Starting to Get Started

"I don't know where to begin."

"I am overwhelmed!"

"Gosh, there is so much here, and I am hitting a wall."

During our initial phone conversations, many clients express the feeling of "being stuck before they begin" to me consistently. I can detect it in their voices—the self-blame and frustration for not beginning their organizing tasks, for not pursuing their goals, and even more so, for not completing what they started, if they started at all. It seems as though they have the road map in their possession, yet they haven't mustered the time or courage to open it. (Nowadays, it's an app, but you get my point.)

"Starting to get started" is a phrase I often share with my clien

ts. It is the rumination period when we know we need to do SOMETHING, but haven't quite had the energy or enough motivation to do it.

Some clients will take themselves to a place like The Container Store to get inspired, or spend a long time going down the Instagram rabbit hole of before-and-after videos. All of this is good, and yes, all of this is priming our brains for the work ahead of us. Project management always begins with the idea, which turns into a goal. This is important to remember: you are already in the project during this phase. (This is good.)

This article isn't going to help you to color-coordinate your clothes in your closet, nor will it help you to label those bins in the basement. But will it will do is give you three tips on how to make those inner musings about finally working on that project turn into action steps!

Tip 1: Buy a notebook - plain or fancy - and write one word on the cover (yes, with a Sharpie): "Organizing".

Having ONE place to put your ideas and action steps into place is key. Something tangible, like a real, live notebook, will help transport those Pinterest dreams into reality. Keep this notebook near you, especially in this phase of the project.

Tip 2: Write down the rooms in your home at the top of each page, and date that page with today's date. What do you want to do in each room? How do you want it to look? What do you want the purpose of the room to be? Believe it or not, when I do an assessment with my clients in their home, it is the first question I ask, and the answers usually surprise the client. For instance, the dining room, which typically is a place to eat and entertain, is something that the client is using to support her crafting business on Etsy. When we really want a room to be a workshop versus a place to eat, the decision to create the space to support a fun hobby or home-based business (or a play room) becomes clear and easy to carry out.

Tip 3: Write the steps down that you feel will achieve that organizing goal, but here is the kicker: write down how long you THINK it will take you. I write down tasks all of the time, but next to the task, to the right, I budget the time. When my clients begin doing this, they realize that they have not set aside enough time to complete tasks and begin to understand where much of their frustration is born.

Remember, just thinking about an organizing project is a great start (this means you have motivation!) but creating thoughtful reasons followed by actionable steps in ONE PLACE will officially put you INTO your project. "Starting to Start" is a win all in itself.

Do you have an organizing question about a specific space in your home? Book a free 15-minute consultation today to see if in-home or virtual organizing services are right for you!