The White Flag in the Clutter Battle

Powerless: Devoid of strength or resources; lacking authority to act

Powerless over clutter? Disorganization winning the battle in your life? Whether you find yourself overwhelmed because of a situation or series of events that have derailed your organization train or you have always struggled with keeping things in order there is hope. For some it may feel that the pile keeps getting higher and the battle is being lost. It may feel that the enemy; paper, laundry and “stuff” is ready to overthrow your life. You keep fighting, a little bit here and a little bit there. But wait, there’s hope.

Surrender: to give oneself over to something (as an influence)

What’s missing? A Strategic Plan, A Simple Plan! The first step in the plan is to surrender. Sometimes before we can truly surrender we have to be at the very end of the rope. No more fresh troops to send in, depleted supplies (of energy) and utter defeat of our spirit. The white flag goes up and the real end is here – the end of the battle, that is.

The Plan is laid out, step by step.

First and Foremost
Rescue the troops and get them back on their feet (that would be you!). The key to the first step is to restore hope and rest. Step back, breathe and know it will be ok.

Write your goals and prioritize
If your clutter and disorganization is situational, meaning, it happened as a result of an event or series of events, it’s important to look at how your environment may be different and write your goals accordingly – new baby, loss of loved one, move or downsize. Priorities may need to be realigned to the life change.

If your clutter and disorganization has been a long-term battle you may need to prioritize based on where you will gain the most efficiency and most stress reduction. Keep the list of goals simple, two or three at a time – accomplish those and then back up and prioritize again.

Slight Persistent Effort
When the one shot “get ‘er done” project isn’t possible apply the slight persistent effort method. This works well for creating new habits. Implement one new activity, method or organizing tool and let it find its grove in your schedule or system before making the next step. The key to success is the “persistent” part. You must commit to a consistent appointment with yourself to work on your project. If too much time passes between working time the momentum changes and it will slide off the priority list. Commit to yourself.

Ask for Help
If we are embarrassed by where we find ourselves we can easily isolate and feel we are the only ones. It takes courage to ask for help and let someone in your war zone. Ask a trusted friend to be your accountability buddy or have a Professional Organizer consult with you. Your investment of time and money will pay off in productivity, peace of mind and the deep breathe you get to take when the battle is done.