There Are No Awards For Suffering
Can you get organized by yourself? You absolutely can. As I’ve said over and over ad nauseum, organizing is a skill anyone can learn.
Are you going to get organized by yourself? Now that’s another question entirely. If you’re like most of my clients, you’re trying to hold together a career, family, household, workout routine, travel schedule, and maybe a hobby or two thrown in there if you can. While you appreciate the benefits of an organized home, the reality is that you’re probably not going to set aside the hours it’s going to take to fully declutter and organize your home.
And if you’re like many of my clients, you have some guilt about this. We tell ourselves a story that we should be able to do everything ourselves. We should be able to cook healthy meals, keep our homes clean, care for our children, stick to an exercise routine, and so much more… all without help. And if we find it all to be too much, that’s on us to try harder and do better.
It would almost be… giving up… to hire help for these types of tasks… wouldn’t it?
I hate this narrative, and I reject it. There is no moral value attached to doing everything yourself. In fact, there may be negative value, because if you’re overwhelmed just trying to keep life together, something is going to give, whether it’s your sleep, your health, your relationship with your significant other, your parenting, or your friendships.
Here’s where reality is tough. Not everyone can afford to hire help. It’s not fair, and it sucks, and the solutions for that problem fall outside of my purview.
But if you can? If you can afford to hire a housekeeper, nanny, personal chef, trainer, or yes, professional organizer, and some combination of those people would make your life easier? Do it! Without guilt! There are literally no points awarded to you for suffering when you don’t have to. And those who can’t afford the help you can sure wish they could, and would hire that help if they were in your shoes.
This is me, giving you permission to look at your own situation and your own finances, and use the resources you have to make your life easier.
Plus, don’t forget: these are small local businesses you’re supporting! My team lives right here in San Francisco, and they can do so in part because our clients pay us to help them get organized.
LMW
