I’ve struggled with organization my whole life. Growing up, my room was always messy. In school, my binder and folders would end up a disaster within days of starting the school year. As an adult, this translated into my mail and paper system. I couldn’t keep track of anything. Piles and bags of paperwork would take over, creating chaos not just physically but mentally.
This mess was exhausting. I avoided looking for any items in the mess because I knew I wouldn’t be able to find them, which only made the mess grow. Reflecting on it now, I can see that my intentions were always good. For example, every school year, I’d buy supplies to organize my notes, but the moment I started thinking about how to use them, I’d feel overwhelmed. I wanted the system to be perfect before I even began, and that perfectionism paralyzed me from starting.
Instead of beginning, I’d buy yet another tool, thinking that the right one would make me perfect too. It was a frustrating cycle that led to more clutter. But eventually, I realized something important: I don’t need to be perfect to start; I need to start.
I finally let myself off the hook. One day, I took one of the many mail organizers I’d bought and told myself it was okay if the labels looked terrible or if it wasn’t the perfect system. I didn’t need it to be flawless; I needed it to be better than the chaos I had. And almost immediately, things improved. Simply starting, no matter how imperfectly, was better than staying in the mess.
From there, I embraced small, manageable tasks. I found satisfaction in the smallest actions—filing a few papers or tidying up a corner. That small sense of accomplishment kept me going, and each small task fueled the next. By lowering the bar and doing things “badly,” I built up an organizational habit that has finally stuck.
The secret for me was to stop aiming for perfection and instead aim for small, stackable actions. Those small steps added up to something bigger. Now, I can bypass that paralyzing need for perfection because I know small, messy action beats perfect chaos any day.
ACTION: The next time you feel stuck or overwhelmed, let yourself off the hook. Pick one small task, do it imperfectly.
