▪ De-clutter and Clean Up
Clutter suffocates joy, diminishes smiles, dampens the spirit and causes despair. Get rid of it! Stacks of stuff staring one in the face can burden and chain the spirit down and may cause a person to feel inadequate, worthless and incapable of changing or achieving anything. The longer the situation is allowed to persist, the greater the depressing and mesmerizing effect on the person may become. It has an anti-social effect since the person may become too embarrassed to invite friends over into a messy house.
It is very easy to allow any given room to deteriorate into a cluttered mess, but it takes some hard work to de-clutter and organize. Many people say that they love to clean when they get stressed out! Cleaning gives order and purpose to one’s life, and some people use it to get rid of their frustrations by de-cluttering every room of the house and not just moving around clutter from one shelf to another. Clutter interferes with your sense of tranquility and energy flow in your home. This contributes to lethargy and procrastination. You feel weighed down. Clutter also makes a space seem smaller and diminishes light. This can make you and everyone living in that space seemingly depressed.
If you experience stuffy nose, sneezing and coughing in your home, it is possible that you are breathing in a lot of accumulated dust that accompanies piles and unwanted clutter. Your health may start to suffer because of the clutter. It makes a person feel overwhelmed and powerless to change things around. With so much disorder and unnecessary items about, you will find it is difficult to be focused and life will feel more and more like a meaningless struggle. Along with your energy, your spirit seems to sag and you may lose interest in life and go from bad to worse. Don’t allow things to slip out of control so far! It is time to dig in. Get your space organized, get back in control!
▪ Insider Tips on getting and keeping yourself, spaces and life organized
Before reorganizing a space, draw the basic floor plan to scale. Indicate doors and windows. Play with scale cutouts of furniture to see if there is not a better or more practical way to re-arrange them so that more floor space is opened up.
Throw out or donate one old or unused item for every new purchase that enters your home. Get rid of old or broken appliances - small or large. Those are mostly not cost effective to fix, as technical labor is more expensive than replacing or upgrading some appliances. Ask for different quotes before you decide.
Change cupboard contents around so the most frequently used items are being stored closer by at hand, while less used stuff get to reside further away. Keep items that are used frequently in places where you can reach them easily without stooping or bending, and close to the place they will be needed.
Assign everything in your house a specific place so that when your family searches for something they will know exactly where to find it and where to put it away. Insist strongly that everyone puts away again what items he or she has used!
Use drawer dividers for socks, underwear, lingerie, and tiny items, to keep them separated and organized. Hang hooks for your keys and purse at the entry to your home, so each time you walk in, you can hang them up so keys don’t end up getting lost. Establish one defined place in your house for storing library books, and avoid hunting for them when it is time to read or return them.
If your weight fluctuates a lot and you have good clothes of many sizes in your closet, box up the sizes that fit the least and put into storage. If you have not worn it for 3 years or so, consider getting rid of it. Even if you would be able to fit in them again, you might not like the styles any more. Just keep your current size of clothes in your closet and dresser so the available space won’t be choked up.
When straightening out rooms every day, use three containers to ease the flow of things and to prevent you from running up and down the stairs all the time to go put away stuff that are out of place and cluttering the room that you are working on. One plan is to use a sturdy wire cart and hang two sturdy reusable bags on it. Label the one bag “Donate”, the second one “Dump” and the cart “Distribute”. Anything usable that you come across which you no longer want, goes into the “Donate” bag to be moved on through your charity to people that can use it. Things that nobody wants or needs can go into the “dump” bag, which should be checked for recyclable items before putting it in the garbage. When deciding whether to save or dump something, use the “W_A_S_T_E” acronym to help you.
1. Is the item Worthwhile to keep?
2. Will you be using this item Again? If you haven’t used it in a year, you probably won’t need it again. If you don’t use it, lose it!
3. Can this item easily be found somewhere else?
4. Will anything serious happen if you Toss it? Toss old stuff when you buy new ones, except when you attach huge sentimental value to it.
5. Do you need the Entire thing? If not, keep what you need and toss the rest.
The “distribute” cart journeys with you from room to room when you tidy up the house. Things not belonging in a particular room travel with you till you reach the room where they belong. If the cart is big enough you can also collect the dirty laundry to take it down to the laundry room. When using stairs, never go up or down them empty-handed. Always grab some items that belong to upstairs rooms and quickly put it away while you are there, or do it all in one trip using the laundry wire cart.
▪ Pains and Challenges of DIS-ARRAY and DISORGANIZATION
All kinds of clutter cost you dearly, from cash, to time, space, health and hurt relationships with people. Duplicate purchases, excess costs from crises buys, penalties, interest, depreciation because of poor maintenance, medical bills because stress is slowly affecting you. Every second counts. Time can never be retrieved. Getting organized helps you getting things done fast so you can spend the extra time enjoying life. What makes it so hard to get organized, despite the fact that it is a learnable skill? Organizing in the first place is about deciding what is important to you and giving you access to it by finding designated places for it, and not about throwing things out or buying containers before you know if you even need them. Don’t put the cart in front of the horse. Do first things first. It is about taking care of your self and not about beating yourself up through guilt or remorse. Keep a positive approach and stop punishing yourself for having collected all that stuff over the years.
