Organizing isn’t just about tidying up your home—it’s about creating an environment that propels you forward, brings clarity, and fosters progress in every aspect of your life. When you declutter your space, you’re not just removing physical items but clearing the path for monumental shifts that can transform your mindset, habits, and goals.
This is the foundation of the Cathedral Effect—a concept that illustrates how working toward an ambitious goal, like organizing your entire home, can lead to profound transformations. These changes often extend far beyond your physical space, influencing your ability to focus, achieve your dreams, and confidently tackle challenges.
When your home is organized, it’s like having the solid foundation of a cathedral beneath you. It gives you the strength to climb life’s big mountains and the clarity to navigate your next steps with purpose and intention.

Let me break it down further for you.
What is the Cathedral Effect?
While I’ve always intuitively understood this concept, I recently learned its name from one of my goal-driven clients. The Cathedral Effect refers to the sense of purpose and fulfillment that comes from working on something grand (yourself)—even if it takes years to complete. It’s the belief that consistent effort toward a meaningful goal not only motivates but also creates a ripple effect in other areas of life.
Think of the centuries it took to build a cathedral—each stone carefully placed with intention, creating a masterpiece over time.
In the world of organizing, this principle applies beautifully. When you start decluttering, even if it’s just one room or one drawer at a time, you’re actively building something much bigger than a tidy home. You’re creating a space that aligns with your values, brings you peace, and empowers you to live more intentionally.
The more you declutter and move forward, the clearer your path becomes. On the flip side, leaving the clutter untouched often creates a mental fog, a sense of heaviness in your spirit, and a feeling of being stuck.
How Organizing Can Take You to New Levels
1. Clarity and Mental Space
When you clear physical clutter, you make space for mental clarity. Have you ever felt like the chaos in your home mirrors the chaos in your mind? Letting go of things that no longer serve you creates room for clearer thoughts, sharper focus, and a renewed sense of purpose. It’s like laying the foundation of a cathedral—step by step, the chaos transforms into something meaningful and inspiring.As a professional organizer, I’ve seen firsthand how organizing can elevate people’s lives.
I remember walking into a client’s home that was overwhelmed with excess at every turn. She looked at me and said, “I feel like I have a mischievous monkey on my back—it’s holding me down, and I just can’t shake it off.” My heart immediately went out to her. I could see the weight of her words in her eyes.
She had dreams and goals she desperately wanted to reach, but the disorganization of her home created constant overwhelm. Chaos met her at every turn. There were delays, wasted spending, endless hours searching for misplaced items, arguments with her husband, and an ongoing sense of frustration that rippled into every part of her life.
But here’s the amazing part: as we began clearing the clutter and creating systems tailored to her family’s needs, the transformation was undeniable. Time and time again, I’ve seen how decluttering not only clears physical space but also clears the way for improved relationships, a deep sense of well-being, and feeling energized to improve other areas of your life.
2. Increased Productivity
An organized space fosters productivity by creating an environment where everything has its place. Whether it’s your home office, kitchen, or entryway, having well-thought-out systems in place ensures you can find what you need quickly and easily. This eliminates the time and frustration spent searching through piles of paper or shuffling items around, allowing your day to flow more smoothly.
The Cathedral Effect plays a powerful role in boosting productivity. When you create intentional systems in your physical environment, you naturally improve your workflow and focus. For example, last year I developed a productivity system that combined the Pomodoro Technique, my Trello boards, and calming instrumental music. This approach transformed the way I work—I now have a clearer sense of my goals, improved focus, and a streamlined strategy for growth.
By taking the time to organize your space and implement systems that work for you, you’ll find that productivity becomes not just easier, but almost effortless.
3. Advancing Toward Your Goals:
Getting organized can propel you to new levels, it isn’t just about creating order; it’s a form of self-care that directly impacts your ability to move forward in life. Think about it—how can you make progress if you can’t open cabinets to see the tools you already have? How can you focus on your fitness, financial, health, or relationship goals if your surroundings are in chaos? A cluttered space creates mental clutter, making it harder to see the path ahead.
When everything has a designated place, you gain the clarity and peace of mind needed to advance toward your goals. As you organize one area of your home, the sense of accomplishment inspires you to tackle the next project. Before you know it, your entire home is transformed—and so are you.
The process of getting organized is also a journey of self-discovery. You begin to uncover your values, priorities, and how you’re truly spending your time. More importantly, you gain clarity on how you should spend your time to align with the life you want to build—the “Cathedral” you’re constructing for your future.
Ask yourself: What kind of life do you want to create? What memories do you want to fill it with? Organizing your space is the first step toward building a foundation that supports your dreams and aspirations.
4. Fueling Confidence with Every Step:
Organizing isn’t just about the result—it’s about the small wins along the way. Every drawer you tackle, every shelf you organize, and every closet you declutter is a victory. It adds up and gives you the motivation to keep going and expanding in other areas of your life.
Our Client Ms. Elison beautifully illustrates the Cathedral Effect in action. After working with us to declutter and organize her space, she experienced a profound transformation – Not just in her home, but in her ability to focus and pursue her goal of writing a book.
Here’s the most impactful part of her journey:
The results were amazing! I had space, everything was organized, and I could find things! I could even hear an echo in the room the next day because it was clean and there was room! Now that I am organized, I can focus my mental energy on finishing my book and becoming a published author."
Shalique E. Tweet
By clearing the physical clutter, she unlocked mental clarity and energy to pursue a dream she had been putting off. This is the power of creating an intentional space—it sets the stage for personal growth and achieving ambitious goals.
5. Creating a home you want to be in:
An organized home is a gift to everyone who enters. It becomes a space that’s not only welcoming and calm but also a source of peace and comfort for you and others. By decluttering and creating order, you’re building your cathedral—a sanctuary where you feel centered, grounded, and genuinely happy to spend time.
What’s more, getting organized often reignites buried desires and motivates you to take the next steps in improving your home and life. I’ve worked with clients who, after organizing their spaces, felt inspired to replace their carpets with hardwood floors, finally tackle long-awaited kitchen remodels, or start hosting gatherings to share and enjoy their homes more fully.
When your home is organized, it’s not just a place to live—it becomes a place you truly love to be.
What’s Your Next Step?
The Cathedral Effect reminds us that the journey of organizing, like building a cathedral, is meaningful in itself. Each step you take to declutter your home is a step toward a more peaceful, productive, and empowered life.
Has God called you to a higher purpose? Is clutter and disorganization getting in the way?
Get started… If you know you have to get started. Don’t stay stuck. Schedule an in-home Consultation to work with us or I invite you to join our Pitch It Party Workshop, to learn what its like working with us. I’ll guide you through getting started in a way that feels good and doable. Together, we’ll build the foundation for your new, intentional life—one step at a time
Ready to take the first step? Book an in-home consultation today and let’s get started on creating your very own cathedral.
3 Comments
“Organizing isn’t just about the result—it’s about the small wins along the way.” After 23 years as a professional organizer, I don’t think I could have found a better way of expressing the nuanced ways decluttering and getting organized can impact all aspects of one’s life. From clients saying they filed their taxes on time without an extension for the first time in years (because they could find everything) to the ones who have more robust social lives because they have the confidence to invite people into their homes (and cars), you’re so right about all the avenues that open up once you get organized.
And I love that you talk about the Cathedral Effect, as I just blogged about the cathedral planning a few weeks ago. Kindred spirits!
That’s what I love about what we do. Our work is very transformative, so often it’s what the before and after pictures don’t show.
Thanks for commenting my kindred sister. 😉