Improve Your Wellbeing With These 5 Organizing Steps

It’s summer, schools out and your routine is all out of wack. Are you feeling frustrated by the clutter around you? Stacks of paper on the counter, never-ending piles of laundry, and stuff covering every surface — it can feel so overwhelming!
You’re not alone. Clutter has become a major problem in our culture, and it’s even taking a toll on our emotional and mental health.

The Impact of Clutter

It’s not just your friendly neighborhood organizer (me!!) who says clutter has an impact on your mental health — research shows it, too. Studies have found that when someone perceives their home as cluttered, their cortisol (aka stress) increases.
The key word, however, is ‘perceive’. Clutter weighs on people differently. To some, a stack of paper on the kitchen counter is organized. To others, it’s daunting. Understanding how you relate to clutter is the first step in identifying its impact on your mental health.

5-Step Solution to Clutter

1. Find Your Biggest Stressor

Pinpoint the space in your home that stresses you out the most. Find the low-hanging fruit that will impact your daily life, like the entryway you go in and out of each day or the dining room table that’s always covered.

2. Start Small

Though you might find your overflowing garage or basement is your most stressful space, those are huge projects to start with. Instead, choose a smaller space that will allow you to see results right away. A few examples would be a kitchen drawer, your bedroom nightstand, or a single shelf.

3. Set a Timer

You’d be amazed by how much better you can feel after 15 minutes of decluttering. If you find you have more stamina, feel free to keep going. But remember that something is better than nothing!

4. Sort Your Items

Starting in your small space, go through the items and decide what can be kept, tossed, donated, or moved to a different place. Even in a small space, you’ll be amazed by how much can go, and you’ll quickly begin to feel a little lighter.

5. System Set-up

Systems sound like something big and complicated, but they can be simple, too! Hanging your keys on the same hook every single day is a system. Putting your shoes in the same spot when you get home is a system. Once you’ve sorted through the items in your small space, put them back in a way that works for your habits. Think about how you use the space and decide whether items belong there. If they do, contain them in a way that can help you find them when you need them next.

Each of these steps could be a blog post on its own, so remember that we’re just skimming the surface now. But remember, when it comes to feeling overwhelmed, it's best to start small because some progress is better than none. Take everything one step at a time, because honestly, it’s the only way to do anything.

Ready for some hands-on support? Contact me https://www.categorizedbykatie.com/contact to learn how to work together.