Confessions of a closet clutterer

            Once upon a time not so long ago there lived a woman who was married with 4 children who hid from just about everyone she knew that she was a closet clutterer. (GASP!) Do you know her?

-She stashes things into drawers, closets, under the beds and in her bedroom when company comes over.

-She can’t find anything once the company leaves

-She drags out the stuff she stashed only to add more to it

-Everyone thinks she is so organized

-She forgets to pay a bill every now and then because she misplaced it

            Do you know her? I do…very well. She was me!!!!!! I was the closet clutterer, it’s out in the open and I have nothing to hide anymore. It wasn’t something I was proud of, obviously I was embarrassed by it. I didn’t know what to do about it.  Until one day….

            I saw my son stashing stuff under his bed! It actually hit me that he was learning this from me! There was so  much stuff under his bed that it was sticking out because there was no more room under the bed. I felt sick when I realized my out of control problem was affecting my son. It wasn’t the time I forgot to pay a utility bill or the time I lost a paper my other son needed me to sign for school. Nope, that didn’t do it. Seeing my little boy on his hands and knees trying to cram one more thing under his bed, that’s what did it.

            What was I going to do about it? I went into my room and organized my sock drawer. This probably sounds strange but I didn’t know what do and this is where I ended up. I started a timer and put on some music to make it fun. In 15 minutes, I had a very organized sock drawer! I soon realized that if I took 15 minutes each day that week  to organize something I would have 7 organized areas of my home! This was a monumental mindshift!

            I had always told myself I didn’t have time to get organized. In my mind I built it up to take days/weeks/months to get organized. Once I went 1 little project at a time, I began to feel better. For the first time in a long time, I felt better about my home. I felt more together as a mom and a woman. It was really refreshing to be able to find a piece of paper without searching for days! Once I got myself squared away I went back into my little boy’s room and we conquered his clutter too. I noticed a dramatic improvement in him. He liked to spend time in his room now. He seemed happier as if a weight was lifted off his shoulders. My home was finally  a place of relaxation and not a source of stress.

            Have you ever felt you didn’t have the time to get organized? Starting is the hard part, once you get going there is no stopping.

You can visit www. organizeyouinsideandout.com to check out some easy 15 minute projects to help you get started.

Darlene Illig

“From clutter and beyond….”

Professional Organizer