Anyone can get organized with the right SKILLS!

bill organizerBy Paris Love

Are you a natural organizer?  A natural clutter magnet?  A maybe-someday planner? An I-don’t-know- where-to-start thinker?  Not everyone knows just what to do to “get organized.”  I know this because I work with and help a lot of wonderful people just don’t have the skills to put order in their home or work environment.

That’s what it’s about: organization SKILLS.  Even if you don’t think in an organized way, you can learn to BE organized.  It’s kind of like those of us who are not natural cooks…. but if someone puts a simple recipe in front of us, we can follow it step by step and produce an edible result.  Or those of us who are not star athletes….yet we can have fun learning the skills and playing the game.

 

Here are some starter skills for those of us who believe we may be organization-impaired….

Clutter Magnet

You of course know someone like this (not you, of course!).  Two reasons for too much clutter are that we don’t know what to do with things when they enter our environment or; we can’t bear to part with things because they hold such meaning for us.   The cost is that we spread ourselves too thin with the care of so many things and sacrifice our own peace at home or in the office.   Starter Skill for Clutter Magnets: Look at one item at a time and ask yourself, “Do I need this more than I need space in my mind and my home?”

Maybe-Someday

Yes, we know that room down the hall with the door closed is a mess, and we just keep adding to it because we know that someday…. we will clean it out!  In the meantime, we have to dig through the room to find something we might be looking for.  Every time we pass the door, we think about the mess inside and it makes us feel….stressed? overwhelmed?  relieved we don’t have to look at it too much?  The cost can be measured in time and peace of mind.  Starter Skill for Maybe-Someday Planners:    Mark a real DATE on your calendar (within at most a month) to tackle that room and ask for help from your family and/or friends.

I-don’t know where to start…. 

Clutter and disorganization can be immobilizing both mentally and physically.  Lack of planning can send us into a tizzy (that is my grandmother’s word and I like to use it to describe this sort of turning in circles for lack of the right direction).  Cost:  Nothing gets accomplished and we get more frustrated and overwhelmed.  Starter Skill for I-don’t-know-where-to-start….thinkers:  Take action and start with one area to organize i.e… desk drawer, desk top, kitchen cabinet.  Note the use of the singular, not plural.   Remember: Pick ONE small area to work on.

 

Organization Skill Tips

Clutter Magnet Organization Skill: Garage sales, auctions, department store sales, on-line products, and many other sources are the bane of clutter magnets.  While some organizers might ask you to keep away from these sources and that works.  But if you want to enjoy these places, by all means go, but ask yourself every single time you pick up an item:  On a scale of 1-10, how much do I really NEED this item?  Not want, but need.  If you place your need at 5 or below, put it back and move on.

Clutter Magnet Organization Skill:   Use the replacement rule.  That is, if one thing comes into your home, one other thing must go out.  So, when you are tempted to bid on that e-bay pink vase, ask yourself:  What am I willing to give up in order to have this?”  You may find that the pink vase is not so important to have after all.

Clutter Magnet Organization Skill:  For your existing clutter, depending on the degree, you may need professional help or the assistance of family and friends.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help in uncluttering your life.  We do it for our bodies when we use yoga or other exercise, we do it for our minds when we use meditation or just zone out.  It’s OK to do it for our homes, too.  My friend’s helps her son and daughter-in-law organize their garage and basement every other year.  Believe me, if you have organized friends or family, they will LOVE to help you organize!

 

Maybe Someday Organization Skill:  If you  have something in your hands that you are tempted to throw into the junk drawer or room for a maybe someday organizing spree, challenge yourself to put that item where it belongs.  If there isn’t a place it belongs, make one.  The key is to handle your items as they come in instead of putting it off.

Maybe Someday Organization Skill:  Close your eyes and imagine that your closet, room, office or other area is beautifully painted and decorated, with shelving, bins and baskets, things where they belong and room to move.  You can find anything quickly, and you have reclaimed your space.  Picturing the result can help you to move forward NOW because you want to get there.

Maybe Someday Organization Skill:  Keep the door to that closet, room, office or other cluttered area open.  No closing the door.  Every time you walk past it, grab one item and put it where it belongs.  If you don’t have a place for it yet, at least put it with other like items.  After you walk past that area of your house several times, you will be more than motivated to mark your calendar with a date for  a complete clean up.

 

“I-don’t-know-where-to-start” Organization Skill:  Create a “staging” area.  Clear one area of the room you want to organize by just moving things out of the way.  Use a small table, or stacked boxes to make yourself a surface where you can bring each item to review.  Clear a nearby area so you can set up separate spaces for “keep”, “give away”, “toss”.     Having a work area like this makes the whole process ten times easier and gives you a sense of accomplishment.   If there isn’t room for staging in the area you are working on, create your surface and sorting space in another room.

“I-don’t-know-where-to-start” Organization Skill:  The answer is ‘somewhere’.  It is amazing how once you pick up one or two things, the process goes a little easier.  It is those projects that we avoid and build up in our minds as overwhelming that actually turn out to be much easier that we believed –and very satisfying as well.  So pickup something and you have started!

“I-don’t-know-where-to-start” Organization Skill:   Start by doing a little research on organization.  My blog is a great place for ideas, and you can tap into magazine websites like Real Simple for more tips.  Google “how to organize a closet without spending money” and you will get 179,000 hits.  Surely there is a place to start in that list.  Or, contact a professional organizer (wait, I am a professional organizer!) for help.

 

A little note for natural organizers:  Spread your wealth and help a friend or family member with an organization task.  Your spouse’s office looks like that messy kid from Peanuts lives there?  Your daughter’s room looks like, well, your daughter’s room?  Your friend’s closet has things growing in there?  Kindly, lovingly, and with tact, offer to help.  Not everyone is as good an organizer as you and you need to share your skills!

 

Paris LoveParis Love is a Productivity and Organizational Consultant specializing in helping overextended professionals strive for a better quality of life infused with meaningful work, wealth, good health and well being. Paris has written articles for NAPO News, Star Lee Magazine, Baldwin Parent, San Diego NAPO News, Organizing A to Z, BrownSkin Magazine, Online Organizing and Home Base Quarterly. You can catch Paris on A & E “Hoarders” where she helps a family in crisis. Her most recent book, Fifty Tips to Get You Organized in Ten Minutes or Less and Growing Pains, along with more information on her life’s work and business can be found at www.ParisLoveInstitute.com  or by calling 770-722-2748.

About the author, Kelly

Kelly Galea is a creative, multi-passionate entrepreneur and luminary blessed with a unique combination of wit, grit, intellect and intuition. She helps you navigate the work-life maze of ever-shifting priorities and transform your life through holistic self-discovery techniques and immersive, fun and magical mini-quests. Working with Kelly will inspire you to unveil, express and celebrate your vital personality and lifestyle preferences to create a more harmonious life.

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