Getting and Staying Organized!

WHY GET ORGANIZED?
Getting organized is one of the most underrated and misunderstood action steps in leading productive lives.. We try to skip that step and go straight to diving into our work and projects, only to find the distractions unbearable. Getting and staying organized is considered drudgery for most people because until you actually get organized and experience the pleasure of being organized, it is hard to fathom organization as anything other than utilitarian -- be it organizing your garage, a closet or preparing a project (paint your house etc).

Some quick organizing thoughts...
@@ Getting organized is a way to help yourself be more efficient and, with greater efficiency, you can get more things done. Sorting through a stack of papers, for example, may be difficult to face, but will accomplish completed tasks.

@@ Most of us feel that our lives would improve if we could get rid of the clutter in our house which in turn would get rid of the frustration in our mind.

@@ Getting organized is hard but is not a burden. In fact, it frees you from worrying about all the things that must be done.

@@ Getting organized is a skill that many of us never learned. Not unlike learning a musical instrument or taking up a sport, it is never too late to start making new priorities in your life, and this is one that will pay you back with increased efficiency and peace of mind!

@@ Getting and staying organized is the most proactive thing you can do if you want to be successful in your business and life. Efficiency is increased because it becomes easier to find papers, files and supplies.

A FEW "HOW TOS" OF GETTING ORGANIZED
Getting organized is a continuous process, it's the first step; persistence and follow-through will keep you organized. You may need to schedule several sessions, during which you work on different aspects of a home or business, until you get to the point where you can maintain the systems that you implement. Designing a meaningful storage space requires a lot more than just putting stuff in a closet, drawer, or cabinet.

@ Call it what you will, the "GET-TO-WORK" PHASE involves a lot of, well, work. So much, in fact, that professional organizers break the phase into several substeps: sort, toss, assign and contain. Call it OCD or whatever, but knowing where everything is and where it goes will help you relax. Knowing that you're not keeping junk and paperwork tucked into all the nooks and crannies of my house - gives you room to breathe.

@ You need STRUCTURE - there are many good resources that will assist you in setting up some proven guidelines to follow while setting up your storage spaces. Getting organized is the easy part! I think the biggest challenge is finding an organizing system for your desk, one that is tailored just for YOU, so that you will use it on a daily basis.

@ DESIGNATE REWARDS: In order to really get motivated, designate a reward for each mini-goal achieved by your specified deadline. It has to be something really enticing, that you will only give yourself WHEN you reach your goal.

@ Start with small ORGANIZATIONAL PROJECTS. Pick one corner, bookshelf, desk, you get the idea. Start early means starting your day 30 minutes earlier than you normally would. If it can be an hour before, that would be best. Start your organization off with getting rid of anything you haven't used in the last year. Literally, even if it is measuring cups.

@ DETERMINE HOW you want the completed project to look, as well as what areas will serve what purposes. Shelves, racks, cabinets, pegboards, and hooks all will come in handy and serve different purposes in the process. Shelves and cabinets can be mounted against the ramparts. Shelving creates a great deal of storage space that doesn't take up much room and gets things up off the floor, so no one will trip over them. When deciding if you should install shelving, measure with the car parked in the garage.

Getting your home, your garage and the parts in between (closet anyone?) organized is a high interest topic these days. This is not surprising, because getting organized helps people lead better lives, with less chaos and more time to enjoy life. As you have likely experienced on your own, getting organized is a long-term process that requires diligence. It's not something you can tackle at the last minute - it requires some forethought. But the great news is that getting you're your home and your office organized is like injecting your life with extra energy, making you feel more capable and on top of things. - The task is not an easy one, yet the tools are better than ever, cheaper than ever and readily available. So go ahead, make your day better - organize your home, garage and that cluttered closet.