When I recently reflected back on the 11+ years that I have been working full-time as a professional organizer and the two to three years that I have been writing regularly about my organizing experiences and lessons I’ve learned, I realized that there are two areas of the organizing process that I enjoy most: clutter clearing and helping people get things done. I am both very sensitive to energy and visually oriented, therefore I am very affected by the negative effects of clutter. And, I’m a task-oriented person. I like to get things done, finished, settled, decided. So, it makes sense that clutter clearing and getting things done would be my primary areas of interest.

After I pinpointed my primary organizing interests I began to think about the connection between clutter clearing and getting things done. Here are some of my thoughts:

1. Clutter is a physical block to getting things done. The negative energy of clutter blocks both the thinking and the inclination to get things done.
2. Clearing clutter makes it possible to see what needs to be done and frees energy to make taking action possible.
3. When clutter has been cleared it is easier to plan what needs to be done and to problem-solve how to get things done.
4. Some clutter is the physical evidence of tasks that have not been done. For example you might leave the paint can and brush out in a room to remind you to touch up a painted surface.
5. Unfinished projects can have the same negative energy as clutter.
6. Getting things done reduces clutter.

Clearly clearing clutter and getting things done are intertwined! Go clear some clutter today and make it easier to get things done!

Conclusions:

• If people made a commitment to keeping their spaces clutter free, they would be more productive.
• If people were more productive, there would be less clutter.

Yesterday I had the honor of helping a lovely twelve year old girl, “Anna”, clear clutter from her bedroom. You may be thinking, “What’s the big deal? Why is that an honor?” It’s an honor because she welcomed me into her personal space and gave me permission to guide her in her decision-making. When I help people clear clutter, the energies in their lives shift and change for the better. It was an honor to be on that journey with her.

As we began working, Anna was reserved and somewhat aloof with me. That behavior is very common when I first begin clutter clearing with new clients. It was especially reasonable for a child working with an adult she hardly knew.

The way I work is to ask questions about the items in the room, starting with the biggest and moving on to the smallest. As we moved through that process it was fascinating to observe Anna morph from a self-contained soul sitting curled up in a little ball on her bed, answering my questions in a perfunctory manner, into an excited young colt bounding around the room gathering up items to evaluate and discard. Her shift from no energy to boundless energy was impressive.

I can’t remember the specific moment when Anna’s energy shifted. I have a hunch that it happened when we moved a small dresser from her closet to make more room for her to work in her closet. The dresser was a significant block to her being able to easily access her clothes and put them away. Moving it seemed to move Anna energetically from an overwhelmed, discouraged child into an enthusiastic young woman. From then on she worked with me with gusto, speed and focus. It was such a pleasure to be in that process with her. My challenge at that point was to contain her enthusiasm so we didn’t get ahead of ourselves in the clearing process.

In three hours Anna’s clearing transformed her room from that of a little girl to that of an adolescent. With her mother’s blessing I gave her permission to decide which items would stay and which would be donated, trashed or moved to another location. While having the right to choose was no doubt empowering and motivating for Anna, releasing huge quantities of books, toys, clothing and several large pieces of furniture was what shifted her mood and her energy. She was so relieved and excited to have the burden of too much stuff removed from her space. Anna now had room for her evolving adolescent self to grow and thrive. I predict she’ll have a great school year!

What things in your space are blocking your energy? If you have clutter, you are blocked in some way. Clear that clutter and watch your energy re-emerge. It’s worth the effort!

In a prior career I worked as a drug and alcohol counselor. We’d tell clients that the first step in the recovery process was to make a commitment to get sober. Some people would talk a good game, but the addicted part of themselves was still working hard to keep them thinking they could control their use and continue using. Their commitment was shaky and their actions eventually led them back to using.

A person who makes a commitment to a process, like the process of recovery from addiction, must first make a psychological shift in their thinking, a mental commitment, before they can be successful in their efforts at recovery. They may be doing all the right things, but if they haven’t made a solid commitment and taken steps every day to honor their commitment, they are likely to fail.

The same is true for people who want to go from living a cluttered, chaotic life to a life that is primarily clutter-free. The first step is to make a commitment to learning a new way of thinking and acting. Then they must honor that commitment every day by taking action to prevent and eliminate clutter.

Commitment without action is like having a boat with no motor. The boat is capable of traveling from one area to another, but it won’t move forward without the energy of the motor. Action with no commitment is comparable to a car in need of a tune-up. It will move in fits and starts for awhile, but eventually it will break down. Commitment + right actions=success.

AA teaches alcoholics and addicts to stay sober one day at a time. They are urged to start their day telling themselves, “Just for today I won’t drink.” Take the same process and use it to help you stay clutter-free. Tell yourself, “Just for today I will process the mail, pick up after myself, put things away, throw things in the trash, wash the dishes. . . .” Staying clutter-free is a one day at a time commitment!

Have you ever noticed that your space that be neat as a pin one day, and the next it looks like a cyclone hit it? How does that happen?

One way that the cyclone effect can occur in your space is for you to take a complete break and stop doing important maintenance behaviors: put things away, throw things away, give things away. You may have thought, “I’ll get to cleaning up later.” Or, you may have just enjoyed the moment, unconscious of the chaos you were creating.

Whatever the reason, completely stopping is an invitation for clutter to accumulate and take over your space. What starts out as a disheveled environment can very quickly become a nightmare. What takes only minutes to restore to order can grow into an organizing challenge that takes many hours or even days to complete.

Every day you make choices about what you do with your time and energy. Commit to picking up, putting things away, throwing things away and giving things away every day. You will keep chaos at bay and you’ll find peace in your space. Remember, it only takes minutes to maintain order and peace of mind!