Living Organized Is Self Care

Wellness is a big deal these days. Many of my clients will tell me that they’re trying to prioritize it in their own lives, whether it’s their supplement and smoothie morning routine or the space they need to exercise.

Wellness is also a big buzzword these days. Everyone out here on this big beautiful internet is talking about wellness, from life coaches and therapists to nutritionists and personal trainers to of course influencers, supplement makers, and food companies. It’s easy to think, based on all of this marketing, that if you just buy the perfect suite of products, you’ll achieve wellness.

But what does wellness actually mean? There are a lot of ways to think about it, but there are two particular pieces of wellness that come up a lot in my organizing work.

The first is self care. We often take self care to mean taking a break, whether that means a nap, a spa appointment, or just some alone time with a cup of tea. And those things are great, don’t get me wrong. A lot of my clients are busy working moms who definitely deserve a break more often than they currently get one! But self care isn’t just indulgence, it’s also creating conditions where it’s easier to be our best selves.

That’s where an organized home comes in. It’s pretty hard to bring your best self to the things that are important to you, whether that’s your job, your relationship, parenting, or a passion project, if your space is cluttered. A cluttered space is distracting and makes it difficult to move forward on anything from taking out the trash to planning your kid’s summer camp schedule to finishing your memoir. (Yup, all three of those things have come up on organizing projects!)

In the moment, getting organized may not feel like self care, and it’s certainly not a serene break from life. It’s absolutely a lot of work. But it is in fact self care, because it saves you time and energy in the long run, and sets you up for success at bringing your best self to your most important priorities.

Next week, we’ll talk about the second piece of wellness that comes up all the time in my organizing work. Can you guess what it is?

LMW