Where to Begin if You Want Your Whole Home Organized

I start all of my clients out with a Needs Assessment by phone. It's old fashioned, I know. A phone call. I'm a throwback. Not Snapchat, not a facebook message, not texting back & forth. An actual human voice going into another person's ear. It's amazing how much I learn about my client in that 1st phone call and in turn how much my client learns about me. There's often laughter, stories shared, moments of excitement, sometimes tears. I love starting out this way for this reason. When we connect right away it makes me really excited for that 1st appointment if they decide to book time. One of the things that we talk about during this initial phone call is what they want to have organized. What I hear most often is "Ummm....my whole home needs to be organized. I don't know where to begin." How do I guide them through this riddle? With this simple 2-step game. You can play it too if you feel the same way.

I simply say, "Think of the space that causes you the most stress on a day-to-day basis & that you're the least likely to tackle on your own." There's usually a pause, a sigh & they say the 1st space that came to mind: "That would be my basement. I don't want to go down there anymore...." or "The KITCHEN!!!! It makes me crazy to cook in there....." or "My closet. I can't even get ready anymore & I know if it was organized I'd be able to get ready for work so much faster...." Away we go. Riddle solved. It all comes together from there. Even if you're going to work on your home on your own you can still play this 2-step game with yourself if you have no idea where to begin within your home. You're not alone since you've got my blog & facebook page to get you through it. I mean, I wish there was a way for a normal person & a professional organizer to work through an entire home all at one time but without the magic of Mary Poppins & her spoon full of sugar or a team of 35 extra people with clones for the homeowner (the only one that can make the decisions about what to keep & get rid of is YOU) doing an entire home all at one time isn't an option. You have to start with just one space. It can be a room or a closet but just one. What's the best way to eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

One of my favorite family sayings is "Getting the 1st olive out of the jar is always the hardest." Once you do though those olives come rolling on out & get better with every bite. This 1st space is your 1st olive. Having one room fully organized from floor to ceiling & in every nook & cranny will feel so good. It will motivate you to keep going, you will discover treasures & move trash out. Your goal for today is to decide which space you're going to start with. Just one. Block the rest of the house out of your mind & keep your focus on just that space. Eye on the ball. One room at a time. You can do it.

Comment below with which room or closet you're going to start with, why it's causing you stress on a day-to-day basis & why it's the least likely space for you to do on your own.

It's time to take back your space & your life.