Why Spring Cleaners are Sometimes the Least Organized

Did you know some of the biggest spring cleaners are actually the least organized? I had a client who was the opposite of messy. When I visited her home, it was picture perfect. She explained to me though just how much time she spent cleaning. “By Sunday evening, before I fall asleep, I look around my house and feel proud of myself. I am living in my dream space. But on Tuesday morning, I wake up stepping on clothes and am so infuriated with myself and what a mess I have made. I am a neat freak, but I am not organized.”Since cleaning and organizing often go hand in hand, many people lump them together, when they are truly different. This confusion can create chaos and disorder in your home and personal life, and the cause is sometimes hard to pinpoint. People may mistake you for being organized because you are such a neat freak, but since you are not, you spend so much of your time picking up after yourself and cleaning up your mess.

Once you get organized, it is a lot easier to clean and manage your life. Trust me. There’s less to clean, and it’s easier to do because everything has a place. So, now that you’re spring cleaning (and hopefully organizing!), here are 3 quick, easy tips to get started on spring organizing:

Prioritize. Even though you want to get your entire home organized, pick one area or category of items to start with. What affects your daily life? Can you not find something to wear? Start in your closet. Are you gaining weight? Begin with your pantry and fridge. Try putting your condiments on a lazy Susan. Is it hard to get out of the door in the AM? Think about routinely putting your clothing out the night before and keeping your gym bag by the door.
Pick a corner. Looking at an entire room at once can be overwhelming. If where to begin seems completely arbitrary, pick a corner and go from there, so it is more manageable.
Start with the easiest thing to declutter and let go of, OR the room or subject that scares you the most. Sometimes starting with an “easy” category keeps your momentum going, or if you are better with a challenge and want to get the “worst of it” over and done with, start with something that scares you.

I challenge you to create a list of all your spring organizing goals, next to your spring cleaning to-dos. Separate the cleaning from organizing. Then prioritize and decide which to start first, or which comes next. For your own convenience, I created this Spring Cleaning + Organizing To-Do List, which you can print and use! (Maybe keep on your fridge!) Please comment below with any questions or comments.