Gentle Decluttering and Organizing Approach for Overwhelmed and Ashamed Folks
Shame and overwhelm are two things that holds folks back from hiring decluttering and organizing services, and man alive does that break my heart.
We have worked hard at Rock Star to build a very safe presence for folks in this category, and our passion and mission are to bring gentleness and zero judgment to all.
We care about you, we see you, we have been there, and we want to help you love your home regardless of its current state.
There are some dangerous misconceptions about why people lose control of their homes. I have been helping people clean and organize their homes for almost 30 years. I can tell you this:
No one is lazy or a failure because their home is messy or cluttered. NO ONE.
If someone’s house feels out of control, that means they lack resources or support. They could struggle with depression, grief, chronic illness, family problems, anxiety, an injury, ADD, mobility, or are time-starved. I have worked with hundreds of people and none were ever lazy, even if they joked it was so.
Sometimes your brain doesn’t make the right chemicals to initiate a daunting task, and maybe your heart is broken; perhaps because the world is a political dumpster fire and it’s too much. There is always a reason.
We believe no one is “bad” or “wrong” for having a house that could benefit from decluttering and organizing services. We also believe everyone deserves compassion, non-judgment, gentleness, and discreet support while they get to the home environment they desire.
Here are a few things about Rock Star Residential Services regarding our gentle approach.
We remind our clients that we are just like them!
Our current team is a group of women with backgrounds representing everything from single-mom struggles to chronic illness to neurodivergence. We are not representing a perfect Pinterest aesthetic. We will not be showing up in white pants and pearls. We are you. Our lives have been messy at times and our homes get cluttered. We get it.
We have the strategies and skills to keep our spaces functional during the ups and downs in life, and we can do that for you too.
We started a business to work in “messy” environments on purpose!
When people apologize for the mess I chuckle. I remind them that I went to great lengths to start a business doing what I’m doing. Every team member at Rock Star was excited to do the same thing. So remember, we do this work on purpose.
Rock Star Residential Service is unlike other organizing services as we are anti-perfectionist and person-first, not luxury organizers.
I applaud the organizers who are skilled at creating perfectly curated spaces with gorgeous containers; some desperately want that service. That is not what we are about because aesthetic-first work is not our passion.
We are person-first. We are obsessed with who you are, your story, journey, why, and end goal. We want to know what lack of support got you to the place you called us. We want to know what matters to you. Because if you don’t care about an overflowing drunk drawer, then we don’t either, but if not having any paper on your counters is critical to you, then it is critical to us too.
We utilize a gentle approach during the decluttering process.
During our decluttering sessions, we approach our clients in a way that allows them to manage their own decision-making pace.
We do all the physical work so clients can use their energy to make decisions and process feelings.
Our organizers are on standby and ready to talk anything out or gently challenge you with a question as to why you are keeping something you don’t know if you want any longer. We do not tell you to get rid of anything, we do not shame you for not moving “fast enough,” and again, we do not push or force you to get rid of anything.
We ask you to take lots of “green breaks” during your session and get your eyes off the stuff and on the outdoors while hydrating. We do everything we can to take care of your brain, which is doing some heavy lifting.
Tips on how to be more gentle with yourself when decluttering and organizing.
“Mess is morally neutral.” —KC Davis
KC Davis is a fantastic voice in this area and I highly recommend her content. One of her most inspiring points is that “Mess is morally neutral.” She also states that “Mess has no inherent meaning.”
You are not your dirty baseboards. You are not your dusty blinds. You are not the stack of clothing with tags on that has never been worn. You are separate from your clutter. Please give yourself grace.
Don’t talk to yourself with any less love than you would your friend or family member that could be struggling.
You wouldn’t yell at your best friend for not washing their dishes while they had the flu, so please don’t criticize yourself. Do your best to manage that internal voice that tends to guilt and shame you for not cleaning, decluttering, or organizing your home perfectly.
Don’t worry about waste or recycling at this time.
If you are stressed about climate change, human suffering, and everything wrong with the world, we are right there with you, but please don’t let your concern about recycling every piece of plastic in your possession or donating everything to the perfect place hold you back.
If you set these perfectionist and unattainable standards, you will never get started, and the situation will only worsen. We need the healthy functioning version of you in the world, which begins with a healthy functioning home.
Outsourcing is your right.
We don’t feel wrong about outsourcing to get our oil changed, our teeth cleaned, our chimneys inspected, or our lawns mowed. For some reason some folks (especially women) see outsourcing housecleaning services, decluttering services, or organizing services as failures.
It is your right to get support however you want or need it. You deserve help.
Remember, you deserve the home you desire. You do not deserve shame or overwhelm. Rock Star Residential Services is here if you want gentle and compassionate support. Call us at 541-610-7810 for a no-pressure, complimentary consultation.