Organize Your Space — Organization — t.His

Finding Your Big Why- The motivation behind everything you do

So I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about the whole “big why” extravaganza.

Do you know what I’m talking about?

Your “big why” is your motivation behind everything. The thing that keeps you going when things suck. The thing that punches you in the gut and kicks you in the butt when you want to give up.

It’s something uniquely yours and once you figure it out? No one can ever “unfigure” it out of you.

I figured it was time to let you guys in on MY big why. The REAL reason why I organize other people’s stuff for a living.

In a nutshell?

I think home and family are the most important things on Earth.

I mean, yeah, I think organizing is fun. And yeah, it comes naturally to me. The thing is? Those two things aren’t enough.

You see, I wanted to do this whole professional organizer thing WAY before I actually started doing it. I kept hitting roadblocks though.

How Organized is Organized Enough? Two Questions To Ask Yourself

I’ve got a confession to make.

No, it’s not that I think Kid Rock is hot. Or that I love El Caminos. Or even that I once snorted Pixie Stick. Intentionally. (I’ll tell you THAT story some other time. It was in the name of science.)

I mean, yeah, all of those things are true but this?

This is BIG.

This could change the way you think about me. Forever.

Ready?

My name is Brenna, and I’m a professional organizer, and my closet isn’t color coordinated.
WHAT?!

My name is Brenna, and I’m a professional organizer, and my spices aren’t alphabetized.
GASP!

My name is Brenna, and I’m a professional organizer and, more often than not, my underwear drawer is messy.

WOW!

You have no idea how good it feels to get that off my chest.

WHEW!

I feel like a new woman!!

Now, you wanna know something else?

My name is Brenna, and I’m a professional organizer, and my home is perfectly organized for my family and me.

Getting Organized- Why Is It Even Worth the Trouble?

Closets full of color-coordinated separates hanging, equally spaced, on matching hangers.

Spices, lined up alphabetically, each jar equidistant from the cabinet’s edge. Each label reflecting the overhead kitchen light just so.

Sigh.

That right there is the sound of contentment as it passes through your lips.

Those ARE things of beauty; there is NO doubt.

As a matter of fact, I firmly believe you’d be hard-pressed to find a person who would willingly choose shirts dangling willy-nilly from hangers left askew or spices teetering devil-may-care out of overstuffed cupboards. Can you say midnight tripping hazards?!

A girl’s gotta be careful though. That beautiful imagery up there? It can be dangerous.
See, it’s super easy to get caught up in the trappings of an outwardly organized life. Trappings that, instead of freeing you from the soul-crushing C.R.A.P. (chaos, resentment, anxiety, and panic) of everyday-ness, serve as just another prison in which we find ourselves locked. Just another failure we find ourselves guilty of.

Gorgeously patterned bins filled just shy of the brim.

Closets full of color-coordinated separates hanging, equally spaced, on matching hangers.
Spices, lined up alphabetically, each jar equidistant from the cabinet’s edge. Each label reflecting the overhead kitchen light just so.

Sigh.

The Cost of Disorganization- Four Ways Disorganization is Costing You Money

Yelling.

Screaming.

Fighting.

Crying.

Cussing.

Self-loathing thoughts.

Blame.

If you’re struggling with organization, some of that sounds pretty dang familiar, doesn’t it? For some people, I’m describing just a regular Tuesday night.

See, most of the time, people who struggle with disorganization are acutely aware of how that disorganization directly effects the environment in which and the people with whom they live.

They realize they fight with their spouse because the laundry is never done. They scream at their kids because their rooms look like they’ve been burglarized. They dump their purse in the middle of the garage because they can’t find their stupid keys and everyone is about to be late for the fourth time this week.

5 Things to Remember When Getting Organized Makes You Feel Like a Failure

I wanna tell you something right now.

Something that, for the past few weeks, I’ve found myself repeating to multiple clients. Something that you probably already know, at least logically.

This whole process of getting organized?

It can make you feel like the biggest loser on the planet.

Like a complete and utter failure.

Worthless.

Defeated.

Pathetic.

