Today, you might be pondering whether you should hire someone to help you get organized, or you might have conflicting thoughts on where to start your organizing project. I hope that this blog will be a guide through those obstacles and help you with the emotions that are attached to organizing. Many times when I work with a client, they admit feeling overwhelmed and unsure about how to get organized. Not knowing what to do or how to go about getting organized is one of the reasons they let things get out of control. They'll say that they just don't know where to get started.

So, where should you start? Well, you start when you can't find what you need when you need it or are feeling overwhelmed by all the "stuff" you own. Anxiety starts to build because nothing changes in your home or office, and the piles continue to grow.

I try to encourage my clients by reminding them that just having me there to help them is a good step toward getting organized. Admitting that you can't do it yourself is a step in the right direction. It's okay to ask for help. When you do, be sure to ask for help from someone who can genuinely help you reach your goal.

Sometimes that's the no-nonsense friend who tells you the truth every time. You can also hire a professional organizer to get you started. From that moment on, you will learn how to get organized and, more importantly, stay organized. I have had great comments and testimonials from people I worked with, saying how they think back to our organizing sessions and appreciate what they learned while we worked together. They learn to ask themselves the right questions and think back to, "What would Lulu do?" They take on a new organizing skill and apply it to their everyday lives.

It's possible that you'll go to the most painful areas first. As I worked with my clients, I discovered that the most common barrier was simply not deciding to take the first step and get organized. But they were happy and grateful when they started. Once you decide to organize and take the steps to do it, you will find it gets easier as you are decluttering and organizing. You have to gauge what you think you can accomplish in the specific block of time you allow yourself.

Once you get started, just know that it gets worse before it gets better. So be sure to take on small tasks first. To get started, create a block of uninterrupted time to organize. Choose something small and manageable to organize, like a bookcase, a shelf, or drawers. I will be posting more on how to handle paperwork. So stay tuned. Subscribe for future postings to learn more. You will need to handle or manage paperwork a little differently than your "stuff." I will write a detailed step-by-step post for that soon. If your home office, for example, is making you feel the most overwhelmed, then choose that space first. Or maybe it's a closet or bathroom. Pick a spot that may motivate you the most once it is organized.

Being inspired and motivated to organize will get you started. By deciding to take one step toward organizing, you will help resolve any ambivalence and give yourself the determination you’ll need to accomplish your goal.