It’s not uncommon to wake up, look around and say to yourself, “I can’t do this. I just want to stay in bed.” There is no shame in feeling like your home or life is or has become cluttered. You are not alone. Heck, if you were alone in this struggle there wouldn’t be national associations of professional organizers all over the world. From Canada to the US, the United Kingdom to Korea, Japan to Brazil, these associations only exist because people just like you also can get themselves into a cluttered mess and need help to regain balance.

We have written previously about how understanding your basic needs can help lead you to calm the chaos that a cluttered life can bring. However, the following is a practical way for helping to focus your energy on keeping things simple.

First, identify where the cluttered feelings come from

Like any good problem solver, we first need to identify what area is causing the most frustration. It could be an obvious answer to physical clutter throughout the home or it could be mental clutter caused by scheduling, people in your life, or work demands. Feeling cluttered can appear in many areas of your life, not just physical stuff. If you need convincing evidence, you can watch our video on the effects of having a decluttering and organize space.

Try this exercise. If you could snap your fingers and change one thing in your life magically, what would it be?

Examples:

All the items in my home have a permanent storage place and everything looks tidy.

My email inbox is at zero.

All the meals for the week are prepped and ready to serve with minimal effort.

How to prepare yourself to fix feeling cluttered

After completing the exercise above you now have an area where you need to place your focus. Keep in mind though that you are more likely to be successful when you are feeling well yourself. Some may say that it’s a “chicken before the egg” situation, but when in doubt – always fill your cup up before taking on a big project or life change.

Love yourself some more – you’ll find more success

1. Sleep – are you getting enough, good quality sleep? If the answer is no, try making some changes such as starting a bedtime routine, eliminating screen time before bed, feeling comfortable where you sleep, trying a sleep aid like an eye-mask, sound machine, or earplugs.

    

2. Breath – sounds crazy right? Of course, you’re breathing. However, there is a big difference between breathing unconsciously and mindfully exercising your lung muscles. There are many guided meditations or breathing practices that you can follow along to for 5 minutes a day which can really help you get into a relaxed state. All of this in turn can help you tackle more challenging projects.

3. Food – it’s not about what or how much you eat, but we believe it’s important for you to enjoy your food. So no matter what you consume, are feeling well? If no, consider making a change here. And we highly recommend removing any stress associated with food, if you’re challenged with this suggestion make sure to read our resources around meal planning.

4. Time – has your calendar drastically changed since the impact of Covic-19? Potentially you are facing more or less free time, more or less isolation, more or less work. We mention time because our time really affects how we set our expectations. Now is the time to recognize the power you have over decided where you spend your time. For a great exercise on this try designing your ideal week. 

You can do this!

Take your time and recognize that change will happen in small, intentional steps. Leave us a comment below about how feeling cluttered affects your life – we’re here to help.