You deserve an uplifting, nourishing, and peaceful home where you can flourish.
Let’s start with the mess. You’ve probably visited this website because you feel messy and disorganized, and you’d love to feel better. You’re ready to feel inspired, motivated, and to finally get started.
Maybe you’re exhausted, and you’ve really been trying. But it’s not working. It’s just not working. You’re still stressed and overwhelmed, and it’s starting to feel like a bigger problem than you can handle.
Rather than seeking “perfection” in your space, I work with clients to improve their relationship to their things. It’s a relationship you’ll always have—since you will always own some belongings—and it matters. So let’s remove the pressure to make quick fixes and focus on how to manifest sustainable, positive changes in your space.
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First, you’re not lazy, and it’s very possible to make shifts that align with your values and priorities. Spending time with your things can be very challenging, so acknowledge your bravery in showing up. Also, organizing and decluttering feels really tough for many people, and it’s okay to start where you’re at.
Maybe you’ve tried tidying, but it seems like you can never do enough. The kitchen counter fills with clutter. Your desk has too much noise. You’ve started mentally blocking out parts of your home so you can focus and relax.
People often struggle with tidying because they haven’t created effective and sustainable homes for their things. That’s often where I show up. I focus on empowering clients to develop organizing skills and strengthen their discernment muscles for decluttering.
What is an organizing system, and what makes it sustainable?
A system can be whatever you want. Placing a hook for your key ring and returning your keys to that same spot is a system. Any system can work as long as you use it, and you return your things to their homes. We make that system sustainable by bringing as much intention as possible to the creation of that home.
For the key system, maybe you need three key hooks: your keys, your partner’s keys, and the spare keys. You’ve already purged the outdated keys that you don’t need anymore. You’ve paid attention to your habits, and it’s easy to return the keys when the hooks are right by the front door. Additionally, you picked out intricate gold hooks that really feel like you and match your style.
These three key hooks are a sustainable system. You know how many you need. You know where they should live. You like how your system looks, and presumably, your partner also feels aligned with this organizing system. It works well with both of your daily habits.
Of course, your system needs to evolve as you do. Maybe you two get a housemate, and now four key hooks make more sense. So, you update your organizing system to keep it sustainable.
Now, repeat this process for each category. When homes for your items are really clear and simple, tidying will feel much smoother. Maybe you even add a label above those hooks: “keys,” “house keys,” or “key hooks”—whatever feels right and makes sense. Now, you have so much clarity about those keys and where they live.
But what about something more complicated than keys?
Let’s explore your bathroom items. Imagine you have your own restroom and a wide array of hygiene and makeup items. Bathrooms are especially important to upkeep because it’s the place you go to clean yourself and hopefully feel refreshed and empowered for your day. Additionally, unkept products can easily create textured and gooey messes—not what you want.
When I work with clients, I often use an organizing framework called SPACE. Julie Morgenstern shares this approach in her book, Organizing from the Inside Out. That’s Sort, Purge, Assign a home, Containerize, and Equalize.
Sort: If you were to empty the space under your sink or the things in the medicine cabinet, you’d start by sorting items into similar categories. Maybe you make piles for dental care, hair care, paper goods, medications, and cosmetics. If you’re just looking at a cluster of random things, making choices feels more challenging. I consistently notice how doing this step first makes the process more accessible.
Purge: After you’ve separated your things into groupings, go back and check each pile. Are these items that you still need and love? Does this product match your present life scenario? Is anything expired? Are there ways to simplify?
Maybe that old eye shadow no longer matches your vibe. Who knows. Maybe you really don’t need four hairbrushes; one or two would work just as well. You might find bits of trash that you can easily dispose of. Yay for easy wins!
The purging step helps you know how much space you actually need to create the home for each category.
It’s no surprise that this step can be the most challenging for many people. Try to be gentle with yourself and focus on curiosity, especially around your mental and emotional responses.
Assign a home: Okay, here’s the exciting part. You’ve already done the work to simplify, and you’re ready to find the right spot. For consumable items like bathroom products, I often encourage arranging them by frequency:
- Daily use
- Weekly or occasional use
- Backstock/refills
You’ll want to make your most high-use items as accessible as possible. So in a bathroom, you’re mirror cabinet might be the most accessible spot, and you’ll want daily items to live there. Or maybe there’s a spot in the front of the cabinet under the sink where you keep additional or larger daily-use items. Get creative!
Having these items highly accessible streamlines your daily getting-ready and out-the-door process. Who doesn’t want that to be easier?
Similarly, you can use further back or less-accessible spots for those low-frequency or backstock items.
Containerize: Okay, so I often approach this step loosely. If you have a container you like, and it makes sense, go for it. I often encourage people to use the storage items they already own rather than rushing out to buy new products. Your “container” can also simply be a drawer or a shelf. Prioritize choosing a spot or container that works and feels good.
I’ve found that adding labels feels really helpful. To create the label, you have to decide how the items relate to each other, and what doesn’t belong. You gain clarity. You can group things by similar topics or functions. For example, you might store scissors in a sewing kit because of the topic or with other scissors and cutting items because of the function.
When possible, make the home more aesthetic. This style consideration can really help with system sustainability. As Morgenstern says, “Never underestimate the power of pizzaz.”
When you’ve created that home for your things, you’ve decided how much space you’d like to dedicate to a particular category. For example, one client really enjoyed collecting comic books, and his wife grew frustrated with how much space they took up. As a compromise, she purchased a lovely storage system for his books, and he agreed that he would keep his collection to what fit in those containers.
Equalize: Okay, so a big reason I focus my organizing services on empowering clients is that I don’t want them to need me forever. I want each person to develop confidence in their organizing skills. Equalize is about reviewing and editing your systems over time.
Just like the key hook example with four hooks, your needs will change for different categories. Maybe your hobbies have changed, and now you need to release the items for previous hobbies and create space for the new ones. What a beautiful journey! I love how spaces can support and reflect various growth and changes in our lives.
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I hope I’ve motivated and inspired you to take your best next steps. Even 15 minutes of mindful sorting can make a difference. Every bit of progress counts. You’re doing enough.
Try picking a small, manageable task—something that fits the time and energy you have today—and be curious. What feels easy? What feels challenging? Why? Where do I feel most stressed, and what can I address today?
If you need some professional support to get things rolling, I’d love to connect! I offer in-person home organizing and decluttering sessions to clients in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you’d like to chat more about your project needs and how my services might help, go ahead and book your free intro call. I’d love to hear from you.
For now, take care and happy clearing!
Photo Credit: Unsplash, Sanibell BV