176: 3 Organizing Hacks to Tackle A Messy Space That Scares You

Three Hacks for Tackling the Spaces That Scare You

In my membership group this month, we’ve been tackling the spaces in our homes that scare us, split into two categories: spaces that are just a little scary, and the one space that’s genuinely terrifying, the kind you walk toward and immediately want to turn around and walk right back out of. The challenge was six little-scary spaces and six stabs at the one truly scary space, tracked on a fun printable I made with ghosts and jack-o’-lanterns. Here are the three hacks that came out of it.

Hack one: knock it down to size

The simple act of sorting a space into “a little scary” versus “genuinely terrifying” already shrinks it in your mind. A little-scary space might just be a big mess crammed into a small area, something you know you can knock out in one sitting. Or it might be a space that was actually organized once and has since become your household’s hotspot for clutter falling back in, which is less scary once you remember everything already has a home to return to, since a lack of assigned homes is one of the biggest reasons clutter builds up in the first place.

For the truly scary space, knocking it down to size means refusing to demand a single, complete overhaul in one sitting. Giving yourself six separate stabs at it, six jack-o’-lanterns to fill in, made the whole thing feel far less intimidating than trying to finish it in one exhausting attempt.

Hack two: make it playful

Turn the tackling itself into a game. Put on some fun seasonal music. Send yourself on a mini scavenger hunt: can you find anything black to put away or get rid of? Anything orange? What’s the funniest object left in the space, or the scariest? Set a timer for ten, fifteen, or thirty minutes and just start moving and looking without needing a fully formed plan first. Gamifying a space works far better for our brains than a flat checklist ever does.

Hack three: show off your progress

Take before and after photos, even if no one else ever sees them, because our brains simply don’t retain the “before” accurately without visual proof. If you want a little extra encouragement, share your progress with a trusted, non-judgmental friend, or with strangers who genuinely understand in a group setting.

Progress is still progress, even when it’s incomplete

Of my own six not-so-scary spaces this month, I finished five, company arrived over the weekend and I simply stopped there. Of my truly scary space’s six planned attempts, I managed four. Our brains want to call that a failure, an all-or-nothing letdown. Instead, I’m choosing to recognize that five out of six and four out of six is genuinely further along than I would have been without attempting the challenge at all. That’s worth a pat on the back, not a guilt trip.

Your practical, actionable step

Pick one space that falls into “a little scary” and set a timer for just ten to fifteen minutes. Take a before photo, gamify the process with a small scavenger-hunt twist, and take an after photo when the timer goes off, whatever state the space is in. Give yourself credit for the attempt itself, whether or not it’s finished.

Until next time, enjoy your Halloween and continue to choose joy.