Getting Organized While Working Full-Time
“I just don’t have enough time.” Sound familiar? Sometimes, it feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day. Juggling a full-time job, taking care of a family, finding time to cook, exercise, maintain a social life, and keep your household in order…it’s a wonder that we’re able to stay sane! If this routine sounds familiar to you, it wouldn’t surprise me if getting your home organized sounds like a pipe dream. Here’s the good news: it’s more than possible for you. Even better, getting organized can actually help to streamline your day-to-day life. Once you do the work, you’ll see how much time you gain back when everything in your home has its own designated home. I’ve encountered many busy clients and friends in my day, and I’ve worked to help them to reframe this narrative and create a life that will prevent panic and burnout and actually support your needs.
Many of us (myself included at times) live with the idea that there’s simply not enough time in the day to get everything done. We’re so busy with the essential tasks for the day that we never get to the tasks on the back burner. And oftentimes, the things you want to do but don’t feel like you have time to do are the ones that truly excite you. So, I’m going to pose a question to you: What if, instead of wishing you had more hours in your day, you asked yourself—What do I want to have time for?—and this became your focus? Instead of dwelling on the impossible—wishing for more hours in a day—what if you chose to reprioritize and focus on the things that are truly important to you, and what you need in order to show up as your best for others?
This reframing requires you to resist the comfort of distraction and look inward. It can be tempting to compare yourself with those around you and let that determine what you should be doing. The reality is that the only place you need to go to learn what you want to have time for is within. Find within yourself what you wish you had the capacity for at this moment. Discover what would bring you peace, joy, relief, and connection at this very moment. It may be something small or rather simple, but if it will help you grow, it’s worth making the time for.
Once you’ve pondered what you want to have time for, the next step is making miniscule adjustments to your daily routine to work towards those things. As you add and remove elements to your daily life, you’ll slowly begin making space for the things that benefit you (and in turn, the people around you.) Bit by bit, these intentional adjustments to your routine will become bigger and more impactful, leading to a lifestyle and home environment that brings you joy.
If getting organized is a priority for you this year, but you don’t know how to make it work with your schedule, understand that you’ll have to strike a balance between creating small adjustments to your existing schedule and setting realistic timelines to achieve your goals. If it’s realistically going to take you all year to get organized with the spare time that you have, there’s nothing wrong with that! Further, reprioritizing where you distribute your energy on a daily basis requires setting healthy boundaries. I’m going to let you know now that this may mean saying ‘no’ to things. (By the way, ‘no’ is a perfectly respectable answer if something’s not working for you.)
The reality is, we must prioritize our days around our personal goals and needs, because once time has passed, it can’t be restored. I don’t want that thought to overwhelm you. When I say time is finite, what I’m really trying to highlight is that the present moment is precious, and it’s important to fill the time with things that enrich our lives. We all want to live a life that we can look back on and feel proud of. When we structure our day-to-day lives around the idea that time is a wonderful gift, we can strive to better lead a life supportive of our values and goals.
So, if you feel like you don’t have time for the things you want to do, remember that change starts with you. Determining what you want to have time for and mapping a plan around that is the first step in moving towards your goals. While, yes, organizing your home is an investment of time, it’s an investment with lifelong returns. With less time spent looking for items and trying to keep track of stuff, you’ll have more time to actually focus on the people around you.
If you want to make time for organizing, but aren’t sure how to go about it, let us help! Make sure you grab your copy of Life in Jeneral if you haven’t yet and sign up for the LIJ Book Club for help every step of the way, no matter your pace. There’s a 70 page workbook with exercises to help you work through your emotional barriers and goals in relation to organizing, and of course, step-by-step guidance to do the work. For even more support and encouragement, follow along with the book club on our Instagram, too!