It can make you think the absolute worst of yourself and beat yourself up for all the things you haven’t done or should’ve done or could’ve been doing all along for the past decade, so you didn’t end up in the mess you’re currently buried in.

It’s like you’ve got this evil troll who masquerades as the person you wish you were whispering in your ear. Whispering why you won’t ever be able to change. Whispering how you’re the only one who lives this way. Whispering so loudly about your undeniable failure that it blocks out all the other sounds in your life.

So when you find yourself in this situation, what’s a girl (or guy) supposed to do? Just surrender to it? Lie down and willingly drown in the mess?

Heck. No.

Staying Organized: 5 Must Haves to Ditch Old Habits and Maintain Zero

So.

Old habits.

Those suckers die hard, right?

I’m talking Bruce-Willis-circa-1988-kinda die hard. You can try to shove them off a building or pepper them with gunfire or push them down an elevator shaft. REPEATEDLY. And still? No dice.

Essentially, old habits are the cockroaches of our lives--ugly, stubborn, and kinda gag-inducing when you crunch one dead.

The thing is, it’s not a completely hopeless plight when it comes to ditching them. For good. What most people don’t realize is that it’s not as simple as just making a decision not to do them again and being done with. I mean, come on. Do you know how many times I’ve told myself I won’t bite my fingernails anymore? Do you know how many times I’ve cracked my front teeth (I’ve got some bad dental genetics, just FYI; no offense, Mom and Dad.) biting my nails after I’ve sworn to myself I’d never nibble again? It’s an embarrassingly high number of times.

Staying Organized: The Power of Creating New Habits

I want you to close your eyes for a second.

Close your eyes and think about the messiest room in your home. The room that gives you the stress sweats like no other. The room that you’d rather roll around with fire ants than to admit exists in your home.

Now I want you to imagine that it’s organized.

Absolutely, 100% organized.

At Zero. (If you’re not sure what Zero is, check out this link!)

Zero chaos. Zero resentment. Zero anxiety. Zero panic.

Oh, glorious Zero! You’ve finally arrived! Please! PLEASE! I’m down on my knees beseeching you! Never leave me again!

And that right there, ladies and gentlemen, is the third and absolute biggest burning question I get asked on a regular basis.

How in the world, once you’ve GOTTEN organized, do you STAY organized?

The Secret to Getting Organized For Real- 3 Strategies for Getting the “Other People” in Your Life to Buy In

Well. Here it is. I know you’ve been on the edge of your seat, right? Waiting for the second most burning question in regards to getting organized.

(In case you missed it, here’s the first!)

I told you before that it was a doozy.

You ready?

Deep breath.

How do you get the other people in your life to buy into the whole getting organized extravaganza?

Told you it was a big one.

Getting Organized for Real: When an Item Doesn't Make the Cut- 4 Ways to Get it Out of Your Life

Well, the time has come, ladies and gentlemen.

The time has come to address one of the top three most burning questions in regards to getting organized.

It’s a humdinger.

You ready?

WHAT ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO DO WITH ALL THE STUFF YOU’VE DECIDED NOT TO KEEP?

I mean, you’ve ditched perfectionism, called BS on the lies you’ve believed about living an organized life, bought into the concept of Zero, chosen your first space to work on, and followed all six steps!

Now, look. You and I don’t have any secrets from each other. You know I think Kid Rock is hot, and I know you own 37 pairs of black flats.

Let’s just all agree that this is THE main reason you’ve held on to certain things in your life even when you know it’s time to get rid of ‘em.

Two Organizing Tools That Will Change Your Life

Okay, I’ve been SO excited to have this conversation with you.

Seriously, you have NO idea.

It’s all about timing, though, and I couldn’t go gettin’ you all excited about something that you weren’t ready for.

But now? Now you’re ready?

Step five in the whole Six Steps To Establishing Zero extravaganza wasall about evaluating the items you’d decided to keep and figuring out how best to store them in a way so staying organized was as easy as possible.

I’m about to introduce to you my two ABSOLUTE favorite organizing tools that will do exactly that- Store your items in a way that makes staying organized easier.

I use these tools in pretty much EVERY home in which I work so I’ve got quantifiable data to prove that they work. (I use them in my own home as well!) And besides, I’d never steer ya’ wrong!

