Two Steps Forward, One Step Back – Care to Dance?

How did my floor get like this again?
How did this corner get like this again?

You’ve seen a professional organizer and gotten clutter under control, yes? For a while, yes, but now you see the clutter piling up again.

So, what’s happened to all your efforts to stay uncluttered, keep from purchasing new stuff, and stay organized? It’s not as easy as that for someone who is chronically disorganized, or has been hoarding for a while.

There is a term for this behavior called Backsliding. This is a common experience for almost everyone who is un-cluttering. Even the best of us have moments, days and weeks when decision making is difficult; we don’t have the time to organize, our ADD behaviors get in the way or we can’t help buying new things.

There is good news though. You are perfectly normal. We all go through it. By taking one step at a time, one item at a time, you can get back on track. Here are four steps to doing so:

1. Stop feeling guilty, and know you are OK.
2. Figure out what you stopped doing that helped you stay organized.
3. Figure out why you stopped being organized.
4. Commit to one behavior that will get you back on track.

You might begin by clearing off the coffee table, or part of a floor. Commit to doing a little bit of un-cluttering each day for about 10 minutes, and you will move forward again.

Leave a Reply