When You're Not in the Mood to Organize

What if you would like to be more organized, but you’re just not in the mood? What if the organizing solutions and organizing systems you’ve read about just don’t speak to you right now? Well, you could do several things. Here are a few ideas.

Don’t do it.

Don’t do it right now.

Do a little bit.

Ask someone else to help you.

Ask someone else to do it for you.

Make a list.


If you’re waiting for me to tell you which idea is the best for you to do, wait no longer. Every idea is great.

Don’t do it. I find I really need to be in the mood for getting more organized. Sometimes I’m excited to clean the pantry or the garage or my top dresser drawer; sometimes I’m not. When I’m not, I don’t. Usually. Trying to get organized all at once is very overwhelming. That’s why you shouldn’t do it. And sometimes you just need to put your mind at ease, and don’t worry about it right now. This brings us to the next idea.

Don’t do it right now. You’ll probably feel like doing it later. So, do it later. It’s not like you won’t get another chance, and it’s certainly not like that task will disappear when you’re not looking. Don’t stress out about it. But also just don’t worry about doing it right now.

Do a little bit. Doing a little bit is a wonderful thing to do because it helps get you in the right frame of mind to do a little bit more. So if you’re not in the mood to organize, but would really like to get something done; just do one little thing. It can be whatever you want, wherever you are. Do one thing, or part of one thing. Clean and organize the silverware drawer. Arrange all the shoes in the porch in a neat and eye-pleasing order. Clean your purse. If you want to, set the timer for 10 minutes and clean and organize a particular area until the timer goes off. Be creative. Do a little bit. You’ll feel better.

Ask someone else to help you. This is a great idea. If there’s something you’re dreading, enlist the help of others. Give each of them a part of the job to do. Kids like having a specific assignment. “Clean your room” sounds a lot more foreboding that “put your shoes in the closet.” Ask for help. It’s the way to go.

Ask someone to do it for you. This is even a better idea that asking someone to help. Don’t be afraid to ask someone to do something you don’t want to do. Maybe they are in the mood to organize. Maybe they’re not. Offer a reward, or what I like to call a bribe. If it works, it’s a good deal.

Make a list. Make a list of what you plan to do later. I love lists. I make a list for everything I do. It’s fun. It gives me a sense of accomplishment. And when I actually do something on my list, it gives me an even greater sense of accomplishment. If you’re not in the mood to organize right now, just write it down.

Getting organized isn’t as hard as you thought it would be. Life organizers are easier to understand and follow than you thought. So go ahead; get started. Or not. It’s up to you.