The Shocking Truth About Getting Organized

To get organized effectively, the focus should not be on what’s getting tossed, but on what’s being kept. Really! That focus needs to be on what you are keeping, why you are keeping, how much you are keeping, and where it’s all going to be kept?

Ever see the movie Rambling Rose? No? That’s OK. I think you are in good company. Anyway, Laura Dern plays Rose. She believes she is pregnant and Robert Duvall’s character insists she is not. Turns out he is right. Unfortunately it’s not a baby growing insider her, but a tumor.

Clutter drains the energy from you and your environment,  in much the same way that a tumor drains the life force from one’s body. No one gives a second thought to the removal of a tumor, because of the threat it presents to one’s body. The threat that clutter presents is less dramatic, but it is a drain, nonetheless.

During an operation, all the focus is on the health of the body. Surgeons don’t carelessly hack away at a tumor, without being sure the body’s vital signs are stable and the body is safe. Similarly, the reason your cluttered loved one may not appreciate you “helping” her to declutter, is because she cannot see clear evidence that your real focus is on the vital signs of her environment, her daily challenges, and her emotional state. Let’s face it. It’s easier to recognize what needs tossing, than it is to create viable solutions for what is being kept.

Even with the best intentions and best efforts, it’s not an easy thing to do. Because family helpers tends to have so much emotionally invested, this is often why it makes sense to seek the help of a professional organizer.