Listen, I have something really important to tell you.
You know all those times you tried to get organized…and it didn’t work?
If you are thinking that YOU are the problem, you’re wrong.
YOU can do this.
YOU can get organized.
Your brain works just like everyone else’s.
Your hands can pick things up, put them in a bin, and return those things back to the same spot over and over again.
YOU are not the problem.
The problem is probably the thought that getting organized is outside of your control,
We do that when we believe thoughts we have about getting organized that seem to be true, but really aren’t.
Without coaching you directly, I don’t know for sure what might be holding you back. But keep reading to learn the 5 most common thoughts that keep my clients disorganized, and just pay attention to anything that feels a little too familiar.
Then, next time you notice yourself making the mistake, stop it! And try the new thought I offer below.
1. It has to be perfect.
Perfectionists like to pretend they are really ok with mediocrity, but deep down, they’re not. If they can’t do it perfectly, they don’t want to do it at all. If you’re a perfectionist, you may find that you avoid tasks, and for good reason! You likely sense that you are going to TORTURE yourself with all the little details until you gt it just right. Or maybe you can follow a task through to completion, but you are exhausted by the time you are done because you use up all of your bandwidth doing it “the right way.”
New thought: “Done is Better than Perfect.” What happens if you cut the corners you hate the most? Does the world keep turning? Do your friends and family still love you? Do you still have your job? If so, it’s likely that you are the only one who is requiring this perfection. Ask yourself, is it worth wiping yourself out for this result? Or can you be satisfied with the more relaxed outcome, and use your remaining time and energy somewhere that will really matter?
2. I don’t have enough room
I’m not going to lie, sometimes space is really tight. It can seem impossible to fit all your stuff in the space provided. So if the space can’t grow, your stuff has to shrink.
New thought: “There is always enough space.” I am a firm believer that you are always supported in what you need. When you bump up against an inflexible boundary, look at what IS flexible. Likely you can redefine what is essential, and once you do, you are back in business because you have enough space for what you need. Be curious about this. I have organized for clients who have lived very happily for months at a time in an RV with their young children. If they had enough space in their RV, you have enough space in your home.
3. I don’t have the time
Recently a client told me that she never has time for certain routines, but she always makes the time to exercise. Interesting. Are you seeing what I’m seeing? We always have time for what matters most.
The truth is, deep down, getting organized might not really matter to you. If it doesn’t, then stop putting all this pressure on yourself! But if it does matter, you can restructure your habits to make space for essential organizing routines.
Be honest with yourself. Do you really want to be organized? If so, what are you willing to give up today or this week to fit this organizing project or routine into your life?
New thought: “I have the same 24 hours each day as everyone else. If it is a true priority, I can make the time.”
4. Containers are unnecessary
When I was a young mom, I kept lotions and potions out of the reach of my young children. Unfortunately, out of reach meant putting it on a closet shelf at eye level that I saw every day when I entered or exited my closet. I threw away every unnecessary product I could. I sorted, I arranged, I organized. But no matter what I did, that shelf felt like a disorganized mess.
One day I decided to corral all those bottles with a few containers…and it was magic! Suddenly, everything stopped tipping over and falling off the shelf. Everything looked like it was supposed to be there. Why? Because…
Here’s a new and better thought: “Containers give stuff boundaries.” Just like our kids, our stuff is going to push the limit and go where we don’t want it to go. Draw a line in the sand by sticking it in a container, and you’ll find that your organizing efforts will last.
5. I don’t have the right personality
Oh brother. That is just not true! Everyone learns to walk. Everyone learns their colors. Everyone learns how to use a spoon. Being organized is not a matter of inheriting the right gene. It’s a matter of learning a system. That’s it. End of story.
Guess what I hear from my clients or audiences when I teach them my organizing system and they give it a try on their own at home? They say, “I can’t believe it! For the first time in my life, I organized! And it is staying that way!”
New thought: “I can follow the organizing recipe.” All you need is the right strategy, my friend. Click HERE to learn more about my strategies to help you organize your stuff, your paper, and more. It’s not rocket science, my friend. It’s just following a recipe. https://thehappygal.com/get-organized/
Still full of doubt? I got you. Email me at [email protected] and let’s schedule a time for a FREE 10-minute chat. Maybe you need some new strategy, or maybe your own thoughts are getting in the way. Whatever it is, as a professional organizer and a life coach, I’m here for you.
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