Organizing Tips
Sometimes we avoid organizing a space because it contains a Pandora’s box. Pandora’s box is a mythical story about a box, which contained all of man’s miseries. In term of organizing things which could be considered Pandora’s box are things that make you uncomfortable, sad, angry or regretful. Even memories of good times can bring up a potent feeling and make you emotional. You may not even realize that your messy drawer, closet or garage is a Pandora’s box, you just know you keep avoiding it. Realizing that you have a mental block regarding a particular space is half the battle already one.
There are four ways to conquer Pandora’s box – 15 minutes a day, The Guardian Angel, The Professional Soldier and The Big Box.
15 minutes a day Time is your shield. In other words limit exposure. Set a timer for 15 minutes and when it goes off you walk out. It may take you longer than you wane to clean out the space but it will get done. It make also become less painful as you go on because you become less sensitive to the stimulus. Psychologists call this phenomenon systematic desensitization and the process is used to help people deal with phobias.
Guardian Angel You enlist a sympathetic friend to site with you while you go through the stuff. A friend can provide emotional support and a cheerleader giving you motivation to keep going. Plus, two can work twice as fast.
Professional Soldier You can hire a professional organizer to help you with the clean up. If you are worried about the cost, ask for a cost estimate. Any organizer worth their stuff should be able to tell you. Also, ask if it can be done in stages as you can afford.
The Big Box – If you just can’t face it – box it up. Don’t look at it, just throw in a box, label and pack it away. Don’t stress, at some time in the future you will be able to look it.
