10 Ways to Start Small
Overwhelmed by your big organizing project? Start small.
You may be looking around your home and seeing piles that need dealing with. You may have a big decluttering project looming, like clearing out your basement or turning your cluttered guest room into an office. These are big projects and it is helpful to bring in the pros for this because it can be overwhelming and time-consuming.
I often tell clients that it's going to look worse before it looks better. Share on X
But there are lots of small organizing projects around the house that can be accomplished in a short amount of time. Doing one or two or three of these still gets you more organized and they are not so overwhelming.
I’ll tell you a secret!
This is how I began my journey to a more organized life.
I was a young mom, working part-time, with one small child. I knew that leaving my full-time job meant that we needed to cut corners financially. So I was always on the lookout for ways to “make it work”. Spending most of my time at home, I notice something that was working for me and I’d “think” then “act” on how to make it work better. I would always start small. Slowly the whole house moved from chaos to calm and I was the queen of my castle!
Consider how to start small.
A small decluttering project could be done while you are “on hold” on the phone or waiting for the pot on the stove to boil. That means that you didn’t have to take any extra time out of your day to get a little more organized. You didn’t have to make a big mess and then regret getting started.
Find a spot in your home that is bothering you (one spot) and take a moment (just like I did) to consider:
What’s working here? What’s not working? How can I fix it?
By working on a small space and then practicing keeping it organized you will make it part of your routine.
Here are 10 ways that you can start small:
- Clear out the junk drawer.
- Clean out your purse or backpack.
- Sort the mail on the kitchen counter.
- Empty the dishwasher.
- Group the DVDs.
- Shelve the books.
- Donate the unworn coats in the closet.
- Recycle unread magazines.
- Corral the toys.
- Gather the laundry.
Now, remember that staying organized means you have to keep up with whatever system you put in place. So schedule the task you just did again in the future.
Getting Organized is a project. Staying organized is a lifestyle.
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Janet Schiesl
Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.
She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.
Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
Janet Schiesl
Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.
She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.
Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
Love this idea!! The overwhelm of starting a project truly leads so many of us to never start at all. 🙂 Starting small really is the key for most of us! Happy New Year! 🙂
YES! Like anything else, we procrastinate on. Just getting started gets the momentum going.
I’m looking at #7 and thinking this is a great time for this! NAPO-CT is running a coat drive for GO Month, and we are collecting all over the state. I need to remember to add my own LOL!
I have two coats to donate. Wish I lived near you. Good luck on your GO Month project NAPO-CT.
I’m a huge proponent of “small.” Starting small, going small, having less, small-time blocks, and more. Going “small” allows us to experience success quickly. We can improve hiccups in our day, the flow of a room, or the ease of finding things in a drawer. And from that tiny success, we can build. Plus, concentrating on something small isn’t overwhelming. So small promotes action. What a great list of ideas and projects for the New Year!
Thanks Linda. I like to do small organizing project to stay organized too.
I love that you mentioned small decluttering projects! I am a big fan of 15-minute organizing projects! People don’t realize that 15 minutes a day can make a huge difference. Thanks for sharing some examples.
I agree with you so much so that I created a subscription service with 15 minute organizing exercises.
Right on! I love teeny organizing projects. A drawer, a glove compartments, a purse — all of these give you a small victory that spurs on more activation energy! When I’m feeling overwhelmed by the goings-on in the world, just picking any corner and making some serenity out of chaos makes all the difference.
I do the same. Unlike most people, I find organizing a space of my own very relaxing.
Janet such a great blog and great way to get organized little by little instead of getting overwhelmed !
Yes. We see so many people who are overwhelmed because they feel that they have to do it all at once. I guess that’s why we are home organizers.
This is such a relatable post. Simple yet powerful advice. Just recently I looked around after dinner and reflected for 1 minute – 1 minute! And in that minute I realized that everyone left the table leaving me with the cleanup. That moment of reflection was a game changer. Now everyone is required to stay after dinner for 5 minutes to help with cleanup.
And it is so true that staying organized is a lifestyle!
Good for you Jill. Teaching everyone to clean up after themselves is a game-changer. I trained my kids (and husband) young to take their plate, glass and utensils to the sink, rinse and put them in the dishwasher. It made much less work for me. It also teaches your kids to be good roommates, partners and spouses.
There’s nothing like a neat and tidy purse! I love grabbing my bag on the way out the door and noticing how much lighter it feels!
That’s great Katherine.