Why Starting Is the Hardest Part of Organizing (and How We Make It Easier)

Clients often express to me that the hardest part of organizing for them is getting started. They don’t know where to start and they’re afraid if they do start and get interrupted, they’ll be left with a total mess.

I recently worked with a client who wanted to tackle their storage room. A storage room is the kind of space that slowly becomes the dumping ground for everything you don’t know what to do with or don’t want to deal with. This client had been avoiding the room for a long time. Too many decisions. Too much stuff. Too many “I’ll deal with this later” piles.

By the end of the session, they looked at me and said,

“Wait… that was actually way easier than I thought.”

Overwhelm usually isn’t about the work itself

Most people assume they’re overwhelmed because organizing is hard or time-consuming. But more often, the overwhelm comes from decision fatigue.

We already make so many decisions in a day—add decluttering to that and it’s just too much. So instead of starting, the room/shelf/closet just sits untouched… adding to the our mental to-dos.

We didn’t start with the hard stuff

For this storage room, we didn’t start by making tough decisions. We began with easy wins: obvious trash, clear donations, items they already knew they didn’t want.

It’s important to use this tactic in a space like a storage room because it immediately reduces visual clutter and builds momentum.

Once a client sees progress, their brain stops panicking and starts engaging.

Momentum changes everything

After clearing out the obvious items, the space already felt lighter. This made the “harder” decisions feel much more manageable later on.

In just 1.5 hours, we made huge progress. Not because we rushed, but because we worked in a way that kept them from getting stuck.

No to-do list left behind

One of the greatest services I offer my clients is taking everything out of their home when we wrap up. When we finished this session, the client didn’t have to deal with trash bags, recycling, or donations to deal with later.

I took it all with me.

The last thing you need after finally tackling a hard space is another list of errands. Finishing the job fully further reduces the mental load.

Organizing doesn’t have to be overwhelming

Avoiding a space because it feels overwhelming doesn’t mean you’re lazy, disorganized, or bad at organizing. It usually just means you’re trying to do too much at once, starting in the wrong place, or don’t have support to keep things moving.

You might just need a clear starting point and someone to guide the process.

If you have a space you’ve been putting off — especially a storage room, basement, or “catch-all” area — I’d love to help make it feel manageable again.

You don’t have to tackle it alone.

Hey! I am Aubrianne, and I love my job—I’m a professional home organizer in Smithfield, Utah. I travel all around the Cache Valley (from end to end…and side to side) and beyond (like Garden City and Tremonton!) clearing clutter from people’s homes. No matter where you’re starting—I can help you. We can declutter, organize, and give you systems to make sure you can keep it up once I’m gone.

Click HERE to schedule a complimentary consultation with me to talk about how you can feel peace and happiness and no stress in your home!