I aaaaaaam a piler upper. What that means is, I have the best of intentions when I lay something down but then a week or two later I place something on top of what I laid down a couple weeks prior and just repeat that until you have the situation on the bed up there. Usually like items are kept together (organization!) but occasionally who knows what is stacked on top of each other in a precarious tower of I-swear-I’m-going-to-get-to-that-soon.
If you saw my Stories, I had a friend coming into town and wanted to get our guest room (pictured) done once and for all. I had things earmarked all over the house–a pair of curtains purchased for another room that I never used; my old duvet set I moved from Portland; some lamps that were too nice for the sunroom; “good enough” pictures until I found some I liked better. But before I was able to do anything with decor, I had to sort and organize our Christmas stuff that had been there for months. I waited as long as I possibly could and then I dove in.
As with any project like this, I wondered why I just didn’t hunker down and do it sooner. It looks and FEELS so good in there, sometimes I’ll walk in just to take it all in.
I used to really beat myself up about letting things pile up and while I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s one of my finer qualities (such as my ability to spin everything back to Nora Ephron or Nancy Meyers movies), but I’ve discovered over the years that it’s part of my process.
When things pile up I can tell what’s not working. For my Christmas stuff, it started piling up because there was no good place to put it (I have’t shown you the piles in my closet yet.) Once I emptied a closet we rarely use, everything fit just fine and I have a little room to add a few new things.
So here are my tips in case you’re a piler upper too. They also can apply to Drawer Stuffers and Closet Shovers, which I am too.
Grant yourself some grace.
There is no need to lay a bunch of judgement at your feet. Chances are you’re busy and things pile up because you just don’t have the time and space to deal with them yet.
Start small with the energy you have.
If you watched on my Stories, you saw me break off cleaning up this room into a lot smaller chunks. I only spent between 10-20 minutes a day for about five days working on this space. Yes, I could have done it all in one shot but I didn’t have the energy to even think about that, let alone do it.
Stay in one area until it’s done.
If you’re like me, you have a habit of what I call “ping ponging.” It’s easy to do, you go to put something away and realize how messy it is in there so you start cleaning and pretty soon your whole house looks like it has been picked up off its foundation and shaken around before being set down again. Focus on one area, top to bottom, before moving on. It’s okay if you have to set something on the stairs to take up later, or on the bathroom counter to put away. Your focus is on one zone at a time (my sister and Stephen can tell you how serious I take my zones.)
Done is better than perfect.
I’m not 100% crazy about the art or where it’s hung in this room. There is a dog crate with a sheet over it. Books are in stacks on tables. It’s okay that it isn’t perfect. It’s miles from where it was and I’ll keep chipping away at it until it’s the “perfect” guest retreat.
Take a moment to actually feel what a difference it makes.
Once I commit to getting things in order, it’s so much easier to put things away where they go. It feels good to tidy up and to walk through a space. Breathe it in and enjoy it. You’ve worked hard!