Decluttering Tips for When Life Happens
We’ve all been there. Life happened and our office, closet, living room, or (fill in the blank) is crowded with piles of papers, books, and stuff. This doesn’t happen overnight, though the piles can multiply like rabbits! In these cases, we have been addressing a situation that has taken over daily life for the short term and haven’t been following our systems for maintaining the space. The most important point to remember in these instances is to first recognize that this is happening and second to put the train back on the track once life returns to normal. Here are this NYC professional office organizer’s suggestions and decluttering tips.
Identifying the reason for the clutter is a good place to start. It could be having to work late because of a large, important project or having your entire family home due to the pandemic or a major life event like a new baby or doing your taxes. In some cases, you can try to be proactive in anticipation of the upcoming changes while in others you will be reactive out of necessity. In any event, focus your energy on solving the problem instead of stressing about the piles.
Acknowledge when you’ll be ready to tackle the collection of items and set a goal for getting your space organized. Even if you aren’t quite ready to start sorting what’s collected, focus on the new papers and materials that are being brought into your space each day. Don’t add them to the piles that are surrounding you. Instead follow the systems that you had in place before the train was temporarily derailed.
Once the reason for the clutter has been addressed, you’ll be very motivated to get your space organized as you know the benefits for having a less cluttered area. Use this motivation to your advantage. Schedule time in your calendar as soon as possible and get to work. See how quickly you can sort, purge and organize your space returning it to its former self.
What situation in your life has created the piles to spring up? I’m here to support you. For more organizing and decluttering tips, reach out to your NYC Professional Office Organizer today.