What to Do When You Don’t Know Where to Begin

We may have the best of intentions and often think to ourselves, “I’ll organize tomorrow; I’ll go through that stuff next week.” But so many of us out there have reached a point where “tomorrow” and “next week” have turned into years or even decades later.

It’s human nature. It doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with us, but knowing that sure doesn’t make it any easier to live with the overwhelm that can come from having piles of stuff that needs to be organized, gotten rid of, or sorted.

As we at Morgan Organizers know from years of experience, there is indeed a secret to it. It’s deceptively simple, and we’re happy share it with you. Most people never get started because they see a task in front of them that feels too big. So the secret is this: don’t set out to organize your house or to sort through your attic. Break it down. Set out to organize one drawer, or sort through one box in your attic.

It may seem counter-intuitive. After all, how will you ever get your whole house clean if the only part you intend to accomplish in a whole day is going through one of six drawers in one of three bathrooms? Here’s how: that’s simply the only way to do it. You’ve got to start somewhere, and it’s best to start where the task feels the simplest.

What then, you may ask? After that one drawer is done, we usually find that one of two things happens. Either it felt like a chore but you’re proud of getting it done, and now know that you can tackle the next one tomorrow, and on and on.

Or, and this is most often the case: simply getting started in a way that isn’t overwhelming and feeling that sense of accomplishment sets a whole new tone for the entire project, and you immediately dive into the next one. This is definitely a fun feeling, and it can inspire so much productivity. But beware… when this happens, you may find that it’s just as hard to stop as you thought it would be to start! Don’t forget to take breaks.

And of course, if you’d like any guidance along the way, or reach a part of the project that you know might need a professional, give us a call anytime. 301-787-4010