In our Clutter Diet tutorials, we talk about how there are 3 kinds of organizing, and "Planning" is the top level of those… Planning is incredibly important and makes everything else work better. It does require that you step back, take some time out, and think. Have you thought about 2008 and what you would like to change?
My 2008 focus is on conquering fear. We can’t let fear keep us from our goals! Christmas weekend I symbolically demonstrated this to myself by jumping out of an airplane. Yes, I really did! Skydiving, I found, is something that changes you forever, like becoming a parent. I feel like something is different and better, and now I can remind myself that if I can do that, I can do anything! (click photos for larger versions)
I have found after years of helping clients get organized that fear is a BIG factor holding them back. Keeping things you no longer need is almost always rooted in fear, for example, as in, "I’m afraid (I might need it someday)/(I won’t be able to find that again)/(my daughter might need it)/(fill in the blank with your own concerns)." People are also afraid to make big changes in general…are afraid that there won’t be any excuses left if they are finally organized…are afraid that if they can’t do it perfectly they don’t want to do it at all… and are afraid of facing emotional baggage amongst the clutter.
How is fear holding you back in your life? How could you change this in 2008?
Hello, my name is Kathy Ney and I am from Kenner, La. Just outside of New Orleans. My house was flooded with “katrina” and has been repaired. I am having problems with getting my house back in order. I have an extra bedroom and another as an office and a garage with alot of things in all rooms. My bedroom, den and kitchen and dining room are fine. The above rooms with the clutter make me crazy and I am determined to get things right. I do work as a Sales Rep in the daytime and at a restaurant at night. (two good jobs) I have relatives that need my help also, and I am going to be a lst time grandmother in July. So like others there have been lots of changes for the good….and not so good…. I do need help….
thank you for your time.
Kathy Ney
Hi Kathy,
Thanks for writing. If you want help from our team, the best way to do that is to join as a member on our main site at https://www.clutterdiet.com. We are a team of virtual Professional Organizers that provides help to members of our program. This blog is just an accessory to our main site where I write my thoughts and share ideas with the public.
Thanks for your comments,
Lorie
I love that you mention emotional baggage as one of the things that keeps us from getting organized. I closed my art studio/retail shop last year while recovering from cancer and then had to clean out my mom’s house after my stepdad suddenly died, all within a few months. My own home became a storage area, filled with boxes. My mom died 6 years ago and we left her things in the house so we didn’t upset my stepdad but after he died everything had to be gone through and taken out. My mother had kept everything, including all the things my grandmother kept. Being poor folk the things they kept were old papers and pictures, old menus and maps, etc. Most were water or age spotted, all held many memories. It was like walking in front of a loaded gun every time we went into the attic. We never knew which shot was going to get us. We threw a lot away, put some things aside for sale and packed more into boxes to be assessed later. I am now at later. It’s a pretty overwhelming task but I literally set my timer for 15 minutes each day to get started. Some days I can only do 15 minutes, some days I work for hours. I feel like I am in a mirror looking back through my past sort of randomly. This box has letters from college, this box from when I lived in New York, etc. They kept everything. It is very cleansing in a way but also very emotionally draining. Slowly I am regaining my space and my underlying organization but it’s been a huge, huge job. Thanks for letting me write this here. It actually helps to write it out for someone who really gets it!
Lorie, what a blast! I can’t wait to skydive… you’ve inspired me. I think for my birthday this year I’ll do it! 🙂
~Monica
Thanks for your great story. Very stimulating!