An Organizing Triumph!

The End of an Era

Last week, I worked with a new client, on organizing the craft room in her home.  In the year since her daughter had passed on, it had turned from a place of joy and solace into a junk room that kept her up at night, fretting and making plans to clean it up...then lacking the energy and impetus to do anything about it in the morning.  No wonder...a viscious cycle, that one! 

Wading in a Sea of Stuff

When I got to her house and saw the craft room, I understood her frustration.  The door was jammed open with stuff and the entire floor was covered, waist-high, with craft supplies, scattered higgledy-piggledy about.  There was evidence of what had once been a very organized room...boxes and stacks of shallow drawers and shelves...all scattered about.

Karen says (and I believe her) that, once-upon-a-time, it was superiorly organized with a place for everything and everything in it's place.  The problem was that everything had gotten displaced in the year leading up to our consultation.

Dealing with Death

Karen used to love making crafts and doing projects with her mother and daughter.  Anything from rubber stamping to scrapbooking to sewing.  Then, her daughter passed on, abruptly.  In her distress, Karen became unable to deal with the room that reminded her so much of her daughter.  To compound the problem, the craft room quickly turned into the "I don't know where it goes so put it in the craft room" room.  In other words, it became the "junk room". 

Finding the Best Approach

Each situation is unique.  Some clients want me to dive in on my own.  Some want to be there for the process.  Karen and I decided to work together on this one, which I think is the best approach. 

I presented things to her and she used the space available-the hallway-to manage and sort the items as they came.  Some were too emotionally charged for her to deal with right away, and I kept those aside.  Another project for another day.  Karen, who claims to have issues with focusing, did a magnificent job of staying on task.  Of course, it helps to have someone there to keep things going.  That's where I come in. 

Getting to the Bottom of Things

Why did it stay undone and leave Karen unglued for so long?  Because, clutter is, in itself, stuck energy.  Once it's there, it collects things to itself.  It's easy to let it get out of hand when it starts from a small problem and to throw in the towel when it's grown into a massive one. 

It's also personal.  Many people know that it's easier to go through someone else's stuff than it is to go through one's own stuff.  Why?  Because it carries an emotional charge to it when it's yours.  And that emotional charge can keep people from wanting to deal with it.  That's when the escapism tactics come into play. 

There's also the shame factor.  Many people who need help, desperately, with their clutter, are ashamed to have people (especially professionals) come over and take a peek to see what can be done.  I got to know Karen over a couple week's time before she agreed that it needed to be addressed before she could move on. 

It's easier to imagine how it can be done than to actually get in there and do it.  However, that usually takes MORE energy than dealing with the stuff!  Karen's quality of life had gone way down in the time that this had built up.  She'd lost sleep, was sleep-walking through her days, other areas of her life were getting out of control, too, her self-esteem was low and she was having trouble focusing on her daily tasks. 

Unfortunately, Karen was also blaming herself for not dealing with it sooner.  That, in my opinion, compounds the problem, because it takes precious energy away...energy that might otherwise go into tackling the problem.

All in Good Time

Fortunately, Karen got past her own shame and self-blame and allowed me in.  Maybe this is one of the reasons that we met.  I believe it is.  Maybe she needed just the right person (that's me) that she could trust to treat her and her space with love, compassion, and kindness.  I'm glad to have been that person.  And, we did a bang up job of whipping that room into shape! 

It helped that Karen had been really organized before.  I just came in and metaphorically held her hand through the process, acted as an accountability partner, presented things to her, one bit at a time, and reminded her that she did have the strength to face her stuff.  And, that she deserved to have her craft room back! 

The picture to the right shows what we were able to accomplish together in six hours.  Yes, there's still work to be done.  Karen has decided that she feels strong enough to deal with it on her own now.  Of course, I'll check in with her and see if she feels the same next week.  I'd like to help her get it completely done.   For now, it's a work-in-progress, as are most things.

The Payoffs

Along the way, she discovered all kinds of cool things that she forgot she had, along with stuff that she had given up on finding a long time ago.  Karen was so thrilled when she saw her floor for the first time in over a year!  She said to anyone in earshot, "hey, did you know there was carpet in the craft room?  I can see the carpet!"

Karen also rediscovered her passion for crafting and had a major success in facing her fears, straight on.  Yay, Karen!  I'm really proud of her for taking that first huge step.  And I know that she's proud of herself, which is what really matters. 

Next up, the office at her store.  Stay tuned! 

Comments

[Coach Antony]

I`ve also taken photos like this ... frightening, isn`t it ... but all the better after doing the work. I love letting the energy flow through my home - perhaps that's why love the spring so much. Antony

[Claire Amber]

What I love most is the difference between the befores and the after pic. We've all got messes. I've taken pics of my own stuff like this. Yes, Spring is a fabulous time for cleaning, clearing and making room for fresh energy to come in. Now's the time!

[OneFunnyRedHead]

Googling "art studio, feng shui" led me to your site, this post. Perfect and not at all what I thought I wanted to find! I am a procrastinator of olympic merit, and you have such a wonderful grasp of the emotional clutter that often translates into material clutter.

I've not seen it written out so clearly, thank you! Nice work, too, on this client's space. I can only imagine how great it felt for her to have that breathing and alive again.

[Claire Amber]

Hi, OneFunnyRedhead! Thanks for taking the time to read the article and send me a comment. I'm glad that it was very clear for you. How are you doing with your clutter these days?