Baby Steps

Overcoming clutter and disorganization is difficult for many because it requires our involvement virtually EVERY day. There will always be laundry, dishes, and bills to pay. Since we can not stop these activities altogether; we have to consider and change our thoughts about HOW we do it. We can not get rid of ALL of our clothes, but we also can not KEEP every article of clothing we ever owned. They key is moderation, which can be difficult for many,.

If anyone has ever seen the movie "What About Bob?" you are familiar with the term "Baby Steps" and if you have ever had a session with me- you are familiar with the term "Organization is 90% maintenance". I believe it is far more important to learn to "maintain" an area than to "organize" it. Success can be achieved with simple day-to-day changes in habits and successful maintenance and control of an area.

If we can't walk into the bedroom because there are clothes on the floor - the obvious goal is to get the clothes off the floor. Duh. But what is the best long-term solution for success? Of course we can make sure we have enough storage space so that once the clothes are all washed they all have a home, by either assessing the volume and reducing the quantity of clothes, or purchasing more hangers or a dresser if they are needed, or even install a custom closet system. But if you purchase a $5,000 closet system and STILL throw your clothes on the floor, you haven't gotten to the root of the problem. The idea being that if something is handled properly the first time, or is dealt with immediately, the chance that it becomes overwhelming to deal with later is reduced. (a pinch of prevention is worth a pound of cure). Second to this concept is to start what you finish. If you do laundry, it is better to FINISH ONE load of laundry (folded and put away) than trying to do 2-3 loads and not allowing enough time to finish any of them- thereby throwing them on the couch, bed, or top of the dryer -and creating other areas overcome by clutter and addition areas to maintain.

One area at a time we can build habits in baby-steps, making a conscious effort to change our thoughts and change our actions. It will take some time for these habits to become automatic, so be patient. But before you know it, you will make the bed as SOON as you get out of it without even thinking about it, you will put your shoes and dirty clothes away as SOON as they are off, the clean clothes will be on the hangers and in the drawers instead of on the chair or bed, and your bedroom will become a room where your mind and body can rest. Most likely you don't need a another hamper or dresser, you need one habit at a time, one room at a time.