My Declutter Queen Journey

I had always thought of myself as an organized person, but if you stepped into my bedroom you would see a disorganized life. I was living two lives – one of organized togetherness and one of clutter.

I have a very organized desk at work, I organize my kids’ rooms with labels, boxes, and Ziplocs. I organize my work projects and oversee children’s ministry activities at my church. I like to have a plan and to know what I need to do for the day. I make how to lists for cleaning the bathroom and kitchen. I make daily lists of activities for myself and my kids. I keep a family calendar of events to keep everyone on task. I can organize anyone’s space, activities, or life with ease. However, if one stepped into my bedroom, they would a see different me – a person with clutter and junk that needed to be sorted and cleaned up. Things I lay down or pile up together and put off for another day; hodge-podge placement of items I would never have out of place at work. I have been living 2 lives – one of organization and having it all together and another of clutter and confusion. I made excuses for not having time to declutter due to my busy schedule with work, being a mom, wife, cooking family meals, and cleaning the other parts of the house. I would make small areas clean after an argument with my spouse only to let them go back to a complete disorganization from neglect.

Then one day, I was looking for something and I couldn’t find it. I threw clothes out of drawers, opened boxes in my closet, and I could not find it. As I sat on my closet floor in my clothes and shoes and boxes, I realized that my clutter was a problem. I was angry and embarrassed that I had let it get this bad. Remember, the FIRST step is to admit you have clutter that needs to be addressed. And it was more than just stuff I needed to clean up, it represented all the excuses and postponed decisions in my life. It represented my mental fog. See, I have struggled to find happiness in my 9 to 5 job in the last couple of years and have felt that there is more I am supposed to be doing, however, I would often come home and retire to my cluttered room after my mom/wife duties and just sit with no energy to pursue a change. There’s an old saying that a cluttered space equals a cluttered mind.

So, where do you start and how can you start to address the clutter in your life? I started with my closet. My closet is my personal space that I don’t share with anyone. It represents me and is a space where I can be selfish and just focus on me. And sadly, it was the worst, most disorganized space in my room. I could not walk into it, without pushing something out of the way.

You may not start with your closet but think of a space that is all yours and is filled with nothing but your items. A place that needs some work, a place that you toss the days leftovers onto each night. Did you think of it?

The task seemed daunting, but I was ready for a change. I took everything out of my closet. That’s right, everything! You cannot declutter your life, if you are not willing to touch everything.

Next I sorted my items into 2 categories – Items to Keep and Trash. I did not initially make five or six categories. There are no gray areas in decluttering – either you need it, or you don’t. Indecisiveness is something I struggle with and I knew I needed to be definitive in my choices. Indecisiveness leads to one being stuck and not making progress; and I was tired of being in a state of inactivity and just being average.

After, I was done with sorting my items, I came up with a plan for how I wanted my closet to look and where I wanted each item to go and I made it happen. It is necessary to plan for what stays in your life, how do you want it to be organized and to function. If you don’t plan, it will be so easy for things to go back to the way they were before. I then put my plan into action. Plans without action are just dreams. You must be willing to act on your dreams in life. I made storage boxes out of some of my collection of diaper boxes and labeled them. I organized my shoes and clothes. I then put the trash in 2 bags – one for donations and one for the garbage. Once you realize what you need to get rid of, do it. Don’t let it sit around in your life.

It felt so good to declutter my closet and I know it was a major step in decluttering my life. Getting rid of physical clutter that you can see is great place to start in becoming a declutter queen. It gives clarity and helps you get ready to tackle the other areas of your life that need to be addressed as you become an Unaverage Woman! Are you ready to start you Declutter Queen Journey?