5 Reasons Why You’re still Disorganized (and how to solve them)

Whether you just a little messy or more like a pack rat, disorganization can be one of the most annoying daily problems you face. Lost keys. Overdue library books. Stacks of clothes waiting to be washed. It can all be too much!

Maybe you have tried to get more organized in the past. Or maybe you have even followed one of my suggestions. If you are reading this post, chances are you still have some room to grow. And you are still pulling your hair out when it comes to your home’s clutter issues.

Here are five of the biggest reasons why people are disorganized:

1. You don’t know where to start. Many people can’t seem to get out from under their disorganization because they don’t know where to start. It all just seems too overwhelming. It can be paralyzing to see pile after pile of clutter and know that it will take a long time to get out from under it.

TRY THIS: Start with one small area – maybe a desktop or nightstand drawer. Remove everything from the space and then only place back what belongs there. Return other things to their “home” and donate or discard what you don’t need.

2. You make a good first effort but lose steam quickly. A lot of my customers have great ambition when they first begin their decluttering process. When push comes to shove though they lose steam and stoop their progress all together. The end seems too far away and unattainable.

TRY THIS: Map out your organization goals. Set realistic timeframes on when to achieve them and space them out enough so you don’t get overwhelmed. Maybe choose a room a month or one area a week. Dedicate 15 minutes every day to your goal and you’ll reach it in no time.

3. You get bored decluttering. Although I love to help people organize their space, some find it downright boring. They lose interest quickly and are ready to move onto the next thing. Or they don’t see results quickly enough and get disheartened.

TRY THIS: Make the task of organization more fun! Enlist the help of a friend, your kids or your partner. Put a good station on Pandora. Set a timer to see how much you can done in an hour. If you are like me, I like to challenge myself by counting how many things I declutter. It’s how I keep it interesting.

4. You don’t keep up with good habits. Maybe you’ve made a big change in your home. You already culled through your wardrobe and setup a calendar command center. So why aren’t you reaping the benefits? It’s often because we don’t follow through with good habits. We let discipline fall to the wayside and along with it all our hard work.

TRY THIS: Don’t self-sabotage! You deserve a more calm living space. Know that by doing the small things daily, you will begin to form new habits that will become easier and easier to upkeep. Start by incorporating one organization habit into your daily routine. After it becomes second nature, add another one. And then another one.

5. You don’t recognize that it isn’t about the stuff. The clutter in our homes is almost never about the “stuff”. It’s always connected to some internal turmoil we have festering deep down inside. It could be holding onto the past. It could fear of the future. When we fail to make the connection between the clutter in our heart and the clutter in our home, we are destined for failure.

TRY THIS: Asking yourself some tough questions is a great place to start. What feelings do you have when you try to organize an area? How does disorganization affect your everyday life? What fears do you have about letting go of material possessions? Begin a journal to start exploring the “why’s” behind the “what’s”.

Do any of these ring true for you? If so, it’s time to try something different. Something you have never done before. In other words, it’s time to kick it up a notch!

One way to continue to cultivate a life more organized is by following my blog. Join today for all the latest tips and tricks on decluttering and home organization!