Where to Start When Organizing Your Home
The number one question behind “how do I start” is “where to start when organizing your home?”
It’s a very common question to a very common problem. How exactly do you start to get organized when you are living with piles of clutter in your home?
To make matters worse, the feelings of overwhelm and the frustrations are high making it even harder to have clarity in the situation.
I’m sharing my tips for how to start with home organization so that you walk away with clear action steps and a plan.
If you’re thinking, “yes! I know what I want, I just don’t know how to get there” then this post is exactly where you need to be to learn more.
Craft the vision you want for your life
If you want to get somewhere other than where you are, you’ve got to spend some time thinking about where that is.
While it doesn’t have to be an exact destination, it can be a concept, an idea, or a new way of life.
By taking the time to identify the forward vision for yourself you can acknowledge where you are and then take steps to move towards that vision.
As it relates to home organization, you may be feeling that you are done with the clutter in your home and the chaos it brings to your life. You crave order, and you might even settle for just being able to find your things when you need them. The challenge isn’t knowing what kind of orderly life you want to live; it’s how to get to that version of an organized life and home.
Give yourself time to dream about what you really want in your space and environment. This is not the time to hold back and edit your thoughts and feelings. Feel the freedom to explore the desires of your heart and think about how that translates into the space you want at home.
Once you’ve identified your vision, hold onto it and keep it close. This will act as your guiding light as you journey towards tidying up.
Commit to consistent action
Next, commit to taking action. Vision alone will not help you achieve the results or the ideal life that you are after. Action is essential to the process. Without follow through and action, our visions lay flat, never really getting off the ground and taking flight.
This reminds me of a very important quote that I often refer to. “Knowledge is potential power” according to Jim Kwik. He argues that knowledge is only part of the equation to real power. Knowing what to do and how to do it, is part of the process. Only when paired with action can the knowledge make an actual difference and impact.
Vision plus action is the one, two combo punch you want to get going on the path of organization.
Follow the plan
Even after establishing a vision and committing to action, you may still be unsure of your next steps. This is when you adopt a plan. Embracing a methodology for getting organized is essential to stay on track and to keep up the momentum. A simple plan is best because it will be easy to remember.
I recommend a comprehensive decluttering checklist that lists many of the categories and subcategories you expect to find in an average home. While the list is not exhaustive, it will give you the organized and structured start to get going with a plan.
Remember, organizing before decluttering is a perfect example of putting the cart before the horse. It simply doesn’t make sense. Always declutter first than organize what is left.
Remove your roadblocks
The tidying journey, while simple, is not an easy road to take especially when life happens and there are so many things that can get in the way of progress.
I like to address roadblocks head on with mindset shifts. Here are some common challenges I see clients face.
Running out of steam
Many who start their tidying journey are full of excitement and want to dig in right away. They tackle their clutter with gusto and forget about setting a vision or establishing a real commitment to the process. Along the way, the furious action starts to slow and in a short time later, the client wants to stop altogether because the high energy pace they set for themselves isn’t sustainable.
Here is what to do instead.
Set boundaries with yourself and your tidying schedule. Block off your time in digestible time frames so that you don’t run out of steam. Give yourself ample breaks as the process is both a physical and emotional journey.
Beating yourself up for past actions
When you’re in the messy middle of tidying up, you could quite literally be surrounded by your heap of stuff.
All that clutter can represent past purchases and actions that may trigger emotions that you did not expect.
This is the time to be kind to yourself rather than beat yourself up for past actions.
There is no value to getting down on yourself for the past, but it can serve as a learning opportunity on how you want to live the present and future.
Giving ourselves grace in these moments may be the best way to navigate past this roadblock.
All or nothing mentality
Many confuse tidying with a destination.
That one day they will become tidy, their home will be in order, and it will magically stay that way.
This story simply isn’t true.
In contrast, tidying is actually a journey of learning about yourselves in the present moment as we reflect on our past and past behaviors. Unfortunately, we don’t reach the destination and stay there.
Only through repeated and consistent action will organization be something that can be maintained. The pitfall is the all or nothing mentality of thinking that you’re all in with organization and thinking that you’ll keep up your perfect behavior as you navigate life.
As we know, life has other plans.
We become stressed, busy or sick and once we slip up in our organizing perfection, we can feel like we have failed in some way or aren’t really organized.
Let’s banish this all or nothing thinking and embrace the realness of balance in the journey.
Realistic expectations – the house will get messy
Last I checked, your home is not a museum.
Clutter here or there is real life.
Setting realistic expectations about having a tidy home is essential. You’ve likely seen the meme where someone has cleaned and tidied their entire home and the caption reads, “don’t touch anything.”
This is comical and true. A glass on the table (or a few) or a sock on the carpet is real life and it has a place in your home. Plus, many of you live with other humans in your home. Establishing realistic expectations that others can follow and adopt in your household is essential for lasting success.
So, some mess is normal and expected. It’s okay to actually live in your home.
Remember why you want this new version of your life
This is the most important step when you lose your way. Remember why you want this new version of your life.
Coming back to all the reasons why you want to live a life more organized will help you stay on track. Some reasons may include:
- You may lack focus in your mind due to the physical clutter.
- The countless piles in your home have made it harder to find things when you need them.
- The amount of time and energy wasted on going through your piles frustrates you.
- Clutter shoved in corners and hallways has actually made your space an actual safety hazard.
Whatever the reasons you have for getting organized for good, hold on to those why’s closely so that they energize you on the journey when things get tough.
Conclusion
To wrap up, here are the steps to starting your home organization journey.
- Craft the vision you want of your life
- Commit to consistent action
- Follow the plan
- Remove your roadblocks
- Remember why you want this new version of your life
Southern California based Professional Organizer, Sandy Park, owner and founder of Tidy with SPARK shares her joy of organization with her clients.
She serves clients in Orange County as well as the hundreds of thousands of followers on her combined social media platforms.
Connect with Sandy through her website or by connecting through her social channels.