Although these are tasks that need to be done every spring, the motivation for doing them now is in response to the upcoming celebration. Is it necessary to have an actual event scheduled to pull this off? Of course not! It would be perfectly acceptable to create an event just to get the process moving.

This approach to organizing works especially well when you are scheduled to celebrate or experience a life-changing event, like having a baby! You can’t very well cancel or postpone the birth of a baby! The room you are planning to use as a nursery has been, up until now, the dumping ground for all those miscellaneous items that haven’t a permanent home. Unless you’re okay with your new-born infant sleeping on a pile of your old textbooks, you will need to clear out the room. Now you will finally be able to paint and re-carpet, a project you’ve been putting off for years. And don’t forget to get new window shades, hang some pictures, and add some baby furniture. Voila! You’ve completed a project that might not have happened without the occurrence of a life-changing event!

For me, the week begins on Monday morning, so it makes sense to do my weekly planning on Sunday evening. I begin by creating a list of the tasks and projects I want/need to complete over the next seven days. From experience, I’ve learned to be realistic, and not put all my to-do’s on one list. I’d rather accomplish more on a smaller list than less on a longer one!

This weekly list will now serve as my “go-to” guide for creating my daily to-do’s. If you choose to follow this method, you may even want to take the time to prioritize the items, thus creating a hierarchy of tasks. Now I’m ready to put together Monday’s schedule! I’m always careful not to take too big of a bite, and to make an effort to consider the prioritized items first. Before I know it, it’s Sunday, and I’ve crossed off most, if not all, of my to-do’s.

I bet you’re wondering what happens when I don’t follow through. Well, I put the items on next week’s list, and if it happens again, I try once more. After the third failed attempt, I take a closer look, and try to determine whether I really want or need to do this. If the answer is no, I eliminate the item, and if it is yes, I make a note to try again in a few weeks.

This works for home businesses as well, especially in the early stages of development. If you do this consistently, it will become “habit”, and establishing good habits will enhance your productivity.

In order to put a plan into action, we first need to establish clear goals. Once this is in place, we can create an action plan, listing the steps we need to take to complete the task. By breaking down the job into manageable steps, and noting when when we intend to get started, we’ve created a blueprint for the execution of the project. What is most helpful, and often overlooked, is the accountability factor. Being accountable to another person, whether it be a teacher, coach, spouse, or just a friend, greatly increases the chances of completing the project. Additionally, it provides an opportunity to explore the challenges that prevented you from successfully completing the job, and to refine and/or modify your goals if necessary. Finally, and equally important, is taking time to appreciate your accomplishment, and admire your work.

To clarify how this works, I will go through the process using a closet makeover as an example. Your goal might be to “spring clean” the closet. The first step would involve the removal (if you have space limitations) of your winter clothes, including your shoes, boots. and accessories. Before storing them for the summer, plan to toss, donate or sell those items that are torn, faded or ill-fitting. Next, give the closet a thorough cleaning, and plan to purchase any new or additional organizing products. Lastly, add your summer wardrobe to your closet, arranging items by color, function, or style. But before you even begin the project, decide how you will break down the steps, and whether it will be completed in one session, or over a period of time. And don’t forget to check in with your accountability person!

I was contacted to help declutter and organize a family’s suburban home in Essex County, New Jersey. When I arrived, I was struck by the eclectic mix of furniture styles, books, art work, and music. Could one family have such diverse taste and varied interests? As we began working together, we uncovered a group of photo albums, and I inquired about the identity of the people in the album. When my client replied she didn’t know, I naturally assumed the pictures were of her husband’s family. To my surprise, she blurted out, “the pictures belong to the former owners”!

This scenario was played out again and again, and whether we found jewelry, books, housewares, furniture, appliances, exercise equipment, or games, my client’s response was always the same. Nearly everything in her home seemed to belong to the former owners. It seems my client and her husband agreed to buy the house with everything in it! They thought they might eventually use the items left behind, even though they didn’t need them, nor particularly liked them.

Now that I understand the situation, I always ask, “is this yours or theirs”? And even when it’s “theirs”, my client is often reluctant to let go! But we are making progress, and have recently begun purging some of the family’s own clutter.

We all have hidden storage space in our homes and offices. In some cases, the extra space is hidden by excessive amounts of “stuff”, in the form of duplicate (and even triplicate) purchases, unwanted gifts, outgrown clothes (and not just the kid’s), and deceased family member’s possessions. Add to this a set or two of encyclopedias, old textbooks, a zillion empty boxes from items we no longer own, and it is easy to understand how a family can run out of storage space, as well as just plain old living space! Once you toss the clutter, you will be amazed by the space you gain, some of which can be used to store the things you actually use!

