One day while perusing the library, I discovered the organization section and the geek in me freaked out a little inside and I nearly checked out the whole row of books. I’ll write about one that I found and loved in a different post, but today I wanted to share the overall principle I’ve learned about organization from this season of growth.

You can’t do every method and do it well because you are a unique individual. 

It’s absolutely essential that when you try things, you let them go if they don’t work. And then you try something else. You keep going until you find what works.

I always (literally always, from the time I was about 8 years old) have had stacks of books and papers and letters and pens and all the office supplies lying around. I have a home office currently but it’s being used as a bedroom for a baby and the desk is stacked with papers to file. All my office work gets done at the kitchen table.

I’ve tried methods that haven’t worked. And I used to feel guilty about them when they didn’t work for me.

But finally something clicked. A couple years ago I found a bedside table with big drawers at a yard sale and last summer painted it with leftover brown paint and voila! Having a place where I can tuck all the things is the perfect solution.

For me.

Letting go of guilt over what doesn’t work for you is a crucial part of growing through difficult seasons. When we feel overwhelmed, starting something can bring a lot of fear. Thoughts of “I can’t do this perfectly, so why should I start?” or “Where do I begin? It’s too overwhelming.”

The key is to start small. Minuscule tasks at a time. Not a whole program but one simple action. Make it a habit before building on top of it. You can’t start a whole system when life is overwhelming, but you can start one single habit that can multiple into a system that works.

So read the books and blogs if you like. Watch the videos. Pin the ideas on Pinterest. But don’t get overwhelmed. Choose one thing and try it. Let it go if it doesn’t work. But celebrate if it does.