3 Key Reasons Not to Do it All in One Day

 Organizing projects are one of my favorite things to do. So much so that when I get a break from school, they rise to the top of things I want to do with my free time.

But, over time, I've learned not to try to cram huge projects into one day. Here's why.

1. Age, pure and simple. The biggest reason (and the one I most want to deny) is that I'm no longer 20-something (or even 50-something) and overdoing it exhausts me. In the midst of the project, I'll think I have plenty of time and energy to see it through, but the feeling of "okay, I'm finished now" sneaks up on me pretty quickly and usually when I'm standing amid piles of things that need to be sorted and put away. Consequently I've learned to set goals that seem too small, knowing they will blossom into tasks that are bigger than I expected. Even if you're younger and more energetic than I am, reasonable goals make the task much more pleasant, and make it much more likely we'll reach the finish line.
2. Mental exhaustion. Decision fatigue is a real thing and the longer the project goes on, the more likely it is to set in. When you find yourself staring at that thing in your hand and thinking I really don't care where it goes, it's time to wrap things up. Past time, actually, but until we can turn back time. we have to do what we can do.
3. Too much change. Invariably, the organizing projects that go on and on are the ones where we end up relocating things. Too much relocation in too short a time frame creates unsustainable systems and that place for that thing that seemed so logical in hour three quickly becomes forgettable by the time we need to retrieve it. If you need a treasure map to keep track of all the changes you've made, you've gone too far.

Those of us who have to work to stay organized may already have a complicated history with the task. Taking small steps and letting things go in time frames that work for us can make the difference between successfully organizing and resentfully organizing. There's no sense in making an essential task painful. Listen to your heart and your body, and tackle the task in a time frame the works for you.