Have you ever noticed how monsters are scariest when they're hidden?

It makes me think of the movie The Mist (from a Stephen King novel). The monsters are terrifying but the worst part is you can’t see what’s coming.

Or there’s battle tactics where smoke grenades are thrown to block visibility.

Or speaking of scary movies and horror films, one of the reasons things are so scary is because you can’t really see them. There are flashes here or there, or shapes hidden in the dark, only partly seen.

There’s a reason why most of us talk about being scared when it’s dark. It’s hard to see things.

It's Halloween, and I've been thinking about fear, mostly because I’ve been dealing with anxiety and overwhelm the last few weeks. I was thinking about how journaling is helping me deal with all the feelings and fears. When I’m finished writing (or talking into my document app), I feel much better.

It’s like what is fueling my fear and anxiety about all the things overwhelming me is the fuzziness of it all. My brain races so fast. I don’t have any clear definition but my sense is ALL THE THINGS. Because everything seems so vast and undefined, I don’t even know where to start.

But after I journal or map or talk it out, ALL THE THINGS start to have definition. I can see the edges. I can prioritize. I can plan. I can do this.

Of course there will always be things that I don’t know and always be things outside of my control. But now it’s manageable.

That got me thinking about the kind of fear that keeps us frozen when we think about organizing our files.

I have a theory: The reason file organization feels so overwhelming isn't because it's actually that hard. It's because it's undefined.

When you think about your messy files, what comes to mind? Probably just this amorphous blob... "files out there somewhere." No clear boundaries. No definition. Just a vague sense of dread.

Your brain doesn't know what to do with that. It starts racing, trying to counter all the possible threats at once. It shuts down from decision fatigue because there's nothing concrete to work with.

But here's the thing: When you give your fear shape and form, you can actually do something about it.

I'm not a psychologist, but I know what works for me. Journaling forces my brain to slow down and give my stress, overwhelm, and fear actual substance. It seems counterintuitive—won't detailing my fear make it worse? But no. When I give it shape, I know concretely what I'm dealing with. And once I know that, I can make a plan.

This is exactly why content mapping works so powerfully for file organization.

When you sit down and brainstorm all the file types you have—putting each one on an index card or sticky note—you're pulling those files out of the fog. You're making the invisible visible. You're giving definition to what felt like chaos.

And once you can see it all laid out in front of you? You can group it. You can organize it. You can create a system that actually makes sense to your brain.

The monster isn't scary anymore. Because now you can see exactly what it is.

If you've been putting off organizing your files because it feels too overwhelming, I want you to know: That feeling is normal. And there's a reason for it.

You're not bad at organizing. You're not lazy. You're not broken.

You just need to pull your files out of the fog first.

(Side note: A story for another day, when I was in the Navy I had extreme lack of sleep and irregular sleep and developed clinical depression. Not sleeping enough didn’t give my brain the ability to process chemicals correctly. With medical help, I went on medicine for a while and when I was able to get regular sleep for a few years I was able to go off the medication. Mental health is important. I’m so grateful for all the counseling I’ve received over the years. Please seek help if you need it, for reasons big or small.)

Here's where I'd love your help:

I'm always researching the psychology behind why certain organizing methods work (and why others don't). If you know of any studies about how defining problems reduces overwhelm, or if you ARE a psychologist and want to weigh in, I'd genuinely love to hear from you.

Hit reply and share any research, insights, or even studies that prove me right or prove me wrong—because good science looks for evidence that challenges our beliefs, not just corroboration.

And if you don't have studies but you DO have a messy file system that's been haunting you? Tell me about that too. I’d love to help and have resources both free and paid. I promise, you're not alone.

Here's to banishing our monsters together.

Allie, Technically Eclectic Digital organizer, technical writer, and mom of three boys

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