Let’s talk about a major block in getting organized.
You know when you’re organizing something…and it’s almost perfect. But then there’s one tiny detail that makes your eye twitch every time you look at it?
And it makes the whole space feel chaotic, and you find yourself avoiding that room at all costs…and then clutter starts to mysteriously build up again?
I call that frustrating challenge The Imperfection.
For Shawna, The Imperfection was a giant cat box. She had a huge utility closet in her mudroom. It was the best and most functional storage space in her house. And (thankfully) there was a plug in there, so the cat box being stored there felt like a perfect win…
- Privacy for the cat ✅
- Out of sight ✅
- No smell ✅
Now, don’t get me wrong—this solution worked…
Except for the fact that the closet door had to stay open six inches at all times so the cat could get in and out.
And this closet was the first thing you saw when you walked into the house. And it wasn’t a cute closet, either—it was a functional utility space with mismatched boxes and random gear.
Shawna was frustrated. “It ruins everything,” she said. “If I see clutter, I create clutter. It snowballs.”
This is what I call THE IMPERFECTION.
It’s that one element that isn’t ideal and feels like it ruins the rest of the system.
That thing that whispers “Why even bother?”
The Imperfection doesn’t mean your systems are broken or unfinished. It means they’re still evolving.
Sometimes things are less than ideal. Sometimes we can’t make our homes bigger, get our doors to close all the way, or decorate the way we want to.
And inside, our inner teenager may want to fight back and rebel. But done is better than perfect.
Instead of fighting The Imperfection and feeling like getting organized is a lost cause, sometimes the best first step is acceptance. Accept that The Imperfection exists, and we need to work with it.
Then dive into possible solutions.
For Shawna’s closet, we doubled down and brainstormed solutions:
- Could we remove the closet doors and use curtains instead?
- Paint the closet interior a fun color?
- Style the left side (the side you see) to look intentional and beautiful? And then stash the messier stuff on the right, out of view?
Once Shawna accepted that THE IMPERFECTION wasn’t going away, everything shifted. She was able to pick a direction and give it a try.
She didn’t have to move the cat box—she just had to change how she saw the space. And with that, her overwhelm lifted. She made peace, and she moved forward.
The truth is that she may change the configuration of that closet a dozen times while she lives in that house. Each version is valid. And each will get better and better.
So, here’s your invitation:
What’s one IMPERFECTION in your home that’s tripping you up?
Let’s look at it together. Comment below and tell me what it is—I’ll help you brainstorm how to turn it into a win.
