Organizing and maintaining your home is a new lifestyle you are assuming, not a quick fix. Organizing is not simply sorting, categorizing, and tossing, as many believe. Authentic organizing includes a purposeful and ongoing process of elimination and refinement. Organizing is like weeding; it is a two-part process.
First, you must tackle the backlog…all that stuff or paper that has been building up and choking out your peace of mind. A backlogged home is like a weed-infested field.
We all have excess stuff in our lives. We have too much junk stuffed into our houses and it clogs up our mental and emotional world. It blocks us from being productive. In order for us to get organized, we have to prune the deadwood in our lives.
Second, after you have the backlog under control you will want to set up systems to help you manage incoming items and paper. You will want to clarify the purpose of each space in your home and have a plan for routing and dealing with new stuff.
The Pruning Principle is this: We will flourish in our personal, spiritual, and physical life when we expose ourselves and our environment to frequent pruning.
To gain victory over the disorganization weeds you will need to dig out from the backlog, set up systems that fit your life, and maintain what you’ve established. Like a vigilant gardener who keeps up her efforts to protect her hard work, you will gain momentum as you go and become committed as you progress. When you pull the weed of disorganization out by its roots, you will begin to reap the benefits and joy of an orderly home.
