I'm Evolving and I’ll Always Be Evolving: You Only Have To Start From Scratch Once

You Don’t Just Wake Up Organized

I remember going to a party at a coworker’s house when I was in my 20s. She had a dresser with nothing on it—just a cute little tray with a few pretty bottles. That was it. Nothing else.

I remember thinking,

"How the heck does someone get to the point where they have nothing on their dresser? "

What a concept to have a free and clear space, to only see what you want to see.

Years later, I don’t even have a dresser in my room anymore. I’ve come to value the open space and the joy of choosing color and art instead.

Muscle Building Starts Small

But this didn’t happen overnight. I’ve lived my entire life surrounded by clutter.

Buried in stuff that served a purpose for a moment, only to get lost in the shuffle as I bought something new or shoved something over it, never to be seen again.

Sometimes the clutter was made up of projects I started and left in piles because I underestimated how long they’d take.

Sometimes it was clothes I swore I’d wear one more time, so I left them out instead of tossing them in the hamper. But they’d just sit there until I finally noticed and gave up on the idea of wearing them again.

When I started organizing, I got pretty good at letting go.

I realized I had to in order to organize in a way that actually made sense for me.

Organizing and decluttering skills are a lot like building muscles at the gym. 

You can’t lift one weight and enter a bodybuilding competition. 

You can’t go for one run and expect to run a marathon. 

And if you just sit there thinking about going to the gym? Nothing changes.

But once you start, you get to keep going.

You’re no longer starting from scratch. You’re building a foundation made of tiny incremental changes, one after another, day after day.

This Version of Me Took Time & I'm Forever Evolving

Right now, my husband and I are selling and donating almost everything we own so we can start a new adventure, driving back to the East Coast where I grew up.

Sometimes, as we sort through what stays and what goes, it feels like I haven’t made any progress at all. Which is so silly because when I step back, I see how far I’ve come.

I’ve evolved from who I was as a teenager, a young adult, and even from who I was just a few years ago. None of it happened overnight.

Now, more than ever, I know where I’m headed. 

But I had to take action in order to get that clarity. 

The more action I took, the stronger I became. And the stronger I became, the less I looked back and the more confident I felt in who I’m becoming.

This next adventure is going to be a good one. (I’m not going anywhere. Just coming at you stronger as I keep flexing these muscles.)

Also! Ten years later, I told that coworker the story about her spotless dresser. She giggled and said she had probably just shoved everything into the drawer. 😂

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Megs is the creator of the Organizing an ADHD Brain Podcast, where she helps women with ADHD and other neurodivergent folks declutter their homes and routines without shame. Her work is rooted in lived experience, gentle honesty, and the belief that small steps count. She’s here for the real-life version of organizing—the one that makes room for joy, rest, and a little bit of chaos. Want to work with Megs? Learn more about the many ways to connect and find the right fit for where you are in your organizing journey.