From Oops to Awesome: Your Organizing Comeback Tour Starts This Weekend

I opened the cupboards above our oven and was gently accosted by glass jars. Tall ones, fat ones, smooth ones, decorative ones, clear ones, brown ones, and sadly, ignored-since-2017 ones. They all seemed like such a good idea when I made the original decision to keep them. I quickly closed the doors and felt defeat settle in my soul.

It’s okay if you think that sounds a tad dramatic. Shame and guilt appear quickly some days.

Visions of the wide-mouth beauties holding snacks at a charcuterie party sucked me in. Thoughts of the spice jars furthering my succulent propagation habit held me hostage. I had the perfect amount of jars for any occasion. 

Until I didn’t.

How did my cute, practical, and useful collection grow without me noticing? 

Scratch that. 

How did my cute, practical, and useful collection grow without me acknowledging the excess and then doing something about it? Just because I’m a home organizer doesn’t mean my home is perfectly organized. 

OB-viously.

Personal note: I deal with shame and guilt, sadly on a regular basis. Don’t bother feeling sorry for me—it’s partly my personality, but technically it’s a choice. That said, my friends and family members who have done the hard work of going to therapy, learning about themselves, and then implementing change, know this already: neither shame nor guilt serve you in any way. At all. Ever. 

Well, sometimes guilt can be a temporary motivator, but mostly it’s just dead weight.

The path to lasting change appears when we release the weight of self-judgment and approach our habits with curiosity instead of criticism.

Think your organizing mishaps make you a mess? Plot twist: those perceived failures are simply your personal beta testing phase. Every abandoned system, chaotic drawer, pile of paper, and cluttered corner isn’t evidence of personal deficiency or failure—it’s simply data and market research for your next organizing breakthrough. 

So ditch the shame spiral and start your comeback tour. My past (and current) organizational flops earned me a PhD in What Doesn’t Work. Now it’s your turn.

When it comes to decluttering and organizing, my goal is not to focus on shame or guilt about what didn’t go well. Instead, I’m taking an inventory of what didn’t work and then figuring out how to change it.

Heaven knows I have no desire to be sitting in the exact same place next January as I am right now. Do you?

Here’s a short list of regrets, hopes, and plans for 2025. See if it resonates and makes you want to jump on board the organizing train. Choo-choo, friend.

Regrets

• I didn’t declutter all the items I could have.
• I spent money on things I probably shouldn’t have.
• I didn’t act like I was moving to a new house, forcing myself to deal with on-the-fence items.
• I didn’t sell and donate as much as I could have. 

Hopes

• I want our home to feel light, airy, and peaceful.
• I want each room to usher in a sense of calm when I walk in.
• I want each closet to display our clothing in a carefree, loose way.
• I want each cupboard to hold essentials for our family and occasional parties, and no more.
• I want each drawer to open freely, hold only what we need, and close freely.
• I want each surface to be clear of junk. (And crumbs.)

Plans

• I plan on donating more items this year.
• I plan on selling more items this year.
• I plan on asking a few trusted people for their opinions about my clothing… and then getting rid of what’s not working.
• I plan on buying only what fits great, I love, and is on sale.

I’m obviously in my decluttering and organizing era. What about you? If you haven’t joined the movement yet, maybe you don’t have enough clutter for it to bother you. Or maybe you’re like almost every single organizing client who reaches out for my help—overwhelmed and doesn’t know where to start.

But if you’re well aware of your excess and tired of the extra weight all around you, it’s time. Your organizing comeback tour starts this weekend, and I’m here for it. Can you envision the excitement on your kid’s, spouse’s, or roommate’s face when they realize the amazing progress you made? Me tooooo!

Do you have decluttering or organizing questions? Nothing is too small, dumb, or insignificant. Whatever you’re brave enough to ask is probably being thought of by at least 10 other people who aren’t brave enough to ask. So take a little risk and huck your question into the comments. Yours could be the one that unlocks someone who’s currently stuck.

I promise to respond. 

“It’s a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you’re ready. I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything. There is almost no such thing as ready. There is only now. And you may as well do it now. Generally speaking, now is as good as time as any.”  -Hugh Laurie

P.S. I’m off to declutter and organize my jar cupboard now. Don’t wish me luck, just pray. Haha. My goal is to donate a significant amount of glass!