Hi. My name is Kim and I’m a recovering clutterbug.

Keeping my room clean has never come naturally to me. Ask my parents, sister or college roommates – they can testify that I’ve always had trouble picking things up. When my sister and I were young and had to clean our rooms, my sister always finished quickly. I, on the other hand, always got distracted and dragged my feet. I have a horrible habit of stacking things in piles instead of putting them away. When I was in junior high and high school I remember that things got so bad that all I had was a little pathway of carpet from the door to my bed.

The clutter constantly drove me crazy but I just didn’t do anything about it. I think I felt so overwhelmed by everything that I ignored it.

While on my mission I read a great article in the August 2013 Ensign titled “Worlds without Number.” It’s actually all about the creation and the power of God (my interest was initially piqued because it has astronomy weaved into the article), but while reading a realization hit me: organization is one of God’s principles.

What exactly is a principle? If you look it up in Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, definition 1a states that it’s “a comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine, or assumption.” Definition 1b1 states that it’s “a rule or code of conduct.” That rings true with the first principles of the gospel – faith and repentance (see Article of Faith 4). Not only are they the fundamental laws and doctrines we live by, but they are also codes of conduct. Living by faith is a conduct because we exercise it every day. So is repentance, as we must repent every day and also be aware of our faults so we know how to improve.

Organization falls into the exact same categories! I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that organization is a law. Don’t get me wrong – I’ve definitely done high school and college projects out of a ton of chaos and disorganization. I think all of us have. I found that when I was organized, though, I was a lot calmer and my projects went a lot smoother. Also, think about how the body functions. In honors biology my freshman year of high school I was astounded at all the parts that help the body function. These went down to the micro level! Without organization, we literally could not function.

I also believe that organization is a rule. It can be broken, yes, and we as humans break it often. With breaking a rule comes consequences. That applies to the rule of organization. My eyes have been open to that the past year as my parents have had to deal with the affairs of family members who have either passed away or can’t take care of themselves. While I love these family members dearly, their disorganized personal lives have caused a strain on my parents. Not only that, those family members must have struggled getting personal affairs in order. I can only imagine their struggles in a disorganized life.

One of my absolute, all-time favorite General Conference talks is by Elder Larry R. Lawrence – “What Lack I Yet?” I was in college at BYU-Idaho when this talk was given. Elder Lawrence shared a small story that really resonated with me:

“Years ago I read in a Church magazine the story of a girl who was living away from home and going to college. She was behind in her classes, her social life was not what she had hoped for, and she was generally unhappy. Finally one day she fell to her knees and cried out, ‘What can I do to improve my life?’ The Holy Ghost whispered, ‘Get up and clean your room.’ This prompting came as a complete surprise, but it was just the start she needed. After taking time to organize and put things in order, she felt the Spirit fill her room and lift her heart.“

This story has been in the back of my mind ever since. Sadly, I did not follow the prompting I felt from this talk to get my room in order … until recently.

Last August I moved out of my sister’s house and into a different place. It took me nearly 3 hours and 3 car trips to move everything into my new room. I was exhausted at the end of it all and determined that I needed to get rid of stuff. Then life happened all at once: my uncle collapsed from cardiac arrest and passed away and my depression – though I was going to counseling – was still pretty heavy. It took all my energy to just get up in the morning and survive. Because of that serious lack of energy I let my room go. Please understand I’m not trying to make an excuse as to why my room got so bad – my energy level was honestly so low that when I got home from work all I could do was listen to music. Once I received the help and medication I needed, my energy came back and so did a new determination to get my life in order.

Let me paint a picture of what my room was like. I could only sleep on half of my queen-sized bed because the other half was always covered with books or papers or what have you. The closet floor was typically covered with clean but unfolded laundry. The sink in my bathroom was a mess. There were papers and books and things piled around my bed. I had to step over stuff to get to the mini fridge I have in my bedroom. Mail would pile up on my printer. Oh the piles, piles, piles! Nothing had a place and I’d have to spend precious time looking for things. I felt so overwhelmed with everything that needed to be done that I didn’t know where to start or even how to start.

Here are the two things I did: I started researching cleaning and organizing tips online (watching YouTube videos really helped me) and I started thinking about what in my cluttered room bugged me the most.

I realized the fact that I didn’t have a clean bed was my biggest source of unhappiness. I never felt comfortable while sitting on my bed. I could never concentrate when I tried to write or read and I hated that I had to maneuver around all the stuff littering half my bed. Instead of trying to get all my cleaning and organizing done in one week, I decided I would have small “focus goals” every month.

March’s goal has been to make sure my bed and nightstand are clean and that the area by the side of the bed I typically sleep on is clear. I haven’t been 100% successful with this goal every day, but making my bed is slowly becoming a habit! Not only that, I love sitting on my bed now to write blog posts, watch Netflix, or read. Because of focusing on just one tiny area this month, I have felt the Spirit reside in my room more. It really is a sanctuary for me now. I enjoy coming home to my room now instead of dreading what waits behind the door.

Here’s a look at the little section I’ve been working on this month:

Y’all have no idea how much progress this is for me! Because I’ve been able to maintain this area and it doesn’t take me long to straighten up here, it’s allowed me to slowly move on to other areas, like my closet and bathroom. However, this area is my #1 priority this month. At the end of the day this area must be clean. Like I said I’ve slacked at times, but taking the few extra minutes at the end of the day to straighten up is worth it.

What are some of your cleaning goals and habits? How do you plan on achieving them?