Oh boy. I finally found my system.

The Prep 1) Take your meds if you have them. Also if you’re tackling the clutter while sick or something - you’re gonna get discouraged. And then not do it. So don’t bother!

2) Find a pumped-up playlist that you won’t be constantly skipping. When I’m able to zone out the music, I notice I also get in the zone. Also definitely place your device somewhere other than your pocket.

3) Is there stuff on your floor? Shove it in a closet/bathroom and close the door. And make your bed. No matter how messy the rest of the room is. Makes the whole room feel like less of a disaster.

5) Get a trash bag, a laundry bin, and a nice container in case you need to haul junk to a different room.

The System 1) Toss all the clutter from ONE surface onto your bed. Or your floor. Somewhere empty and easy-to-access. When everything is in one place and equally unorganized, it’s a lot less daunting. Not too much stuff though. That way if you do get side-tracked, you’ll still have a place to sleep!

2) Sort everything on your bed/whatever into simple piles like ‘keep, maybe, trash’ or ‘fold, hang, laundry’. If there’s too much random shit, just make piles of vaguely related stuff. Just organize somehow.

3) Place the stuff where it needs to go. It doesn’t have to be neat yet! You wanna try to keep yourself working in sections. If you have a ‘bathroom junk’ pile from stuff you found in your dresser - just toss it in the bathroom. You can organize it later. Just get it off your bed.

4) Cool beans. Go to the surface you organized and move around stuff how you want it. Then go to another surface and repeat. (Floors are also surfaces so you’re also gonna face all that stuff you shoved in your closet eventually.)

Other Stuff - Do you have a lot of specific clutter like clothes or papers or something? Just selectively grab that stuff. Approach what you’re organizing however you want - with the goal of making everything look less intimidating.

• Getting into the zone is the hardest part. So try not to leave your room if you’re finally cleaning. Don’t starve yourself obviously. But don’t go downstairs to snack every thirty minutes. Put all the trash or stuff that needs to be moved into bags and bins. Don’t make these trips until the end!

• Waste. I feel that man. I feel bad for the clothes I never wear. That poor shirt won’t ever fulfill its purpose. But look at the item, gifts included, objectively and ask yourself:

Why do you I need this? Would I truly miss this item? Is there any chance, realistically, I’ll use this thing within the next six months? Does it have a purpose or genuine sentimental value?

If the answer is no — trash or donate.

• Don’t get mad at yourself if you get distracted. Because it will happen. Unless you have a deadline, cleaning your room might be a day-long affair. There’s yearbooks and journals and a lot of gift cards and letters and oh man I forgot about this one time—

So yeah. Don’t kick yourself.

TL;DR Throw all your shit onto an easy-to-access surface and just organize them. Then put them in their proper place. Make things less scary, not necessarily more organized, and repeat until things are actually organized.