If you are new to 52 Weeks of Organizing, catch up here!
Welcome back! So happy to see you all 🙂 I was actually away last Friday but had scheduled my 52 weeks post to go live at the usual time. So happy to see that it did and so many of you linked up.
One of last week’s links has provided me with my topic for this week. I was thrilled when I went over to visit Michelle at Navigating Domesticity and saw that she and a friend have teamed up to motivate, support and help each other organize their homes. The entire time I was reading her post I kept saying to myself…yes, yes, yes! I was smiling ear to ear…these gals have got it going on.
Here is what Michelle had to say:
My friend and I have come up with a plan to help one another work on organizing projects. Both of us have areas in our homes that make us feel too overwhelmed to tackle by ourselves, so we’re teaming up to support each other and get things done more efficiently. (As an added bonus, our children are doing a great job distracting one another so that they interrupt us less!)
This week was Bedroom Week: in addition to working on my daughter’s bedroom, which had become completely out of control, we tackled her son’s closet and clothes supply.
They are on fire and making some great progress. I love how much they are accomplishing by working together. Be inspired by reading the rest of her post here.
These girls are putting their desire to get their homes organized over any embarrassment they may feel at having a friend see their space.
That is just awesome! Sometimes a big load of the overwhelm we carry around on our shoulders is the burden we feel trying to maintain a put together exterior. Let’s drop the pretense and come out from behind the masks we hide behind. If you are feeling overwhelmed, ask someone to help you. Help each other. No one is as put together as they might seem. Your honesty might be like a breath of fresh air to someone else who is also struggling and just might be the lifeline they need.
Of course there will always be risks involved. It’s hard to be vulnerable and risk judgement but if there is one thing I’ve learned this year is that without vulnerability there can be no growth, no change. Every experience, good or bad, can teach us something if we look for it. Don’t stay stuck, try something different. Put teamwork and accountability into action!
Okay there is my little pep talk for the day 🙂 I would really love to hear from anyone that takes up this challenge to ask a friend to be your organizing partner. Until next week, keep organizing one small space at a time!
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Please feel free to share your organizing journey and encourage one another in the comments. You are also invited to link up to the linky below with any posts related to your 52 weeks of organizing participation or to any post of an organizing nature that you feel will inspire and encourage others in their quest to get organized. Please remember to link back to here though so we can reach out to as many people as possible in need of some inspiration.
One other thing to consider: by including your link below you, you are giving me permission to use parts of your post including pictures as a spotlight in future 52 Weeks of Organizing posts. Proper credit and links will of course be provided. If you are not okay with this please do not link up. Thanks!
Liz @ Wonder Woman I'm Not says
Excellent post today, it really resonated with me. As I’ve been organizing and showing everyone my ‘dirty secrets’ I’m sure that my readers think I’m a hoarder! In actuality most people who know me would think that I was very put together since I try to always keep the house ‘semi-company’ ready. I guess it’s all a matter of perception 🙂
Good for those women for helping each out. As we all get busier in our lives we tend to get very self-focused on our own problems and sometimes forget to ask others about theirs. What an excellent way for both of them to get organized, and probably have a lot of fun doing it! While I don’t really have someone that I could partner with, I do find that blogging about my organizational projects helps keep me on track. I find that I’m a little more purposeful in my solution planning because I want to give some ideas and tips whereas before I would typically just clean and then deal with the same problem a year later.
Your blog has really been helping me keep on track! I appreciate the tips.
Susanne says
Isn’t Jasper gorgeous?
What a great idea doing the overwhelming stuff with a friend. The time goes so much faster when having good company.
Laura says
It was so gorgeous but I had to take pictures on the fly because hubs wasn’t stopping LOL
Sarah says
You can’t tell it was taken from the car at all. Great photo!!
Tracy @ Brain Chatter says
I have a funny story that was a lesson learned the hard way. A few years ago my friend had mentioned that she was going to turn her husbands downstairs office (with his permission) into a homeschooling room for their daughter. His new office was going to be moved to an unused room upstairs. During the conversation I said “Let’s just do it!” and so we began. Her husband was at work, but she assured me he wouldn’t have a problem with it. The room was a disaster! We spent many hours just clearing up the clutter, organizing and creating new homes for everything that was just piled on the desk and floor. We moved everything upstairs to the “new and improved” space where everything had a home and was labeled beautifully! Then her husband came home and about had a stroke. That’s when I learned that there are two kinds of people in the world…….people like me, who need their stuff put away and out of sight….and then people like her husband, who need to see everything or else they don’t know what they have. The first words out of his mouth was “Now I can’t find anything!” despite how organized everything was. Luckily he doesn’t hold a grudge. So, the lesson of the day was, make sure you take into account the preferences of everyone living in the space before tackling an organizing challenge!
Laura says
Excellent advice Tracy! Yes we must always be respectful of the space we are organizing. For instance, I never touch my husband’s spaces unless I have direct permission. It’s all about negotiation and compromise.
Nony (A Slob Comes Clean) says
My best friend and I do this! And another friend (who reads my blog) offered to come over and help me catch up after summer chaos! She doesn’t need help, because she LOVES cleaning and organizing! I know . . . bizarre!
Mark Anthony Morales says
Having an organizing partner only helps if your partner is as dedicated as you are, otherwise your busy organizing your life… and theirs’ too :/
crystal says
A few months ago I had a friend offer to help with my clutter. I was so mad at her i didnt talk to her for weeks. Maybe it was because I had just decluttered a major area and she wasn’t ever fazed by it or maybe it was her approach that when something like this ” Let me at your junk and I’ll really clean this place up. See I’m not a hoarder, I never have a problem throwing things out.” Point is I made the mess I will clean it and I am working very hard to organize it in a way that will work for me. If two people are in it together, as it appears the ladies in your article are, then that is great but it can’t be forced upon someone because in the long run it will just go back to the way it was. Own your stuff don’t let it own you. Happy Organizing.
Laura says
Oh I’m so sorry you didn’t have a good experience, that’s the pits for sure 🙁
Enjoy Birth says
I could use a buddy! I had a friend come over once and help me do my pantry, then I helped her do hers. It was great. I have had to take a month or so off of challenges, I am so looking forward to school starting so I can get back in a routine. 🙂
Living the Balanced Life says
Great post Laura! I love what you say about opening up and being vulnerable. It is so important in all areas of our lives. And you are absolutely right, no one is as put together as they seem!
LOVE the picture! Dying to go see some REAL mountains! (I live in GA!)
Bernice
The not-so-perfect girlfriend
heather says
my in-laws live with us… so me and my mother-in-law have teamed up against all the clutter in the house. its amazing how clutter and organizing can bring 2 people closer.