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Last updated on April 8th, 2022 at 11:54 pm
You know that feeling that you need to start a project but you’re so dang overwhelmed that you don’t know what to do first? Yup. That’s what I’m feeling right now. I’m in the middle of trying to launch my new online organizing service and I keep getting stuck. So, I definitely relate to your feelings when you look at a dauntless organizing project, like getting the kids clothes organized. (Why do they have so many!) And that’s the exact thing that’s holding you back from getting organized.
It’s overwhelming and you don’t know where to start.
Honestly, I have no fear at all when it comes to massive organizing projects. (I haven’t seen one that’s scared me yet!) But I’ve made plenty of mistakes when getting started on projects in my business. But I’ve started getting used to doing a few things to get me out of that awful stage of “I don’t know what to do first!”
Here’s how to get over the overwhelm that’s holding you back from getting organized.
1 | Just do something. Anything.
A small, imperfect action is better than no action at all. At least you’re moving.
It’s like when you’re in line at Disneyland. If you’re in line at Indiana Jones or Space Mountain and the line hasn’t moved in a while, you know you’re in trouble. The ride probably broke down and you just wasted all that time standing in line. But if the line is slowly inching forward, at least that’s something. It’s not the FastPass lane, but at least you’ll get on the ride eventually …in like, an hour.
Same thing when it comes to a project. You just have to do something to start gaining a few inches. I know it doesn’t feel like you’re accomplishing much. But it’s a lot more than accomplishing nothing.
2 | Do something you know how to do.
If you’re stuck on what action to do first, find something easy you already know how to do. Maybe you don’t know what to do with that pile, but you know how to throw away trash. Or you don’t know what to do with that set of crochet needles that your grandma gave you but they’re special because they’re hers, but you know all the pens go in that old coffee mug on the desk.
In my current predicament, I’m not sure how to set up a PR plan (do I need one?), but I know how to write a blog post!
My point is, even if you aren’t totally sure what you’re doing, there’s probably something there that you can do.
3 | Break it into smaller steps.
For my online organizing service (which still needs a name, and yes, it’s on my to-do list), my amazing test client LOVED that I broke her plan into smaller, doable steps. I sent her a whole plan in a Google Doc, and then I REALLY organized it into a step-by-step plan using Asana. She says, “Seeing it broken up into smaller chunks makes it way less daunting, like I can do it.”
Girl, I learned/borrowed this from the big girls in the entrepreneurial world. You have to sit down and map out the whole thing so you know where you’re headed.
But …
This one can be really sneaky. You can’t get caught up in spending all this time planning and not doing. Which is why you might want to …
4 | Get help from a guide.
Did you ever hire a caterer for a wedding? Or a florist, or a wedding coordinator? Why did you do it? Probably because they can help guide you through a process you’re not totally sure about.
Matthew and I hired a landscape architect to design plans for our front and backyard. We had no idea what were were doing or where to start. It was totally holding us back.
Yeah, we paid a lot for him to create a design, but the whole process was amazing. He listened to what we wanted. Then he made his design, presented it to us, and gave us the steps we needed if we wanted to do a little at a time.
Even though we haven’t started yet (you know, money), at least we have know where we’re going. We didn’t have a clue what to do and he just showed us the way.
It can be the same thing that’s holding you back from getting organized. You might know that you need a home for everything, but you don’t have places to put stuff. You don’t know what to even get! And that’s where getting a pro to help can make it less frustrating. Even if you can’t do it yet, at least you have a plan that you know will work.
And that makes it feel so much better!
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