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When I was first starting out in my business and focusing on being an organizer, I put a lot of effort into understanding what being organized really was. I found out that what I 'thought' - that being organized meant perfectly neat drawers and cupboards with labels on everything, and that there were no piles and no clutter - is not necessarily true. It does show that you are neat though! :)
Being organized is really about time. If you can find what you need without a long search, then you are organized. If you have everything put away neatly and labeled, but you cannot find what you need when you need it, then you are not.
Being organized is really about knowing what you have and where to find it. It means, freeing up your time to do what you want to do, what you need to do, without running in circles looking for what you need to make that happen. It is about not being lost. It is about being efficient, effective and prepared.
The biggest hindrance I see today is that we just have too much 'stuff'. And either we don't have a place for everything in the first place or it starts overflowing from the places it belongs (drawers, closets, in-boxes) and gets put away or stuffed in places we don't remember. And when we need that one thing, it is lost. And then so are we.
For me, the biggest challenge is keeping up with everything when 'life' happens and new and unexpected things arise (like blogging! It's been two weeks! Yeah!). It is during those times that things don't get put away and they pile up. And once they do, it is sometimes paralyzing and hard to get motivated to do something about it. Okay, enough said. I'm off to do laundry.
Tip of the day: Overwhelmed? Start small! Spend 15 minutes each day (set a timer) and start with taking out what you don't need (clothes, papers, too much stuff in your head). Donate your extras (your overflow is someone else's need!), shred and recycle some of that paper that creeps into our houses everyday, forgive someone.
5 comments:
I am struggling with this right now. We just moved and stuff is everywhere. And I'm unpacking boxes and wondering why I bothered to wrap it, pack it and move it here anyway...
I know, I think that is so true - EVERYTHING feels necessary when you are packing and it all changes when you start taking it out and finding a place for it. Such a great time to define what you really need and want! A new start ; )
Wow, Sherri, this is actually an aha moment for me. I can get the neat part when I really work at it, but I'm really not organized because I still end up searching for stuff. I waste so much time looking for things. Almost like I need a table of contents for my house. Need to really think about this.....
Congrats on 2 weeks of blogging. 2 more weeks and it will be a habit right?
I look forward to your posts.....keep it up!
Very timely advice - a new blogger myself (nearly a week) in the middle of new house/renovation/packing/muddling through! Thanks from pamela!
Brilliant idea, Deb, having a Table of Contents. LOL The timer idea sure works for me, I gave one to my mother, and she lost the timer. Thanks for the idea on how to get unstuck!
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