Hidden storage is lurking everywhere, just waiting to be discovered! Look under your bed and you will find a perfect place to store your out-of-season shoes, in products specifically made for that purpose. If you are short on space, think vertically, using your walls to accommodate shelves. And don’t forget the backs of doors and the inside of closet doors! They are often the ideal place for belts, ties and scarves. Always keep in mind, “clutter takes up more room than order”!

The biggest misconception is that a PO forces you to throw things away. PO’s encourage you to surround yourself with the things you love, use and are the “right fit” for the home environment you’ve envisioned. They discourage you from accumulating for the sake of accumulating, and, through a series of questions, help you decide what to keep and what to toss. Ultimately, it is your decision!

A professional organizer, acting as a body double, works with you, side by side, providing emotional support as you go through the letting-go process. She alleviates the anxiety associated with the purging process, in a non-judgmental manner, using her expertise as the basis for making decisions.

Professional organizers help you set goals, stay on task, develop new habits, and, most of all, allow you to “move on”! If you’ve been aching to get your home organized, but have not been able to get started, consider hiring a PO!

In regard to your wardrobe, a good place to start might be “the shoe department”. Gather up your heaviest snow boots and store them on an upper shelf, another closet, the attic, etc., leaving one pair out for emergencies. Separating your clothes by season allows you to be able to see what you already own more easily, and then identify what you still need. It also highlights what you don’t need! Next, check out your sweaters, and store the heavier and bulkier ones someplace that doesn’t get too hot over the summer months, perhaps in a cedar chest or garment bag. Repeat this process with your warmest winter coats and jackets, as well as any very heavy blankets.

Regarding the interior of your home, this may be a good time to think about spring cleaning your bedding. Check out your pillows to make sure they are still functional, and pass the “fold over” test. Remove your box spring and mattress covers, vacuum the mattress and the box spring, and make your bed with fresh linens!

While this approach may seem like a waste of time, it actually makes it easier when it’s time to complete your seasonal transition. Breaking tasks down into smaller and more manageable steps is one of the best ways to ensure completion. Look for my next post where I will discuss some of the best ways to get a jump on your outdoor tasks.

Most importantly, a professional organizer works with you, transferring skills, and helping you create systems that you will be able to maintain. She will help keep you on task, and support you through the sorting, categorizing, disposing, and containerizing process, and if necessary, help clarify your goals and visions.

When your project is completed, your organizer will suggest, and if appropriate, create a maintenance plan, one that is customized to your specific needs. Over the years, I have developed some maintenance “do’s of my own, and they can be integrated with your organizer’s suggestions.

• Put things back where they belong! Back on the shelf, back in the drawer, back in the closet, or in the hamper!
• Don’t put off doing a task that can be completed in two minutes or less!
• At the end of the day, set aside 15 minutes to return items to their “homes”! Using a laundry basket or large trash bag, walk through the rooms of the house that you frequent, gathering all items needing “relocation”!
• Remember the “one-in, one-out rule”. For every new item purchased, a “like” older item needs to be tossed or donated.
• On a daily basis, separate incoming mail by recipient, then into piles by category: junk mail (to be tossed), magazines and catalogs (to be stored in a basket), bills to be paid (in file box), and correspondence to read (collected in a “To Read” folder).

Simplicity is making the journey of this life with just baggage enough.
Author Unknown

Less is more.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, architect

Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.
William Morris

Three Rules of Work:
Out of clutter find simplicity;
From discord find harmony;
In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
Albert Einstein

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.
Confucius

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
Leonardo da Vinci

Out of clutter, find simplicity.
Albert Einstein

The more things you own, the more they own you.
Author Unknown

Never love anything that can’t love you back.
Author Unknown

Happiness is a place between too little and too much.
Finnish proverb

]]> http://www.cleanslatesolutions.com/quotes-all/feed/ 1 http://www.cleanslatesolutions.com/importance-organized/ http://www.cleanslatesolutions.com/importance-organized/#comments Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:53:47 +0000 Ellen Kazanoff http://www.cleanslatesolutions.com/?p=777 Sometimes it helps to be organized…and sometimes it’s essential! When life goes along, day by day, in a very predictable manner, being organized is like an insurance policy. It’s there when and/or if you need it! But when life catches you off-guard, and you’re blindsided by an unexpected event, you can be sure a lack of organization will take you down!

Without any warning, and without the opportunity to prepare, mentally or physically, my husband learned he needed immediate quadruple bypass surgery. This happened on a Friday, and by Monday, he was scheduled for open heart surgery. My life immediately became centered around the hospital, and remained that way for ten days. All my appointments had to be cancelled or postponed, the people close to me had to be notified, and I had to have access to all of my husband’s important papers, such as his health care proxy, living will, etc. The fact I was able to accomplish these tasks swiftly and easily, is the very upside of being organized.

The last thing a person needs during a crisis is the frustration of not being able to find what they need when they need it! Not only is it a big waste of time, it creates s-t-r-e-s-s!. So, speaking from experience, take the time now to get organized while things are cool, calm and collected!

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