Are You Overwhelmed?

It’s one of those days when I wish I had a dollar for every time someone says,
“I’m feeling so overwhelmed and I don’t know where to start.” If you are one of those people who take one look at your office or home and feel totally overwhelmed with what faces you – the piles, the clutter, the stuff everywhere -- then join the crowd because the feeling of “overwhelm” is affecting everyone these days.

When you consider yourself overwhelmed you feel out of control and that adds to your stress and anxiety level. All that additional constant worry and nervousness may make you a difficult person to live or work with. It can start to interfere with your relationships and your self-esteem.

What can you do about that feeling of being buried by your clutter and piles? Here are five steps to begin to reduce that overwhelmed feeling and reclaim that sensation of control by putting your focus on what needs to get done and get organized for a more productive day.

Step 1 – Plan, Plan, Plan
This is the most important step. Without a plan you won’t know which direction to go in or even what needs to be done first. Many people don’t want to plan because it will take time away from working on the project. But if you don’t have a goal and a vision of what you want your life to look like you’ll soon feel overwhelmed again. Without a plan the objects you are sorting have no place to go and you’ll soon develop a bad case of indecisiveness.

Step 2 – Prioritize your list.
Deciding how you’ll tackle this job and where you will start is the next important step. Have you decided to paint the room? Then you know you’ll have to remove as much as you can and put a tarp over whatever stays. Will you be creating a great new filing system to use? Then you know you need to purchase a file cabinet if you don’t have one. Look at your plan and then set your priorities.

Step 3 – Get Ready and Choose the Date
Pull out your calendar and plan the date you will start working on your office or home. Cross it off, mark it in red, highlight it and then don’t make any plans on that date. Keep your date with yourself and just the act of getting started will make you feel better.

Step 4– Lights, Camera, Action!
You have your plan and you know your goals and you’ve set your date to start the project – now what? This is where I hear, “I don’t know where to start.” Taking the first step is always the hardest. Stand in the room you are working in and pick something up – anything – make a decision on that something. Here are some questions to ask yourself about the stuff:
• Is it a keeper? Is it beautiful? Do I love taking care of it?
• Is this trash? Would the people at Goodwill be able to use it?
• Can it be recycled or do I know someone who could put it to good use?
• If you can’t bear to part with it, ask yourself, “Why?”

Step 5 – Remove, Reuse, Return
After you’ve done all that sorting and asking yourself those hard questions, then continue to follow through and take the items to be donated, return the library books, call a shredding company to alleviate your shredding piles. Do whatever it takes to complete the job as soon as you can.

It’s remarkable what happens when you get organized at home or in your office. You will feel better living and working in that newly cleared space. You’ll enjoy better self-confident and self-esteem. You’ll be able to get so much more done each day. You’ll be saving time, money and space.

Enjoy your organized life and banish the feeling of being overwhelmed.

To get more information on relieving stress and feeling better by getting more organized, go to www.organizeclutter.com for other articles, resources and to sign up for an enewsletter with quick tips you can use right away to make a difference in your life.