Tag: Home Organization

Cluttered Home=Cluttered Life

Declutter Your Home, Home Organization

You see it in news feeds on Facebook.  You see it on Twitter.  Someone takes a picture of it and posts it on Instagram.  You see a picture of it in a magazine.  You see it on a 5-minute segment of your favorite daytime talk show.  CLUTTER! They tell you it can be done in these few simple steps, show you the before and after pictures.  Then you fall down the rabbit hole of thinking you can do it too because they made it seem so simple and the end result was perfect.  Is this real? Can it be this simple? Will I achieve this same result?

The answer to those questions is yes and no.  You must be realistic about your situation, lifestyle, and habits.  When working with clients who want me to make the magic of decluttering their house look like that perfect picture they saw, I must let them know that decluttering is an ongoing process.  It involves behavioral modification, an emotional rollercoaster ride, daily tasks, and one of the toughest of all, TIME.

Behavioral Modification: You have to figure out the WHY.  Why am I constantly living in a state of clutter?  You have to deal with the HOW.  How can I continue to live like this? How can I make this go away?  Next is the WHERE.  Where do I even start?  The biggest step in this process is the WHO.  Who can I turn to for help?  This process can and will be mentally challenging for some.   It will help to keep a diary or notes on how you are feeling about the clutter in your home.  As you take the journey of decluttering, the notes help you understand the underlying cause or at least guides you towards the path to figuring it out.  Some can do this on their own but if you are able to afford/have access to a mental health professional, they can help guide you through this process.  It is not an overnight fix and will require you to work on the WHY and HOW, which can then lead to the WHERE.

Emotional Rollercoaster: Your house has been cleaned, you are happy, and feel good about yourself. Two weeks later, you feel sad, depressed, and unhappy with the way your life is going.  You have no energy and cannot figure out why.  You are constantly exhausted and stressed.  You stay sick but cannot pinpoint the reason why.  You isolate yourself from others because you don’t want to have others see you living like this.  You are now back to where you started-CLUTTERED.  You feel overwhelmed when facing your clutter.  Your anxiety builds up as you pull into your driveway or unlock your door to walk into your home.  These emotions are real and can lead to high-stress levels.  You cannot turn these emotions off at the snap of a finger, however, working on behavioral modification is key to helping with the emotional rollercoaster living in a state of constant clutter can cause.

Daily Tasks:  Set a timer, schedule at least 2-3 days out of the week you will dedicate at least 10 to 15 minutes to concentrating on one area.  This helps you to stay focused and keeps you on task.  It is better to accomplish mini tasks/goals versus being disappointed by creating a larger mess in multiple areas of your home.  Everyone in the household MUST participate in this process.  If more than one person contributes to the issue, then they need to participate in the process as well.

Time: Yes, someone can come into your home and make all of the clutter disappear, but it can return just as quickly as it disappeared, especially if you haven’t taken the time to figure out WHY is it happening.  I recommend to all of my clients who utilize my organization services- time, patience, daily to weekly tasks, setting up a system that works for them and their household. There is never a perfect time to get the process started, you simply have to schedule it into your Calendar of Life.  It is a necessary process that you have to be involved with and committed to deal with.  The timeframe will vary from person to person but do understand that time can include months to years, not just hours and weeks.  You have to pace yourself and give the systems that are set up to help you time to work and be modified.

Decluttering is a process that cannot be rushed.  It takes time for the clutter to build up and so it will take time to get it sorted.  You have to allow yourself to open your mind by setting mini-goals and start utilizing systems that will help you stay focused and get the job done.

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Bedroom Magic

Bedroom Organization, Home Organization
Bedroom, cleaning

We are talking about the cleaner side of things!! How to make your bedroom look like that perfect picture you saw in the Better Homes & Garden magazine or on that awesome post on Pinterest? Easily! Simply make your bed up every day and the magic will happen.  Can it be that simple?  YES! Clients always ask me what can they buy that will help them organize their bedrooms or make them look better.  My first and easiest solution is to ALWAYS make your bed once you get out of it. And boy if you could see some of the looks of confusion I get because no one believes me!  I tell them to do a few test runs over a two week period as most have to adjust their morning schedules a bit to make this work, especially if you have a spouse or significant other who does not get out of bed at the same time as you (adjustments can be made).  The act of making your bed will actually motivate you to straighten your room and over the long run keep it as neat as possible.  How? When you walk into your room and see that your bed is made, it makes you feel good to see a major item in your room looking neat which gives the appearance and feel of cleanliness and this leads to the feeling that the entire room should be like this.

Once the bed is made, you can focus on the nightstands, dresser, that stand/chair in the corner that seems to catch everything you throw at it, even under the bed will get some attention.  Who knows, you may even venture to finally go through your closet!

As with anything I recommend to my clients, always make a list or notes of what you would like the room to look like or how things can be rearranged.  This helps to cut down on frustrations and helps with keeping you focused on the task at hand which should be keeping and making your room look neat and clean.  Give this simple challenge a try as a part of your New Year’s Resolution and you will be amazed at how you MAGICALLY transformed your bedroom into the relaxing zone it was meant to be!  When you give it a try, be sure to leave us any comments on how things are going and we would love to see some before and after pictures.  If you would like help with this task or any other task in your home, do not hesitate to give us a call at 803-999-6806 or email us at gethooked@hookcosvc.com and we will be glad to assist you.

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