Let It Go

Let It Go!

Someone once asked me if professional organizers ever have trouble with clutter. The honest answer is, “Yes, sometimes we do.” But our training and experience help us from becoming overwhelmed by it all. I was reminded of this just this past week as we endeavored to live through a major upheaval in our home – installing new flooring in my home office while continuing to operate a business.

As I began clearing out the space in preparation, I wondered, “Where did all this stuff come from?” I began to realize that a lot of it was no longer really necessary and my life would be a lot simpler if I simply let go of some of it…the stuff I no longer use, don’t like any more, don’t need, or find is just plain broken or non-functioning. These are issues I deal with on an everyday basis with my clients. But sometimes we fail to take the time to deal with them for ourselves!

I began to envision a home office that had space to create and live and work. I started attacking it bit by bit…first drawing up the vision and breaking the job down into doable amounts of work; then sorting and eliminating things that were no longer useful or loved; finding places for the valuable things that couldn’t be “lost” for the next week; and finally as I brought things back into the office, creating ideal “homes” for everything close to where I’d use them. A few new containers to help with the organization and voilá, I am writing this article in a home office that I love working in!

As a professional organizer, I recognize though that the job is not entirely over. In time, things will creep back in and I’ll have to set aside some time for maintenance. But for now, I’m content and the creativity and excitement can flow again!

It can for you too! If you’re finding yourself overwhelmed by clutter, envision how you’d like it to look, break it down into doable chunks, set some time aside, let the old go, and make space for life. Then go out and meet the day head on with lots of enthusiasm and a refreshing look at life!

“I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.”

- Louisa May Alcott

I began to realize that a lot of it was no longer necessary and my life would be a lot simpler if I simply let go of some of it ...