Terrible grammar, but crucial question here.
Maybe it’s time for a change. (Insert any challenge here, but we’ll use organizing since that’s my sphere.) You’re fed up with the status quo. Your frustration fuels your fire 🔥and you charge ahead to fix the problem.
You tear into your closets and cabinets. You start sorting and purging. Maybe you go out and buy new storage containers. And then within hours or days, you lose your fire… And you’re left with a bigger mess than you started with. Again.
WHAT is actually happening here?
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein
Apparently the hamster wheel doesn’t get us anywhere but exhausted and defeated.
So if we want different, we’ve got to do different.
May I suggest going backward before racing forward?
Let's identify the invisible roadblocks that are causing the visible clutter. Do some inner work so that the outer work can stick. After all, it’s rarely about “the stuff.”
WHAT obstacles keep sabotaging your efforts?
(The following are from clients; you’re not alone!)
👉 You never learned organizing skills in childhood.
👉 You were raised in a rigid neat-freak environment. Now you (subconsciously?) rebel against that inflexible way of life. It’s like sticking it to your… uh wait, who’s that actually hurting? 🤔
👉 Staying disorganized acts as a shield; your outward chaos distracts you from dealing with your inner chaos.
👉 You’ve tried to get organized many times and fear failing again.
👉 Your over-scheduled calendar makes it impossible to maintain what you have.
👉 Perfectionism keeps you paralyzed from starting.
👉 ADHD keeps you distracted from finishing what you’ve started.
👉 OCD makes you hyper-focus on one thing while neglecting others.
👉 You’re shouldering too much responsibility and need to delegate tasks.
👉 A life change such as a new child, marriage, divorce, or death of a loved one has you stuck.
👉 Your new home is both exciting and terrifying; you’re overwhelmed at setting up storage homes for your belongings and making this house your home.
So WHAT are your obstacles?
First put a name to it. This simple act may be enough to do differently. Or you may want to enlist a trusted friend or therapist to help you move forward. Please don’t skip this step– it’s worthy work. To be clear, it’s not actually about being organized. It’s about releasing the clutter and mental baggage that comes with it so that you can live more freely and lightly.
(Lest you think I’ve arrived… I’m asking myself this same hard question in other areas of life–like WHAT's keeping me from a consistent workout routine or meal planning?) We all struggle with something.
I’m here to encourage you in your journey to less stuff, more life. Reach out if I can support you in any way.
So what’s your WHAT?
📸: Karl JK Hedin on Unsplash