“For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned.” – Anonymous
Lots of articles have ideas about the best areas in your home where you should start organizing: your closets, the pantry, or your garage are some of the examples. They will explain why organizing these areas first will change your life. When I work with clients, I take a different route, and the reasons why for the first area may literally save your life.
When I walk into someone’s home, I say out loud, “I need to see floor.” Covering the floor with excesses of paper piles, toys, boxes or anything else is a sure way to cause a fall. If you had an emergency and the paramedics needed to come in with a gurney, would they be able to safely access you or your family member? Would you be able to reach a phone to call for help? I had a senior client who was immobilized on his floor for two days, because every time he tried to stand, he would slip and fall due to the many piles of paper everywhere in his living room.
Safety should be your number one reason to get organized. Tripping hazards are one reason, but I also see piles of unknown items in garages and elsewhere that could have rodent nests underneath. If those piles haven’t been unearthed in a long time, you will need to use protective gear to unpack them, just in case.
Secondly, I suggest clearing the areas you see first when you walk into a room. Start with the front entryway. Is it a welcoming sight, or are you greeted by donation boxes, shoes scattered everywhere, or a jumble of coats and toys? Do you feel a sense of peace and calm?
Your home and every room within should greet you with a sense of joy, instead of dread. It should express the very best parts of you. We declutter and organize for ourselves and our family first. It’s self-care and shows how much we cherish those we live with.
If macro-organizing works best in your home, open bins and baskets in a closet takes the stress out of clearing the floors and surfaces. A quick 10-minute tidy in the morning and at night is a stress-free way to work toward a safer home, if it’s too overwhelming to start a bigger project. Enlist help if it’s too much for you. There is nothing embarrassing in saying, “I need a friend to at least sit with me while I accomplish these tasks.” It’s more common than we realize that most of us struggle to finish tasks. Procrastination affects approximately 20-42% of us (depending on the poll) on a daily basis and up to 95% of us procrastinate some of the time. Baby steps are still steps.
Los Altos Hills resident Lyn Rogers, a professional organizer, is owner and CEO of Lyn At Your Service. For more information, visit LynAtYourService.com.
