOWN-
Bathroom-
Organize-
Vanity-
Medicine Cabinet-
Clean-
Tub
Tile
Toilet
Sink
Floor
Do this in each room. If you have a desire to redecorate, hold off until you have your overall goal completed. You will find it is much easier and less daunting to do an entire overhaul on a room if the rest of your house is clean and organized. It will also help you save money in the long run because you will be able to better prioritize your redecorating projects and possibly re-purpose items that you might have. However, DO NOT HANG ONTO THINGS YOU DON'T NEED!
A general rule of thumb is if you haven't used it in 1 year, it should go! So many times we are afraid to get rid of things because we think we might need it someday. Get rid of it anyway. The cost of being unorganized is much more than it will most likely cost you to replace an item you find you need down the road. Better yet, if you find you use an item only once every few years, don't buy it, barrow it from a friend or family member or rent it if it is an item that can be rented.
As you go through each room, have 2 containers available to put your items in. One labeled "KEEP" and one labeled "Throw out". Be honest with yourself. It does no good to talk yourself into keeping things you don't need. You will just end up in the same situation you started with. Quickly get rid of the items in the "Throw out" container so that you don't convince yourself to start pulling things out of it. Once you have decided what you are keeping, organize them into categories. For example, if you are organizing your bathroom vanity, purchase small baskets to put in the vanity. Use different baskets for different items. One basket for hair products, one for face products, one for curling irons, hair dryers etc. Keep it simple. Don't have 12 different baskets, just group like items together. This will help you KEEP things organized because they will always have a home. Be consistent. It only takes a couple seconds to place your items back in the correct place, but saves hours of time it would take to reorganize!
YOU CAN DO IT! Just remember to break it all down and keep it realistic. If you only have 20 minutes a day, just do 20 minutes. Choose one drawer, one shelf, or one container to work on at a time. It will create a sense of accomplishment rather than discouragement because you didn't organize the entire room. It's OK for you to take a couple weeks to organize a single room. It's your timeline. Do however have a end date in sight. Otherwise you may never cross the finish line.
You can do it! Choose to change your life today!
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