Getting From Here to There

Beginning anything new–a return to school, a new job or starting a new business, a relationship, building a home–can feel exciting and scary, overwhelming and enticing. It requires planning, research, awareness, focus, direction, commitment, tenacity, support and the willingness to get from where you are to where you want to go.

It’s the same with an organizing job. When a client calls me, they have been living with a cluttered room, garage, filing cabinets, an overflowing closet they can’t get into or some other unworkable space. They have a goal and desire to get from the cluttered, overwhelming place they are in currently to one that is open, orderly and functioning. So how do they do that?

Calling in a professional is one such approach along with encouragement and support to achieve their desired outcomes. Listening is key for me to hear what they need and what has been their struggle. There’s the outer appearance of the condition that they see and the underlying issue of not knowing how to get organized, confusion at how it got so bad and not clear on how to proceed. By breaking it down into small, bite-sized pieces, I can help clients get out of overwhelm and into action. And that’s the key.

Getting into action moves the client from stagnation into movement. It’s like someone who has been sitting on the couch for many years and hasn’t addressed her health and fitness. Those first days and weeks can be painful and challenging when every muscle is screaming to return to the comfort of the couch. Having to slog through boxes of old files, photos and papers can feel just as excruciating. Having to pull everything out of a garage and go through boxes of clothes, broken toys, family inherited items can all cause one to turn away and close the door on the scenario.

Yet with my encouraging support and help, asking them questions, getting to the bottom of another box and making decisions about things that need addressing, starts to break up the logjam. The piles for recycling, garbage, donated items, for sale items start to grow and the space that was once cluttered starts to break up. The monolithic giant comes apart bit by bit and clear space starts to appear on shelves, floors and in closets and cupboards. A light of clarity appears and the client can sense relief. Things get contained and labeled, and replaced on once over crowded shelves that held chaos. The client knows where things live and can use what she owns and put it back after its use

Getting from one place to another requires the choice to take a step and then another to move past what one knew and how they had lived in a space that didn’t serve their best interests. It’s interesting how humans can adapt to things that break and remain broken, piles of clutter they have to step over or around, forcing closet doors to close due to overflow and act as if the adaptation is the new norm. Once they realize they can have it another way, they are amazed they didn’t do it sooner.

Make a decision. Choose a different way so you don’t have to adjust and adapt to a dysfunctional situation when help is just a call away. If you need help getting where you want to go, then make a call to Creative Space Organizing today and get your home and office in order at 510.501.1213.