Is your inner critic keeping you from a structured home? Self Sabotage is a killer! Shut it down using these motivating methods.
Methods to Self-Sabotage Your Organization Endeavors
Have you ever heard the saying, “You are your own worst enemy”? Self-sabotage exists for all of us in one way or another – and we usually notice it when our homes and lives become too disorganized to manage.
It starts innocently enough with piles of unopened mail, a full inbox of unanswered emails, or stacks of dirty dishes. However these are clutter cues, and they’re telling you something is out of whack.
If left unchecked, clutter can rapidly escalate to forgetting important matters, like doctor visits, taxes, or even a best friend’s wedding. Read on to see the top seven ways we self-sabotage our organizing efforts, and approaches to overcome them.
“I know I can’t do this.”
Ouch! We certainly live up to our expectations of ourselves, whether negative or positive. If you think you can’t do an organizing task, you won’t. If you think that you are worthless, unchangeable, or chronically disorganized, you are going to feel depressed and unmotivated.
SOLUTION: Re-frame your thoughts! Start telling yourself, “I know I’m able to do this.”
“The task is simply too big.”
This is looking at the forest and not the trees. You can only do so much in one day, so break things into smaller, more manageable sub-tasks.
SOLUTION: List each sub-task, estimate how long it should take, then work on one task at a time. If you’re cleaning your garage, your list might look like this:
Organize tools: 2 hours
Eliminate unused pool equipment: 1 hour
Donate old clothes: 1 hour
“I can’t get going.”
Hey, 90 % of getting started is showing up! Sometimes the most difficult part of exercising is getting out the door. However when you get going, your heart starts pumping, and you make progress. The same holds true for organizing, too.
SOLUTION: Even when you don’t feel like it, just take one tiny step – just one! Perhaps you received a new bed you ordered online, but it feels too hard to set up. Take it one step at a time:
Day 1: Take it out of the box
Day 2: Read the the directions
Day 3: Remove the old bed
Day 4: Build the new bed
“I’m afraid I am going to mess this up.”
You may be great at growing roses in your backyard, but not so great at completing an organizing project correctly. The good thing is that you don’t need to do it correctly! It simply needs to make sense to you.
SOLUTION: At the start of the project, tell yourself, “I will create a positive outcome.”
“I don’t understand how to make this happen.”
If you don’t speak French, you won’t understand that “ouvrez la fenêtre” means someone’s asking you to open the window. And if you lack the training, skill, or resources to do the organizing task, you may avoid it completely. But guess what? You can still get your organizing project done, even though you lack skills.
SOLUTION: Search out the information you need to do the task, or get a professional to help you. Check out the National Association of Professional Organizers to find an organizer in your area.
“I need to do things perfectly.”
If you are the type who settles for nothing less than perfection, you could possibly stop the project before you even start. Instead, use our preferred organizing slogan: Avoid perfection no matter what and complete the project.
SOLUTION: Done is the new perfect.
“I have too many things to do.”
Being overwhelmed can appear normal in this point in time. Together with computers and smartphones at your fingertips, you can always get something done, like downloading your bank statements or resizing your photos. But bear in mind – just because you can, doesn’t mean you need to. If everything is a priority, nothing is a priority.
SOLUTION: Take a moment to get rid of the unessential items from your to-do list.
Don’t let negative self-talk sabotage your organizing efforts. Follow these tips and tackle one small task at a time. Your home – and your life – will feel much more in control after you do.