The organizing system that you need to develop that will work for you needs to reflect and take into account your unique way of thinking, the way you live and operate, your sense of esthetics … the whole package of who you are, otherwise it will not last and become part of how you operate. In order to create a lasting solution, ask probing questions first and attack the disarray afterwards in a rational, unemotional and planned way. First think everything through and design a system based on your unique personality and adjusted accordingly. You need to design an environment that is a reflection of who you are and the way you operate. Your aim is to create an environment that you find easy to maintain because it comes natural to you and is tweaked to your needs. Most people think that when they get organized they have to change whom they are. That is why their systems don’t last or work for long before they fall back into bad patterns and ways.You keep trying to retrain and force yourself to be more disciplined and do things differently to what comes natural to you and what you like and feel most at ease and comfortable with. Come up with alternatives that allow you to work where you are most comfortable, like doing your bills on the kitchen table instead of the back office. Adjust things according to your natural inclinations and habits. Make it work for you and not against you to avoid frustration and the sense of failure. Set yourself up for success and not for failing in your own eyes. Create storage space nearby the spot where you like to work and store the paperwork there. Observe what things pile up where in your house and create a place nearby that becomes the official home where those things will be stored. Introduce baskets, shelves, and folders for this purpose. Use one basket each for you and your partner for incoming mail, bills, and receipts and letters. Create well-marked folders for bills, discount coupons, invitations, and other time-sensitive papers that tend to clutter counters. Sort the mail into those folders immediately upon opening the envelopes. Get rid of all junk mail and advertising the right away.
Harmonize and Synergize your life, your space and … SIMPLIFY!
If your primary goal is to live in a neat, clutter-free environment, think of creating a smart system in which to operate freely, saving you valuable time as result of not having to hunt for lost items. Having more time to spend doing what you enjoy most is everyone’s dream. By designing your own system, you will find methods of doing things and tasks in easier ways that might otherwise have been a strain. Papers cluster everywhere in every area of the home and need to first be cleaned up in order to create order and clear surfaces. Recycle paper if possible. Items standing around without purpose should be put those away in designated places. Designate a place for every item of value in your entire home. Use baskets, drawers, files or folders on shelving space to store away important paper. With designated places established, it is much easier to remain organized. Shred discarded paper containing sensitive information immediately in order to limit the possible risk of identity theft.
Consider for a minute how the papers became so cluttered in the first place. What did you do with it once it arrived? Did you put the bundle into a basket, or did you put it down in a haphazard pile on the nearest surface? Deal with mail and junk mail as soon as possible and decisively. Place it in a designated tray, basket, shelf or drawer. Sort, place in the “file” or the “out” basket, shred or recycle. If you keep this up, you are on your way to become better organized.
This type of paper flow system will prevent assorted pieces of paper cropping up everywhere throughout your home. As soon as you receive the paper, channel it to its allotted place. Through this you will create clear work areas where you will know where to find what you need. Don’t be too sentimental about birthday cards and personal notes. If you want to keep them, consider including them in a scrap-booking project, which is a great hobby and creates a meaningful place for your keepsakes.
Get priorities right ….see the situation for what it really is.
The question is, do you really want to live organized, or not?
Which way would you rather live? Out of control, or balanced and in control? As workloads and demands from employers increase, your personal and home environment can suffer unless you take special care to negotiate organizational tasks. It does not take long for everyday mail, newspapers and flyers to pile up if it is not being dealt with as you finish with it. Assign a temporary basket so the mail gets sorted instead of allowing piles of clutter to form. Say good-bye to the clutter, the junk, the dust… It is not welcome in your home ever again! Rid yourself of it! Love your recycling box and feed it diligently. The environment will thank you for being a good responsible citizen. The longer you delay or try to put off the inevitable, the bigger the problem will become. Be sure to chase the mess monkey off your shoulder before it becomes an overwhelming gorilla that will crush you and cause you to want to slump into helplessness, despair and depression. You may need to chase the bad habits off your shoulder repeatedly in order to gain back some control over your situation. Say hello to clean countertops, a bright, cheerful, welcoming room that is wide open and breathable fresh and stylish! Say hello to a new delightful lifestyle, a new happy and in control YOU!
▪ Categorize, Sort, Donate, Toss, Sell
Sort things into different piles according to certain criteria, like function or kind or frequency of use. Look at each pile and decide if you actually need so many duplicates of things that have the same function. Reduce numbers where possible. Assign each pile to a category and it’s own storage place. Write an inventory of what is needed in that category and store the list with the category, so you never have to repeat the same thinking process again. It makes it easy to check stock and replenish when needed so you are never short of anything at the last minute. Even organizing a small project will fill you with an amazing sense of accomplishment, satisfaction and empowerment. Do give it a try….persist and keep at it until it’s done….and enjoy the awesome feeling! What sounds like a little thing can be a huge victory for a person struggling with the problem of being dis-organized.
