How Organizing Helps Clients Navigate Big Life Changes
If you’re facing a big life transition such as moving, retirement, welcoming a baby, or becoming an empty nester, you know how overwhelming these changes can be. Maybe your family has experienced an illness or injury which requires different use of your space at home. Or you’re responsible for managing an influx of new possessions and new caregiving responsibilities, or even settling an estate during a season of grief. While organizing isn’t a magic fix, it can help create some order in your life amidst the chaos.
Why Organize When Life Itself Feels So...Unorganized?
Organizing your physical space can help you release the past and make space for the next phase of your life. It’s an opportunity to reassess what’s important and to process emotions you may be experiencing. While there are a lot of things you might not be able to change, your physical space is actually something you can adjust. In fact, by acknowledging the needed changes in your home, you can take some of the stress out of your daily life. You can make changes that can help support your family even when some factors remain outside your control.
Change of Any Kind Often Requires Some Reorganization
Change of any kind can disrupt your life significantly, leading to a buildup of clutter in the home because you don’t have time to deal with it. Sometimes you just are so overwhelmed that making one more decision feels like too much, so your physical space gets swamped with piles you're planning to tackle later. When you take steps to organize your physical space it can contribute to mental peace and adjustment to your new reality. It feels like a lot of work upfront, but the work does need to be done eventually. And the sooner you do it the sooner you can benefit from the results!
When You’re Feeling Unsure, Start with Systems You Know
When working with clients, I like to focus on how we can improve and adjust their systems based on what is actually working for them already. If you’re going through a season of change, it’s unrealistic to think you’re going to incorporate totally new systems. Instead we want to utilize the habits and norms already in place and extend that same system to another area. For example, if your kids normally take off their shoes by the front door, we’re not going to change that system. We’re just going to set up a good space for them to put their shoes away right there. If you normally store cleaning supplies in a certain spot, we’re not going to move them to a different part of the house, we’ll just find ways to store them that make it easier for other family members to help out. Notice what’s already working, no matter how small, and extend that win to other areas of the home.
Release Yourself from Expectations; Be Okay with Just Enough
In the same way that a doctor would want to discover the lowest effective dosage of a medication, I like to help my clients find the lowest effective dosage of organization for their home spaces. Highly specific organized systems are harder to maintain, especially for families in transition. I will work with you to adjust expectations for this new season and discover more realistic standards for how to keep your household running while caring for one another during a difficult time. You may even discover that once things have settled down you have found some shortcuts that you want to keep in your life for the long haul. Organizing systems should save you more time than they take to maintain. I love helping clients reduce overwhelm by designing realistic systems for them to maintain for the long haul.
Sorting, Purging, and Culling the Clutter Can Be Self-Care
We all know that taking care of yourself is important. Keeping your space in order is a simple and effective way to do so. Putting things away where they belong is soothing and leaves a more restful space. Routines and structure in our daily lives can go a long way toward mental calm and clarity. And certainly, a relatively orderly home is easier on the mind—and on the eyes—than a chaotic mess. Constantly striving for perfection will leave you exhausted, but so will constantly looking for your car keys! I can help you find the balance that is reasonable for you and your family as you adjust to new realities in your daily life at home.
My family has been through a number of changes, losses, and additions. When I work with you as a client, it is my honor to walk with you through potentially difficult and overwhelming situations. I can stand by you to provide needed focus, clarity, and practical help as you move toward a home that supports your family’s current situation and move toward a hopeful future.
Want to find solace in your home during a big life transition? I’m here to help. Reach out today and let’s chat
Warmly,
Karina
