Feeling Overwhelmed? Take one step at a time!

Last month when I started a decluttering project with a friend, she decided she wanted to start on a very cluttered counter top and cabinet area in her kitchen. I would call it her command center. It's where her 4 kids drop off papers, it's where the mail ends up, it's where her laptop sits, it's where she collects recipes to cook and where every pen possible has been collected for the past 9 years. After 4 hours of work, we were able to clear drawers, move cook books and toss all kinds of trash. For homework I had asked her to go through the boxes of old mail and other miscellaneous items we had moved to her office. Because of scheduling conflicts, another few weeks went by, but we finally scheduled a time to meet up again last night. Well early in the afternoon she calls me and after some hesitance, confesses that she's having a really "Hard Time". I wasn't sure right away what she meant, but after I asked some questions and tried to clarify exactly what she was trying to say, she admitted that she had not gone through any of the boxes. She instantly was feeling like a failure for what she has NOT done, instead of feeling positive about what she HAD done. Not only had we cleared out drawers and cabinets, but she had also completed a few other projects in her kitchen that she had been wanting to complete.

I knew it was a make or break moment here, so I responded with this. Some of that mail had been sitting in those drawers for 9 years. Keeping it in a box, in the office closet was not going to harm anyone. 1 more month or 1 more year. If she needed it, she'd have it! Instantly you could hear the relief in her voice. To her, that box of papers just wasn't important enough for her to sit down and do the work. I then shifted the topic from old paperwork to how she could keep on top of her current paperwork. She was very receptive to that and very relieved. I also explained that by choosing her HOT SPOT as her first project, she might have started off with an area that was a little overwhelming. I suggested that we might shift to another area like the bathroom. We declutter, we clean and we're done. No homework and instant satisfaction!

My point, my friends, is to start small! Start with a manageable area that is going to give you gratification. However, if you do decide to tackle a larger project like an office or hot spot, don't hesitate to box the old paperwork up and move it to storage. That gets it out of the area where it shouldn't be and opens up the space for things that should be there.

My friend admitted that she was considering lying or making up a story to cancel with me that night. Instead she was honest and in return I was able to give her some more ideas and lessen the anxiety. When going through the decluttering process, be honest. Honest with yourself and honest with those that may be helping, the benefits will be well worth it!