You know there are plenty of benefits for you from clearing the clutter and getting organised. Yet you’re stuck and can’t get organised. Maybe it’s your mindset towards organising that’s holding you back. So let me clear some common misconceptions about organising, which will hopefully give you the motivation to get started.
Clearing 4 common misconceptions about organising that prevent you from getting organised
I’m not born organised.
Many people think that organising is a talent that you are born with. But organising is a skill that can be learned and that requires practice. Take my example. Yes, I had a strong inclination towards organising in the first place. But the reality is that I learned a lot of organising techniques during my Master’s in Logistics Management.
I built a lot of experience implementing these techniques with various companies during my corporate life. Then by transferring them to a home environment by organising my home and my friends’ homes.
I beefed up my skills in recent years by attending professional organising courses. I now pass the skill on to my clients when we work together. So there’s no reason you can’t get organised if you learn the skill too.
I won’t be able to stay organised.
Many people think that it’s impossible to stay organised. So they wonder why bothering to get organised in the first place. But organising is sustainable if it’s based on a system that’s built around your needs and preferences.
And that’s where a lot of people get it wrong. Because they think that organising is tidying and just end up moving things around in their home. Or they rely on organising products to solve their organising challenges. You can’t get organised for sure with such approaches.
So think processes and systems, and involve the rest of your family, if you want to keep your home organised.
I can’t afford the time.
Many people think that they don’t have the time to get organised, or that it is a non-productive use of their time. I have to admit that organising takes time. After all, clutter didn’t happen overnight and won’t disappear overnight either.
But organising will help you save time in many areas of your life. Did you know that the average American spends 55 minutes a day looking for things they know they own but can’t find when they need them?
So whether it’s finding a document in less than one minute, being on time for your meetings and appointments, or being out of the door in the morning without rushing, keep your eyes on the prize!
I find organising to be a boring chore.
While organising is something I enjoy, I know that many people don’t find it particularly exciting. I can sense many of my clients dragging their feet at first when we start their organising journey.
But soon they realise that organising is very gratifying because:
- it gives them a sense of accomplishment
- it frees them from their physical and mental clutter
- it brings them clarity on what’s really important in their life.
In fact, it’s not unusual after a while that they look forward to our sessions, or want to do more on their own in between.
By changing your perception of organising, you’ll change the behaviour that created the disorganisation in the first place. But if despite all this advice you still find it difficult to let go of years of habits and emotional attachments and can’t get organised, then you’ll probably benefit from engaging someone to support you in this process. Contact me to book a free 20-minute phone discussion, I’d love to be able to help you!
This article was first published in Connected Women magazine.
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