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Can a Professional Organizer Fix Your DOOM Piles?

Today, I’m working in a living room which is home to what TikTok* calls “DOOM Piles” (Didn’t Organize, Only Moved.) In this one room there are many, many stacks of unopened mail, clean laundry piles that have ballooned beyond the size of their two hampers, and a miscellaneous heap of items on the coffee table that need to go back to their homes. It’s chaos, and my client is teetering on the edge of overwhelm which is why she called Get Organized Already for some help.

Real Life Has Challenges

As this client and I navigate this domestic disorder, we talk about the TikTok trend to where actual** people show their DOOM Piles and then clean them up on time lapse videos. This reaction to the unrealistic standards set by glossy home magazines and perfectly curated Instagram feeds is very interesting to me as a professional organizer. It recognizes that the pressure to maintain a pristine living space can be suffocating, and in the face of mounting chores, it’s easy to feel like you’re drowning in an endless sea of tasks. (Here’s a great article about DOOM piles and mental health  in the NY Times.) So watching other people clean up their piles is oddly cathartic. Even if it does nothing to practically alleviate your own clutter problem. (In any case, here’s a video of me cleaning out a drawer)

In the grand saga of housekeeping, there are days when the to-do list seems to stretch into infinity. Or more to the point, life gets messy and the to-do list gets ignored for a few days. The result? DOOM Piles. These aren’t just random piles of stuff; they’re monuments to resilience and indecision, evidence that life is happening and leaving a mess in its wake. 

I remember when a cluttered room in my house would send me into a shame spiral. The voices of Martha Stewart and my mother whispering in my ear, extolling the virtues of a spotless home. But after working with so many people in their own homes and seeing what they are up against psychologically, my understanding of the effect of depression and ADHD on the amount of clutter people keep around has expanded. There are days of triumph and order, and then there are days when the DOOM Piles reign supreme. Guess what? That’s life! 

Acceptance

There’s sanity in acknowledging that no one’s home is always neatly organized. DOOM Piles are tangible reminders that it’s okay not to have everything together all the time. Sometimes, the chaos is a testament to a life well-lived—an afternoon spent with kids, a creative project that took precedence over tidiness, or a weekend of self-care that pushed chores to the background.

We can find freedom in embracing imperfection, in acknowledging that DOOM Piles are not symbols of failure but the natural result of a rough patch in your mental health journey. So, to anyone else navigating their own domestic battlefield, remember to give yourself a break, acknowledge the chaos, and let go of the stigma attached to asking for help. 

When your DOOM Piles become too much to navigate, try the liberating option of seeking professional assistance. Investing in a professional organizer doesn’t only lead to a tidier home, it can also empower you to prioritize your time and energy where it matters most. Paying for help becomes a declaration of self-respect. 

Please call Get Organized Already for help if you live in or near Pasadena, CA. Search google maps for another professional organizing company if you live anywhere else. 

*I didn’t link to any of these TikToks. I guess I’m just not a big fan. If you like Tiktok, you can find them yourself by searching “DOOM piles”. 

**probably actual people? 

Thanks for reading!

Nonnahs

And here’s an inspirational video from the pandemic, the ultimate mental health/clutter conundrum.