Clutter brings with it a good deal of guilt.  But guilt, like clutter, needs to be purged from your life!  Below are some thoughts that hold us back from doing our best organizing, and some tips for dealing with them.

1. An organized room has to be pretty: Not so! Who decides what pretty is, anyway? A few days worth of mail on the kitchen table, or a pile of shoes by the front door is ok, if you can find what you need when you need it. But if you're taking more than a minute to find something, or you're tripping over the pile of shoes, a better solution might be in order.
2. Once it's organized, I'm done: Organizing is a process as well as a project. We get behind sometimes, and that's ok. But once it's all picked up, it has to be maintained. Putting organizing systems in place that work for you, and keeping up with them is essential to staying organized.
3. I can't get rid of it! It was a gift! How many gifts do you have from your wedding 10 years ago that you've never even used? How much home decor that isn't your taste is on display or collecting dust somewhere in your house? There are various ways to deal with this. Sell it at a yard sale, or give it away to someone who wants or needs it. If it's never been opened, re-gift it. If you think the person who gave it to you will be offended, it may be more tactful to hang onto it for a while longer. But talk to your loved ones. If they realized their gift is a waste of space in your home, many would rather spare you the emotional energy and gladly tell you to pass it on.
4. Organizing means remodeling: This is often the picture we see on TV. When people organize an extremely cluttered room, they break out the paint cans and new window treatments as part of the project, adding significantly to the cost. While organizers and decorators sometimes work in concert, it's usually not the case. Putting a cluttered room put back together is a great opportunity to redecorate. But you can easily consider the project finished without giving the room a major make-over.
5. I'm embarrassed by my clutter: We all have a certain amount of clutter in our homes. If you have kids, or you've had a recent upheaval like a remodel or an illness, people understand when you fall behind on things. If you're really embarrassed, it's time to take action and deal with it. Consider asking one of your born-organized friends for help. If you're dealing with a difficult issue like hoarding or chronic disorganization, it may be time to enlist professional help in the form of a therapist or a professional organizer.

Teri Keene is the founder of Keene Spaces, a professional organizing service in Quincy, IL.  www.keenespaces.com

Copyright 2009, Keene Spaces