Why Your Brain is The Biggest Obstacle To An Organized Home

“But I don’t wanna!!!”  My kids used to whine these words when they were younger and I’d ask them to pick up their toys. I laugh about it now because I realize that my brain whines the exact same thing when it comes to cleaning out a closet or organizing a drawer. “But I don’t wanna!!” After I finally finish cleaning out the closet, it feels so good!  And I’m always so glad I did it. So why does getting there seem so hard?  It’s because of my toddler brain:) Hold tight, I’ll explain how your brain is the biggest obstacle to an organized home.

The toddler brain

I used to keep a running mental list about closets I needed to clean out or drawers/cabinets I needed to organize.  It became a nagging list of the “should dos” that grew larger and seemingly more difficult as time went by.  No wonder I didn’t even want to attempt it!  It seems impossible. My brain made it seem a lot harder than it actually was. When it came time to actually clearing out that closet, I did NOT want to do it.  My brain offered me every excuse imaginable why I should put it off.  “I don’t wanna!!!”  See? There goes my toddler brain again:)

The motivational triad

So, why do we do this? Why do our brains pitch a fit like a toddler? It’s in large part due to our motivational triad.  Our brains want to do three things:

1. Seek pleasure
2. Avoid pain
3. Make things easy

If you think about it, cleaning out a closet is not really that fun for most people. We would rather watch Netflix or catch up on social media. For some, the process might even be painful. It might be painful to give away objects that are attached to memories. Or, you might feel bad about wasting things in case you’ll need them later.  Maybe you just think the process is painfully boring.  Our brains want the path of least resistance.  The easiest thing to do is NOT clean out the closet, right?

Is your brain your biggest obstacle?

So if you’ve scheduled time on your calendar to clean out a closet or organize a drawer, and you have a hard time following through when the time comes, it’s ok… it’s likely just your toddler brain at work.  And it just means you are human:)  The good news is that not only do we have that primal “toddler-ish” part of our brain, but we also have the prefrontal cortex.  And it’s this higher brain that has our best future interest in mind.

So, if you’re ready to let go of clutter for good and your toddler brain won’t stop the tantrums, schedule a coaching discovery call by clicking here.  Your brain doesn’t have to be your biggest obstacle to an organized home anymore. I can help you overcome your toddler brain to create the organized home you crave.