If you’re still in the process of decluttering your home, especially when hosting family, relatives, or friends, it can feel really stressful. You might be thinking about everything you still have to go through, or the surfaces you still want to clear off so you can set up the space the way you want it.
If you’re still in the middle of organizing, you might feel embarrassed if someone comes over and opens up a closet and sees that it’s a mess.
So I wanted to offer a few thoughts.
It’s okay, when you’re hosting an event, to temporarily gather the things you haven’t gone through yet into boxes and bags, sorted by category. Maybe one for all the clothing and accessories you still need to go through, another for electronics, computer things, plugs. This lets you pre-sort what you’ll get to later and reduce some of the visual clutter. Think of them as your to-do bags. Just make sure you label them so you know what’s inside.
Remind yourself to be grateful for the things you haven’t dealt with yet, and have the patience to let them wait for you until you’re ready.
Check your calendar. See if you can find a little window, and schedule an appointment with yourself to go through each one of those bags. This takes some of the pressure off of worrying that someone’s going to open the closet and stuff falls out.
Hopefully that brings some relief, because a lot of times we just need someone to tell us that it’s okay to do this. I know in the process of trying to declutter properly, it can feel like if you just throw everything into a bag, that means you’re not doing it right, that you’re just stuffing things away. But the difference is that if you pre-sort into categories, it’ll make it a lot easier when you get to the point where you can go through each bag. It’s already in the same category.
Having trouble doing it on your own?
It’s not your fault. Decluttering and organizing are learned skills. You simply haven't learned the method that provides relief that actually lasts. Schedule a 30-minute complimentary consultation to find out if the Dooley Method is right for you.
→ Click here to go to the Dooley Method Library contents page to see what you get when you upgrade to paid.
