Too. Much. Mess.
You’ve started into the first room that needs some organizational attention. You’ve surveyed the space. And right about now, some of you are hyperventilating and breaking out in a cold sweat. I understand being overwhelmed by clutter; believe me!
So…Where Do I Start?
It’s important to recognize that organizing and decluttering are not the same thing. They definitely go hand-in-hand (why on earth would you want to organize clutter?!) but they aren’t the same thing.
So, rather than trying to deal with them both at the same time, we’ll separate the decluttering from the organization so we can focus on one at a time. (Also cleaning. ‘Cause you really can’t clean under clutter.)
Clear Clutter Fast
Here’s what I do. Get a sturdy box or basket. Or a few. Whatever you need.
Take everything that doesn’t belong in the current space, and dump it (nicely! – you don’t want to break anything) into the box(es).
Set it aside and ignore it while you organize the current space. (And then be sure to remember to go back and deal with it!)
Stephanie at Busy Homemaker calls this “Kamikaze cleaning,” and you can read more about it on her blog. I’ve always cleaned this way, though, when things get out-of-hand, and it’s surprisingly well-correlated to David Allen’s GTD, too – you “collect” first, and then you “process”; you don’t try to do them both at once.
Less Overwhelmed by Clutter
Obviously, this doesn’t make for a complete process. You still have boxes of stuff to deal with, and if you just leave them sitting there, the boxes themselves will become clutter.
But this process can have the effect of greatly reducing the overwhelm, by bringing the space itself back to a calmer baseline. The space can then be organized (without the clutter confusing the process) and/or the displaced items can be addressed one at a time.
It takes the “Ohmygosh, where do I start?!?” out of the equation and breaks it up into chunks that feel more manageable.
Okay, you’re inspiring me to work on my office. I’ve already “collected” the pantry. My problem with “collecting” my office is that I collect and then forget to go back (okay, so maybe it’s selective forgetfulness!) and do something with it.