I started this blog at the end of August, with the first post being on the first day of school. For moms, that’s the real New Year.
But here we are at the end of December and I’m getting the itch that it seems everyone is getting. Like I said yesterday, magazines and stores are pushing organizational products and ideas really hard.
I think it’s the feeling of starting fresh, but it’s also that I’m out of the routine. Christmas is over, we have lots of new stuff to add to the old stuff, and I’m in the mood to purge clutter.
I’ve been here before. Many times. Year after year after year.
After year.
So what do I normally do? I ferociously declutter a cabinet or a drawer, maybe even two or three. I might even come up with a life-changing solution for a problem spot, like I did yesterday.
But then what?
Then we get back into the swing of things and live the rest of the year in clutter and chaos until I clean out that same cabinet when the urge hits again . . . the next New Year.
But with this blog, I’ve committed to not just keep going in my natural cycle. I’m figuring out my issues and I’m finding what works to change them.
So what is it that will be different this year? Now I finally understand that no matter how many great organizational systems I come up with, no matter how many times I do a big purge, if I don’t do my daily tasks, it won’t matter.
It is so tempting to spend all of today doing organizational projects. So tempting in fact, that I’d rather do these “big impact” things than do the mundane tasks that no one notices unless they’re not done.
But today I did my tasks. I made my bed. I emptied the dishwasher and cleaned up the kitchen. I swept the kitchen. I did a totally focused 5 minute pickup. I checked the bathrooms for clutter. I started a load of laundry. I hung up clothes in my bedroom. And all of that took LESS than 30 minutes.
My problem is that if I don’t do those things, the things that are totally unnatural to me, the projects don’t make the impact that I want them to. Who cares if my baking supply cabinet is organized if there’s trash on the kitchen floor? And with all of the work on my great shoe-chaos-remedy yesterday, there were several pairs laying out in the middle of the room until I did my 5 minute pickup today.
I get discouraged because my organizational solutions never seem to work. But it’s finding that balance between figuring out the solution and using it daily that’s the issue.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking the organizing projects. My New Year’s Resolution, which I’ll share tomorrow, has a lot to do with finding organizational solutions. It’s just that I’m learning through this “coming clean” process that the projects are not solutions unless I’m consistently using them. Confusing enough?
Note from the future:
Almost exactly 12 years after I wrote this post, I released a book called Organizing for the Rest of Us: 100 Realistic Strategies to Keep Any House Under Control. That book has all of the best strategies I learned over the years that truly changed my home. Get it anywhere books are sold, in any format (hardcover, audio or ebook). Learn more about that book here.
Young Wife says
Yes, it is so hard to do those mundane tasks that don't feel like you're accomplishing anything. The challenge for me isn't so much finding an organizational solution, but finding one that my husband will use!
Diane says
You should hop over to my blog that is why I started it really to be organized. It was the question I always asked where do I get started??
Last year I jumped in and cleaned and organized like crazy , even ran an organizing challenge on my blog this past summer . I did the whole house top to bottom.
But when I read your post it rang true with me too if you are good at organizing but dont use it then it is not useful. I too need to work on the upkeep of things daily/weekly. I have found though that is takes a lot less time to tidy and I dont mind having people drop in . Two good things but I am still working on it this year too.
'Becca says
I know just what you mean! I want to tell you an idea my partner shared with me recently that sounds really good and that he says has been very helpful to him as a gradually reforming procrastinator and slob: Make a Bottleneck List. Whenever you notice something that's slowing down your progress toward your goals, write it on the list. Then, once a week or so, look at your list and think and pray about how to handle those things better. Like if you are cleaning out and reorganizing the same cabinet every year: Why is it getting so messed up, and how can you make that stop? Why does it bother you so much that you'll clean it out rather than do things that really need to get done now? If you can figure out the answers to those questions, you may be able to clear the bottleneck!
Amy says
Congratulations, Dana, on your 12+ years of progress and on the release of your newest book! Practicing the concepts in your first 2 books has changed my outlook and my home. Can’t wait to receive the new one too. So grateful for you! Thank you over and over!
Ariane says
This is a great post! My first time reading it and I love the honest realizations that you share. See you tonight on Zoom!
Cynthia Welman says
Oh my goodness YES. I know, I know. I am a very good planner – so I would much rather plan something than do the work that’s in the plan. I have devised so many brilliant strategies for housekeeping over the years, but now I know that nothing beats 15 minutes a day actually putting things back where they belong. And consistently putting things away instead of putting them down. I found your books at the library and love the way you talk about this stuff–it really connects with the way I think. Thank you for helping me live in a calm and peaceful home (most of the time).
Georgie Richards says
I hear you! Keeping house is not a natural thing for me but I have come to relish the relaxed and content feeling of a home that’s clean and tidy. I can’t say I enjoy cleaning, I doubt I ever will, but I do appreciate the effects of actually doing it. Even now, whilst writing this, I’m smiling because in my head I hear your voice telling me to do my dishes, sweep the floor and do a five minute pick up – I now actually do these things daily 🎉 I have all your books on audio, if I had the physical books I wouldn’t be decluttering or cleaning I’d be reading, always the preferred option for me 😉 thanks again for taking the time to work out the best system ever and for making it funny 👍💕