The Influence of Influencers

Last night when I was doing my evening scroll of Instagram and Facebook (showing my age, I know) and I realized that the little voice in my head started up. "She is so much fitter than you." "That house is so much nicer than ours." "Why don't I look that good going out and doing chores?"

Why do we do this to ourselves?

The constant ability to see the idealized versions of everyone's everything is exhausting in a world that never stops or slows down. Unless I have been just looking at dog videos on TikTok I'm almost guaranteed to feel worse after every mindless scroll of social media. And yet, I go back night after night.

I see this in my clients too. They will make comments about how bad their space is, how ashamed they are that they can't keep it up - when the reality is they live in their home and keeping up perfection is impossible. They think perfection is attainable because they see it every single day on Instagram.

There are things we, as professional organizers, can do to make your home work better for you. We can set up systems that make sense for the way you and your family live in your home, and we can be realistic about how willing you are to maintain them. If you're at kid's activities 5 days a week, is it really reasonable to expect you to pour all of your snacks into matching glass jars?

Good organization leaves room for what matters most in your life, which is your family and the time you can spend with them. A tidy space calms your brain so you are less stressed and able to be present, versus the frantic nature of trying to make order out of chaos. Our job, when we serve our clients, is to help them see the best possible version of their lives and their space - without the insanity of unrealistic expectations.