When You’re Overwhelmed by Clutter: 1 Simple Phrase to Help

There are times when I’m overwhelmed by clutter. Okay, there’s lots of times when I’m overwhelmed by clutter.

I am not the Mom that has the perfectly organized house and I know that there are others Moms and Dads like me too. The parents who:

1. Want to have an more organized home, but who struggle with making it happen or keeping it that way.
2. Want to clean up but want to actually spend quality time with their kids too.
3. Want to make ONE simple change that makes a big impact on their home’s organization.

And, I’ve figured out something that works for me. That has truly helped me to feel less overwhelmed by the clutter and it is easy to remember and to implement.

This simple saying helps so that I’m less overwhelmed and more productive around my house.

But, the truth is, that old habits die hard.

The Root of being Overwhelmed by Clutter

I’m the queen of procrastination so when I see a big mess that’s I need to clean up, I do anything that I can to avoid dealing with it. My thoughts generally sound like this:

• Ugh.
• Another mess.
• I’m not sure what to do with that?
• Maybe I should move it over in the corner in case the kids are still playing with it?
• No Katie, you can’t do that now because you should be thinking about dinner.
• Oy. I wish I could keep the house cleaner.
• Maybe if I just move that pile of toys over, it won’t bother me as much?
• Wait.
• What was I going to cook again?

Friends, those kinds of thoughts eat up valuable time.

In the time that it takes for me to think about all of that, I could have already cleaned up the pile and moved on to making dinner.

How to Be MORE Productive and Less Overwhelmed by Clutter

Stop yourself from going down the rabbit hole. Do NOT let yourself think so much about picking things up around the house. Instead, think about this phrase when you walk around the house:

Pick it up now or Pick up MORE later.

I’ve shortened the phrase so that I almost sound like the little engine that could:

Now or more later. Now or more later. Now or more later…

When I see a pile of puzzle pieces lying on the ground, I DON’T make it a big debate in my head; instead, I think: Pick it up now or pick up MORE puzzle pieces later.

(because the longer it lies out, the more puzzle pieces my kids will take out).

When I see a little pile of clothes, I DON’T start a big debate in my head; instead, I think: Pick it up now or pick up more clothes later.

(because my kids will shed more clothes and so will my husband – let’s be honest).

You get the idea.

It really works. And, it helps me to quickly categorize what’s a priority to clean up and what’s not without overthinking.

What do you think ~ will this help you to feel less overwhelmed when you’re picking up around the house?

Grab the Book, FREED FROM CLUTTER, for more practical tips on organizing your home.

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