Mess Causes Stress–Here's How To Get Started Organizing

Research shows that spending just a few minutes on cleaning and organizing can actually improve your mood. It gives you a sense of accomplishment--at least you've started even if you're just making a small dent. Getting organized will create a feeling of order which can have a calming effect. So if you've got to get an organizing project going, just start. Don't look at the big picture, look at one item at a time and put it in it's place…baby steps. The sense of having started and working in the right direction may be just what you need to gather momentum and carry on. Set a timer for 15 minutes. Of course not much can be accomplished in 15 minutes, but it's the starting point that matters most. That 15 minute window will give you the jump start you need, and possibly the motivation to continue. If you can't continue beyond the 15 minutes, that's ok, just schedule another block of time. If you don't carve out the time in your schedule, it's never going to happen and you'll spend more time thinking and worrying about it rather than just trudging through it!