1. Sure, you have specific goals, but what you are really working towards is a new type of lifestyle.

How many times have you heard the phrase “It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle”? You may have a goal to do 25 pushups or run a marathon, but there has to be a lifestyle component that far outlasts your initial goal. Similarly, you may have a goal to organize a room, but my mission is to establish some long-term habits to shape your lifestyle into one of naturally being organized.

2. It is not about aesthetics.

Why do you exercise?  I’ll be candid, 10 years ago I would have said I exercised for vanity reasons. These days, my exercise routine is 98% about keeping my mental and physical health in check. (The other 2% is being able to do more pushups than my kids, which brings me great joy!) I am definitely a nicer person when I am exercising regularly, and I want to live a really, really long time. Feeling confident in clothing is the icing on the cake. Similarly, why do you organize your home? Do you organize your home so that it functions smoothly? Do you organize because you find great mental peace when things are where they belong and clutter doesn’t cover the counters?  Being organized can bring such mental peace. The beauty of an organized space is just icing on the cake. When I work with clients, I always start with function and then finesse with aesthetics.

 

3. We will all land in different levels of fitness and organization.

I’m never going to compete in fitness competitions, and I’m totally ok with that.  That’s not the level of fitness I want to achieve. You may organize your kitchen completely but feel comfortable with your closet being a little chaotic. If that works for you and fits with your lifestyle, then go for it. A client will never hear me tell them how to organize their home.  Instead, I’ll make suggestions, tell them a few different ways we could organize the space, and then encourage them to try something that feels right.  I’m never going to make them organize in a way that doesn’t serve them.

 

4. There is a lot of mental work to do.

“To change your body, you must first change your mind” is a popular quote in the fitness world. It’s so true. We talk to ourselves all the time, and it’s not always very uplifting.  Getting organized, especially decluttering, is the same. We have to challenge our beliefs, and we have to change our habits. If this new lifestyle is important to us, then we have to do the work. We have to dare to do something new and different.

5. You have to set a vision.

If you’ve followed along with me for very long, you know that setting a vision is a must. For fitness and organization, you need to know why it’s important to you and what it looks like to you. This vision will keep you on track when distractions come along down the road. 

6. Sometimes you need outside help.

Hiring a professional organizer is exactly like hiring a personal trainer.  We aren’t going to do the work for you, but we will guide you, push you when you need pushing, and cheer for you the entire time. Almost all of my clients have said to me at one point, “I’m so thankful you are here making me do this.”

7. It’s not all or nothing! 

Every tiny change you make toward your fit and organized lifestyle will make a difference! If all you can wrap your brain around for right now is taking a 20-minute walk per day or decluttering one closet, that is a great step in the right direction. Do those little things because before long, they add up to big changes. You do not need to do hour-long workouts or weekend-long organizing sessions.