Drumroll, please.

The Secret to Getting Organized- Taking Action Part Deux

Alright. Alright. Alright.

Y’all ready to finish up those six action steps for establishing Zero in your space?

Six Action Steps to Establish Zero in Your Space

1. Empty it.

2. Clean it.

3. Sort the items that used to live in it.

4. Evaluate and purge the items that used to live in it.

5. Evaluate and figure out how to store the items that made the cut.

6. Make it cute.

(And do you think I’m legally bound to formally quote Matthew Mc Conaughey for those “alrights” up there? I mean, it HAS been his signature catchphrase. Just to be on the safe side, I borrowed your catch phase, Matthew McConaughey! Thank you!)

Those six steps can be broken down into two major chunks. The first three, which we talked about in the last blog, are pretty much straight up grunt work.

The Secret to Getting Organized for Real: Taking Action

Ditched perfectionism?

CHECK.

Called out those seven bold-faced organizing lies on their crap?

Uh-huh.

Bought in to a solid organizing philosophy?

Sure have.

Chosen an appropriate space in which to start and figured out a realistic Zero?

You know it.

(Don’t freak out if you’re still figuring out exactly what Zero will look like. We’ll come back to that later!)

Well, guess what time it is, ladies and gentlemen?

IT’S TIME TO TAKE SOME ACTION!

It’s time to implement Zero in your own home!

WOOHOO!

It’s about dang time, right? I mean information is great and all, but it’s time to DO. And do, you shall!

The Secret to Why You Stink at Organizing- Choosing an Appropriate Space To Start

Are you still struggling to get your home organized?

Let me guess. You have pinned countless posts promising to solve your organizational problems, downloaded checklists, beat yourself up, and still…. your space is a mess.

I like to say you haven’t achieved “organizing success.” That’s a great clinical term, isn’t it? And you haven’t found success because you set yourself up for failure.

You self sabotage.

Even after you buy into the deliriously genius idea of Zero, you self sabotage by thinking too broadly in terms of the space you want to tackle.

“I’m gonna gut my entire house this weekend. It’s gonna be epic!”

“I’m gonna tear apart my kid’s room tonight. Completely annihilate it. Show it once and for all who’s boss.”

How To Get Organized For Real: Figuring Out Your Zero

So.

Zero.

(If you’re not sure whatZero is, you wanna read The Paradigm Shift to Zero.)

It’s a great concept, right? Describing your space in the same terms that you describe pain. Being able to quantify something that’s seemed so nebulous in the past. Pretty dang revolutionaryif I do say so myself!

And the ripple effect of the seven basic premises of Zero is HUGE.

1. YOU decide what Zero is for each space.

WHAT? Yep! You decide what organized looks like. Not your mom or your sister or your messy 16-year old son.

2. When your space is at Zero, you’re not stressed out by it.

Uh huh. I said it. The gut-wrenching angst your space used to induce? Gone.

How to Get Organized For Real: The Paradigm Shift To Zero

Which of these sounds most accurate?

“I need to get organized.”

A simple sentence reflecting one’s current living conditions usually accompanied by a general sense of unhappiness or discombobulation.

“Why can’t I just GET. ORGANIZED?”

A desperate plea intermingled with frustration bordering on the extreme.

“CLEAN UP YOUR MESS!”

The words one screams at one’s self when yet another day passes and no noteworthy organizational progress has occurred nor is there any in the foreseeable future.

“FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING THAT’S GOOD IN THIS WORLD WHY AM I CONSTANTLY DROWNING IN CRAP?! MY ENTIRE LIFE. ONE BIG CRAPTASTROPHE.”

An anguished expletive uttered with absolute self-loathing in the complete absence of hope. Said statement is most often rendered incomprehensible due to accompanying sobs and hiccups.

Anything sound familiar? Maybe just a little bit?

Seven Lies We Believe About An Organized Life

So. Perfectionism.

We’re all pretty much on the same page with that right? The page that says it’s just a big ole’ LIE?

(Just in case you missed my last post that laid all that out for ya’!)

