You can’t find what you’re looking for quickly… you’re so tired and frustrated.
Your drawers are so full they’re difficult to open and close… you avoid using them.
You have a clear path through piles of dirty laundry, shoes, papers, and who knows what else… but you make it work.
You don’t sleep well at night… because you don’t enjoy being in your bedroom.
You feel stressed in your bedroom… like you can’t breathe because of the clutter that surrounds you.
You wonder how your room got this cluttered and messy… and you don’t know how to make it better.
Does this sound familiar?
If you relate to any or all of the above, I’m assuming you’re struggling with a messy room, need some help, and want to find a solution so you can create an enjoyable and relaxing space. Well, you’re in the right place, keep reading…
The first step… creating awareness about why your room is messy.
So, why on earth do you have a messy room?
There could be several reasons, but here’s five reasons you may have a messy room:
#1 You own too much stuff for the size of your room
- You may buy things because of a great sale, when you don’t really need them or have space for them
- You may buy things because you can’t find or don’t know what you already own, so you buy more when you already have what you need
- You may buy organizing containers to solve the space issue, but this doesn’t fix the fact that you have too much stuff that just doesn’t fit in the space
#2 You don’t make getting organized a priority
- Your life is too busy to take the time to address your messy room, it’s easier to just ignore it
- You’ve experienced a life changing event that has made getting organized a lower priority in this moment of time
- You have kids, so you’re busy being a parent, getting them to school, and taking care of them, instead of spending time decluttering and organizing your bedroom
- You don’t know how clutter can affect your health, stress, and relationships, so you keep dealing with the messy room unaware of how much better your life could be
#3 You don’t know how to get organized
- No one ever taught you how to get organized, so you continue to feel overwhelmed and stuck
- You’ve tried to get organized before and it didn’t work, so you feel hopeless
- You’re overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin, so it’s easier to accept the mess and spend as little time as possible in your bedroom
#4 You make excuses, which makes it hard to let things go
- “I may need it some day”, so you hang onto it just in case
- “I spent too much money on it”, so you feel guilty letting it go
- “Someone gave it to me”, so you feel obligated to keep it so you don’t hurt their feelings
#5 You’re not asking the right questions to make decluttering easier
If you’ve sorted through your messy room before to decide which items you want to keep or not, and haven’t asked the following questions, you have made decluttering harder than it needs to be.
Marie Kondo recommends asking:
- “Does it spark joy?” If it does, keep it. If no, dispose of it.
Joshua Becker recommends asking:
- “Do I need this?”
- “Why do I have it?”
- “What would I use if I didn’t have it?” (Read more about this question…)
Courtney Carver recommends before buying something new:
- “Is this love?” (Read more about this question…)
I think all these questions above are great ones to ask, to make decluttering easier.
I also recommend asking:
- “Have you used it in the last year or two?” If the answer is no, it’s time to be realistic and consider if you plan to use it in your future.
- “Does it support your values, interests, or hobbies?” Maybe your interests have changed or you have different people in your life now, so you enjoy your time on new things.
So, now that you know why you have a messy room, now what?
If you’re tired of dealing with overstuffed closets and drawers, frustrated with not finding things easily, and don’t want to settle for a clear path in your room. Instead, you want to sleep better, experience less stress, and actually enjoy being in a beautiful bedroom that makes your daily routines easier, here are some things you can try:
- Commit to letting go of more things, go through your things diligently, and keep only what you love and need, and what fits in your space.
- Set aside time for you to work on your messy room, even if it’s 10-20 minutes a day, you could focus on one shelf or one drawer, or if you have an entire day – put on some music and bust through the mess in a day.
- Learn how to declutter and organize through virtual organizing sessions or an online course, so you know what steps to take, feel less overwhelmed, and make the process easier.
- Quit making excuses to keep things, instead make a commitment to keep less, buy less, and make decisions to keep only what you love, need, and use.
- Ask the right decluttering questions (like the ones above), to make letting go of things easier.
Take the time to declutter and organize your messy room, so you can enjoy a beautiful and functional room that will make you feel calm, relaxed and inspired.
I wish you the best with your decluttering and organizing!
Glenda Crawford
Virtual Home Organizer