Do Most of Us Procrastinate?

clutter professional organizer

From Bedlam to Brilliance – Procrastination

Without taking any kind of formal survey, I would have to say yes. Maybe you’re not a big procrastinator and maybe you procrastinate more than you care to admit, however, either way, it could lead to feeling stressed and overwhelmed at times.

The above picture is of me going through my father’s 50+ photo albums of all the trips my parents had taken. I kept putting off having to do this, but the day came when I had to ultimately make a decision as to what to do with them. My father had passed away, and we sold my childhood home. I was very sad, so I finally ended up picking out about 20 pictures of my parents and threw everything else away. I was able to take care of having an estate sale and getting rid of everything else, but I waited till the very end to deal with these photo albums. Would you call this procrastination? Yes, of course it was.

Webster’s definition of procrastination is putting off doing something unpleasant or burdensome until a future time. Does that sound like you? I can certainly relate at times as well. Who wants to do things that are unpleasant? What happens when we procrastinate? Is making no decision a decision? It is a decision, but in the long run, it probably takes us more time to get something done than it would have had we taken care of the burdensome task at the outset. For me, I may spend so much time procrastinating that had I completed what needed to be completed, my time would have been freed up to do something more fun or at least less tedious.

Many people are convinced that they can undertake their de-cluttering projects on their own. But, as history has shown me in the 12 years I have been in business, the projects become so overwhelming that these same people “procrastinate” and the projects either aren’t finished or don’t get done.

There are the exceptions – you are moving, you have to empty a house from a relative or a friend that has passed away – when the project has be completed. What is the end result of procrastinating? Rather than figuring out what you actually need, you end up throwing things in boxes willy-nilly, not knowing where or what you have, or you’ve rented storage unit(s) because you didn’t give yourself enough time to go through things and again, just packed up boxes, only to think you are going to go through them at a later time.

I also know from experience that many new clients are either afraid I am going to make you throw things out or you are embarrassed by the state of your home or office. Rest assured, the more disorganized you are, the better for me. I listen, am non-judgmental, and want the best for you and your environment. I will help you:

Make decisions on what or what not to keep, including removing things you want to donate just to get the “stuff” out of your home or office.
Put simple systems into place to help you maintain the organization.
Determine the functionality of the spaces. You are in charge during the entire process.

When it comes to de-cluttering and organizing, what needs to happen for you to move forward? Rather than spending money on the latest and greatest organizing products of which may not work in your situation, perhaps it’s time to spend your money on finally fixing the problem by calling in a professional.

Procrastination, at least when it comes to organizing, can now be checked off your list.