Before we jump in with both feet and I give you the keys to the organizing kingdom, which, rest assured, I’m gonna do, we need to dispel a few other fallacies about what an organized life actually looks like.

See, if you don’t go into this whole organizing thing with your head on straight and your eyes wide open, you’re not gonna get the lasting results for which you’ve been pining.

There are seven main myths that I see on a regular basis about organizing. Seven misconceptions. Seven lies.

Bold. Face. Lies.

Yup, Satan is spreading his dirty little lies all over the organizing world. Lies meant to steal, kill, and destroy. Lies meant to undermine and demoralize. Lies meant to distract us from our real purpose in life.

Ephesians 4:25 tells us, “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.”

We’re getting ready to put away some falsehood, y’all, and speak the truth. Big time. Because there’s absolutely no room in your life for the lies I’ve listed below:

Three Vital Reasons to Ditch Perfectionism in the New Year

Hello. My name is Brenna, and I’m a recovering perfectionist.

That’s right. I said it. I struggle with perfectionism. Or as I like to call it, being an overachiever. For some reason that just sounds less offensive. You know, more playful. Less anal. Whatever makes me feel better, right?

Let me back up for a second. I’m assuming you all know and struggle with perfectionism too. But, just in case you don’t (You lucky thing, you!) or you’re in a deep state of denial as was I, I’ll start at the beginning.

First of all, what IS perfectionism?

According to dictionary.com, perfectionism is defined as a personal standard, attitude, or philosophy that demands the highest degree of excellence and rejects anything less.

A PERSONAL standard DEMANDING the HIGHEST degree of excellence REJECTING anything less.

Those are some pretty harsh words right there.

Organize Your Time, Organize Your SpaceBrenna PeytonDecember 28, 2016 Comments

Cast Your Cares- AKA The Brain Dump

Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt overwhelmed. Stressed out. Beaten. Devoured by life and its responsibilities.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever dreamed of running away. Of starting over. Of leaving with nothing but the clothes on your back and hightailing it. The destination doesn’t matter all that much, does it? You just want out.

I’d like to introduce you to a very special person in my life. A confidant of mine. Someone who’s never let me down or betrayed my trust. Someone who answers whenever I call and has never judged me, no matter how pathetic or overwhelmed I may be.

The Brain Dump.

A good friend and mentor of mine prefers to call it the Brain Blossom. She thinks it lends a more positive, less gross connotation to this handy little strategy but personally? My brain doesn’t blossom. It doesn’t open up and flourish. Something beautiful and delicate isn’t unfurled.

What Being Disorganized Really Says About You

I think it’s time we had a little talk, me and you.

A frank discussion about what the disorganization in your life truly means.

Maybe what it’s a symptom of.

Maybe what it’s costing you.

An open, honest, and perhaps even a little uncomfortable conversation about the truth of living a disorganized life.

Perhaps a dialog about unnecessary busy-ness. Empty busy-ness that adds nothing of value to your day. To your legacy.

A discourse on how disorganization effects things like your time, money, and energy. How it impacts your relationships and the joy you experience, or don’t, on a daily basis.

Deep breath. It’s truth time.

You ready?

Your Organization Questions Answered: Part 1 (Systems, Labels, and Kid's Artwork)

People ask me questions all the time.

All. The. Time.

As soon as someone figures out what I do for a living, one of two things happen. Either the questions start rapid fire or they slowly back away, first murmuring and then shouting words that sound a whole lot like “She can never come to my house. NEVER COME TO MY HOUSE.”

Now, those questions I get asked? Sometimes they’re just straight up curiosity about the things I have seen, and OH SWEET MOTHER, you should see some of the things I’ve seen. I have seen some STUFF, lemme tell you. Rarely, if ever, do I run screaming and crying in the opposite direction though. Okay, that’s a lie. I actually never run screaming and crying in the opposite direction as long as someone is open for a little bit of help.

If you’re sitting there shaking your head thinking “This chick hasn’t been to my house yet!” Lemme tell you a little secret. There’s always going to be someone who’s in better shape than you are, and there’s always gonna be someone who’s in worse shape than you are. And let’s get this straight right up front- There is no shame in my organizing game.