How to Benefit from Organizing When You Have No Energy

Sometimes I just want to go on an organizing or cleaning spree. I’m one of those people who gets an inordinate amount of satisfaction from tidying things up and putting things in order. I love the feeling of looking around and seeing everything tucked away where it belongs—it’s like a puzzle piece clicking into place. An organized space helps me to feel accomplished, refreshed, and peaceful. When I need to de-stress, organizing is actually very relaxing.

I would very much love to benefit from organizing, but my energy level simply says “no.” My chronic health conditions mean I burn out super easily—something as mundane as taking a shower or sitting at my computer for 20 minutes can make me feel as if I ran a marathon.

I was super bummed to think I’ve lost a major way to de-stress that I depended on. Now more than ever, I could use some tried and true ways to decompress!

So instead of throwing out organizing, I’m rethinking it. How can I still benefit from tidying even though my energy is nonexistent? I’ve thought of some ideas to share with you.

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Rewrite your to do list

I often have sticky notes plastered all over my desk. It’s amazing how replacing all my half-scratched out, scribbly to-do lists with one neatly rewritten list makes me feel more put together. Calm handwriting makes me feel more calm about what I can accomplish. And throwing away the items that are already done means I don’t have to think about them anymore. In a matter of moments, I visually feel more organized.

Organize vicariously

I love reading about people who go through a massive cleaning and organizing overhaul. It’s absolutely thrilling for me. And I can’t be the only one. Reading or watching about organizing transformations almost gives me the same feeling of getting things together myself.

You know what book I’m going to mention first: The Life Changing Magic of Tidying up. I enjoyed hearing about how Marie Kondo whips spaces into shape. I learned some good tips from her book (the point where I most disagree with her is the idea of thanking possessions before you get rid of them—I like the practice of thanking God for the item vs. thanking the item itself), and even if some techniques are too extreme for you, you can still walk away with some new ideas.

The Joy of Tidying Up is now a show on Netflix too.

I really enjoyed reading about Gretchen Rubin’s adventures organizing her life and home in The Happiness Project and Happier at Home. Her latest book, Outer Order, Inner Calm is on my TBR list. I’m looking forward to see how she tackles clutter. Has anyone had a chance to read it yet?

What other books or shows would you recommend for vicarious organizing?

Ask for help

I had been wanting to organize my scrapbook and craft supplies for some time. Like items weren’t with like items, and this was making it very hard for me to find things. Plus many supplies were on a top shelf where it was a struggle to reach them. I had this grand plan of the PERFECT way to organize everything. But I quickly realized that if I got tired just pulling out paper and supplies to make a card, my grand scheme for a craft shelf makeover was never going to happen.

I resisted asking for help because I really wanted to do it myself (like a grown up, dang it!), and get that high of checking a big project off my list. Another hang-up was I knew that the way I organized things would be a little different than how anyone else would (and I’m really partial to my own organization style, lol!). But it just wasn’t happening.

I ended up asking for my mom’s assistance, and she was a huge help. As in: she did all the work while I was plunked in a recliner. She prioritized getting the supplies onto lower shelves so that I could get to them easier. There’s still some organizing to do, but it will be much more manageable when I feel up for tackling it. It’s now easier for me to access supplies, so I don’t burn up all my energy on prep work. Thanks Mom!

Mini cleaning

Instead of tackling something major, try some of what I’m calling “mini cleaning”—organizing a small item or a very limited collection of items.

For instance, clean out your wallet or purse. Go through all the gift cards. I just discovered a gift card for a store credit for $15 in my purse that I had completely forgotten about. And a lot of doctor receipts—no shocker there!

Just for fun, you can take before and after pictures and post them like you would post a before and after of a room makeover. Share them in the comments below! Hey, I’m all about celebrating accomplishments. Those of us with chronic illness know there is no such thing as a small accomplishment. I love this reminder from the blog Digging Deep: “Every achievement within your limit is an achievement. When I feel too sick to do anything, I see small things as big accomplishments. “Yes! I made my own breakfast today and you know what, that is why I am very competent.” Accepting your limits might change your perspective on your awesome new self.”

Break organizing into small tasks

I tend to think in terms of Big Projects, and I need to tone it down to a level that matches my energy. I had a note to “Clean out dresser.” That used to be a quick task for me. I decided I needed to break this down into something more manageable so it was still enjoyable. So, I wrote down: “Clean out top drawer, clean out second drawer…” etc. The same amount of cleaning was done, it was just done over a couple days. I didn’t feel stressed to hurry because with each little step, I was still making headway on my to-do list. I felt accomplished but not exhausted. Win-win!

I currently have a list of things I want to organize/go through that I’ve broken down into smaller tasks, and it makes me feel energized instead of feeling like I’m falling behind.

Some things on my broken-down list currently include:
Organize first half of closet
Organize second half of closet
Organize medicine cabinet
Organize desk drawer
Organize items to scrapbook by month and year (one year at a time)

Here are some more tips for decluttering faster from Becoming Minimalist.

Know you have clutter around but aren’t sure where to start? This blog post has a great tip that will help you see your clutter.

And to save you time on hunting for where to donate or sell items you decide to clear out, here is a comprehensive list of How to Get Rid of Anything.

Which of these tips do you like best? What’s on your list to organize? Share how it’s going in the comments!
Do you love organizing, or do you hate it?