YOU’RE LOOKING FOR something in a drawer, a closet or a spare room. You know it’s there, but the space is so cluttered you just can’t find it. You tell yourself, ’This is a disaster; I should really organize this,’ but you have no idea how to start. So you abandon the idea — only to feel guilty the next time you try to find something in that space.
Sound familiar? You’re not alone.
Now more than ever, with people spending more time at home, the desire for a clean, uncluttered abode is common. And with the rise in popularity of books and Netflix specials about home organizing gurus like Marie Kondo and The Home Edit team, getting organized is on many a to-do list.
But not knowing where or how to start is also very common. Sara Verwymeren of Winnipeg’s Three Pines Organizing sees this time and again when she meets new clients who want to get organized, but just can’t seem to manage it on their own.
“When you look at the space you want to tackle as a whole, it can get very overwhelming. Mentally, you’re already disappointed,” says Verwymeren, who trained through Professional Organizers in Canada and has a background in psychology.
“I help people break it down into small, manageable parts. A lot of people just need someone else’s eyes, someone else’s perspective, and someone to walk alongside them and help them rethink and re-evaluate their space.”
Organizing is very personal — it’s not just about making your house look good, it’s also about how you function as a person and as a family, explains Verwymeren, who takes on a coaching role when helping people figure out their organizing needs. As a mom of three and recent cancer survivor, she knows all about setting priorities — and she understands that making your space work for you allows you to spend your time and energy on other important things.
“It’s easy to assume that everybody else has it together except you. But that’s such a lie. You just have to set realistic expectations and goals for yourself,” she says.
The key is making sure you create an organizing system that you’re able to maintain. Just because you saw some bins and baskets that looked pretty on TV or on Instagram, it doesn’t mean they will work for your space.
“A lot of people will have already bought the bins when they reach out to me, because they think that a bin or a basket or a fancy new organizing line is going to fix everything. But I’m always saying, ’Let’s figure out a system that’s going to work for you, and then we can look at investing in some good quality products that make sense.’ ”
Often, you don’t need to buy anything to help you organize — reusing a shoebox or a plastic food-storage container that’s lost its lid may do the trick, and it’s more sustainable in the long run.
If your budget doesn’t allow you to hire a professional organizer, don’t worry — you can conquer clutter yourself, if you’re self-motivated. Verwymeren’s advice to start small still applies: Assess your situation, figure out what’s working and what’s not, and begin with an easily attainable goal.
“Think about where you spend the most time in your home, and where you need the most function, and start there, with one section of a room, or one drawer. Set a timer for 15 or 30 minutes, and see how far you can get with it,” Verwymeren suggests. “As soon as you accomplish something small — and you see just how good it looks and how relieved it makes you feel — you’ll feel motivated to keep going and take on the more complicated areas.”
If you already have a system in place, but it’s just not working for you, don’t be afraid to rethink and rework the space, switching things up until you find the system that functions best for you and your family.
“I do believe that there’s a solution in every home, and nobody is beyond help. If people spent what we spend on a haircut on getting someone to help organize, it would last way longer and the effect would last much longer. It’s just like any other service — it’s not a shameful thing to ask for help in an area where you need someone else’s eyes.”
