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It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you have several organizing projects to tackle. Considering a few key factors will help you decide where to start organizing your home.
You know that feeling where you have so much to do, but you don’t know where to start?
The overwhelm crushes down on your shoulders, you feel like you can’t breathe, and the sorrow of defeat engulfs you before you ever get started.
When many parts of your home are disorganized, it can be overwhelming to figure out where you should start. It might be so overwhelming, you decide not to start organizing your home at all!
Let’s change that. Today, I’m going to show you how to decide where to start organizing your home. We’ll work to discover the easiest projects with the biggest impact. As a result, you’ll be able to prioritize your organizing projects. You’ll know exactly where to start and which projects to do next!
By the way, I have a free printable worksheet that helps you decide where you should start organizing your home. It’s available in my free resource library, exclusive for my weekly email subscribers. Subscribe to grab your free copy!
Where to Start Organizing Your Home
Figuring out how to start organizing your home doesn’t have to be stressful. The best place to start organizing your home is with quick wins. Easy, low-cost projects that will have a significant impact on your life are a great starting point!
Plus if you’re a busy working woman like I am, you have limited time to get your home organized. You can’t afford to waste time starting projects and not finishing them, adding to your stress and frustration. Today I’ll teach you how to create a custom list of prioritized organizing projects. You will save time, reduce overwhelm, and build positive momentum as a result.
How to Decide Where to Start Organizing First
Easy, cheap, high-impact projects that are quick wins? Sounds great! But, how do you identify those quick wins? Take a little time to analyze your potential organizing projects, and you’ll uncover those quick wins.
When deciding which organizing projects to do first, there are 4 factors you should consider:
- Time
- Money
- Effort
- Impact
The best way to decide which project to do first is to list all of your potential projects, then analyze each one according to the factors above. Let’s go over each factor in-depth.
But first, you might want to grab your free copy of my Organizing Priority Matrix worksheet, so you can follow along with this process! Subscribe to my emails, and you’ll get free access to my resource library, which includes the organizing priority matrix worksheet!
Time
First, you should consider the amount of time required to complete a project.
When you’re first starting to get organized, or re-organized, it’s best to choose a project that’s quick. As a result, you’ll have an easy project under your belt, and create momentum going forward.
Choosing easier projects also allows you to get smaller areas organized, before moving on to more difficult projects. Because of this, you’ll get a bigger bang for your organizing buck!
Money
Next, you should consider the potential investment for each organizing project.
Lower-cost projects are great to start with, because they keep you from having to spend a bunch of money up front to get organized. For example, if you’re going to have to buy all new containers to organize an area of your home, you might consider doing other projects first.
Effort
You should also consider the amount of effort each organizing project will require.
Completing easier projects before moving on to the tougher ones has many benefits. First, it’ll provide a quick win. You’ll also build momentum. Completing easier projects first will also help you maximize the organization in your home, before moving on to tougher projects. Plus, you’ll improve your organizing skills, so you’ll be more prepared to tackle the larger projects.
Impact
Finally, but most importantly, you should consider the impact each completed project will have on your life.
Take some time to imagine how organizing a particular space will improve your life. Are you chronically late in the mornings because your coat closet is always a mess? Is dinnertime always stressful because of the tangle of pots, baking dishes, and appliances in your lower kitchen cabinets? Getting those spaces organized will probably have a significant impact on your life.
On the other hand, are your kids’ toys kind of messy, but it doesn’t bother you that much? Is your basement a disaster, but you rarely see it anyway? Organizing those spaces probably won’t change your life much at all. It would be more effective to start with a higher-impact project first.
Bring It All Together
Maybe you aren’t sure how to use all of the information above to decide were to start organizing your home. And you know what? It IS a lot to consider!
To help you out, I created a free Organizing Priority Matrix worksheet. The worksheet walks you through each step of analyzing your organizing projects, so you can choose where to start. It also includes a project list to complete once you’ve assessed your projects! Scroll down to sign up!
Once you know which projects to complete first, you can remove clutter and follow a simple process to organize each space, one at a time.
How to Decide Where to Start Organizing: Conclusion
It’s easy to become overwhelmed when you need to tackle multiple organizing projects. Consider the time, money, effort, and impact involved on each project, and you will have a clear picture of where to start. Once you know which projects are the most important, you’ll have a clear idea of where to start. Don’t let defeat stop you before you get started. Choose your first quick win project and start getting your house organized.
Want a free copy of my Organizing Priority Matrix worksheet? Join the ShowMe Suburban community and learn simple habits and routines to keep your home clean and organized, so you can relax away from work without feeling the stress of a messy home. You’ll also get access to my free Resource Library, full of awesome printables like my Organizing Priority Matrix. Sign up below!