Be decisive, non-sentimental and toss out stuff appropriately that you no longer need: Magazines you meant to read but have never taken the time for, expired medications or coupons, clothes you no longer wear, sunscreen that's expired or more than one year old, extra paper or excess plastic grocery bags, makeup and samples you don’t use, cookbooks you rarely use. (Cut out your favorite recipes only)
▪ Art and Science of ORGANIZED and orderly living
What does it mean to be organized? Can you tell when you walk into a room if it is organized or not? If you see clean clear surfaces, stylish simplicity……no piles … no clutter, don’t be fooled, since all that looks well on the outside may not be as neat on the inside! Organization only shows when you take a look inside cupboards and drawers! Utter chaos may reign inside those closets. If no system exists it will be just as difficult, panicky and time wasting when something needs to be found, despite the neat appearance from the outside! On the other hand, there are people that have many piles and clutter in their homes, but they know where most things are and can find anything in a flash.
Organizing is much more about function than about form. One definition of organizing could be that it’s simply the ability to find what you need quickly when you need it and secondly, the ability to be happy in your environment instead of frustrated. It is the processes, by which we create environments that allow us to live, work, play and relax exactly as we want to. When we are organized, our offices, our homes and our schedules reflect and encourage who we are, what we want or need and where we are going.
Organizing is not a goal or an end in itself. It is not a destination, but a significant doorway to achieving your dreams and higher goals, a better life, more time and energy to enjoy the things that you love and that is important to you. It is a powerful motivator, and its absence is as powerful a discouragement. You are designing a system that achieves far more than clean counter tops. Learning the skills to be organized is the greatest gift that you can ever give yourself! Applying these learnable skills is a way of taking care of yourself and greatly improving your sense of well-being. Achieving success in learning organizing skills will enable you to have time to serve others much better as you will be in control of your own situation, no longer desperate, anxious or depressed! Never again will your family miss opportunities because you were not organized and ready in time. Being organized is about being ready for all the opportunities that come your way! Never miss out on something valuable again because you wasted time or effort in trying but failing to get ready in time. At work you’ll be ready for that next big deal because you know where all the relevant documents are. In life you’ll be ready for every big opportunity or surprise coming your way and not be stuck because you can’t find your keys or documents when needed.
To succeed and push through the organizing project you need a strong motivation” beyond” the clutter, a compelling reason, a goal you seriously want to reach. Think about the space you want to organize and ask yourself why do you want to do it. What is your compelling reason? What big picture goal in your life are you going to accomplish because that space is organized? This goal will be your compelling reason and your beacon to work towards through the whole process.
Because your busy lifestyle warrants continuous maintenance to keep an orderly environment, a key to being clutter-free is to put things away when you are done with them. This is vital for all inhabitants of the home, as there is nothing more discouraging as for one person fighting an overwhelming battle to tidy up after others that seem not to care about putting things away. It really only takes a moment, but if neglected, it can take hours to sort the mess out when it gets out of control, and may cause so much aggravation that could have been avoided.
Organized people are a unique breed, able to find creative and handy places for things. They are the ones you would call on first when you need help to get something important done. They are efficient and can generally get lots done in a relatively short period. They are talented in tackling work with a disciplined approach and see order as a critical factor for optimum change. They figure out ways to be more efficient and would love everyone around them to accomplish more with less effort and energy. They tend to think systematically, logically, have a good sense of time and thrive on having everything done in an orderly fashion.
Working around disorganized people could prove to be annoying and inconvenient for co-workers or partners in the home. Often situations arise forcing others to work harder or bypass the individual to get certain things done. This hardship on others can bring about resentment and unnecessary hurt feelings. Organized people are challenged in how to create harmony or at least a workable and respectful situation. Persistence is needed to try and peacefully let the disorganized person understand the problems that result from disorganized behavior. Hopefully new and better habits will be fostered eventually. Sometimes the person may feel so bad about the resulting chaos but seem powerless and unable to change the situation for the better, and may get desperate or depressed. With patience and persistence it may be possible to learn new organizing skills. Within the home it can be conflict and a long term challenge if the one partner is messy and the other one an organizer. Usually the situation has a history and persisted for a long time.
Very important is the healing of relationships, where everyone works together for the common good to create harmony. This is worth striving for and may need some personal sacrifice, unselfishness and a very mature approach. This will make for good character building for everyone involved. Awareness of the chaos they create and the dire need to change towards becoming more organized, and lots of encouragement in stead of rejection and resentment will go a long way to help a person to grow into an attitude of honestly wanting to better themselves through acquiring and developing those organizing skills, as well as the indispensable self discipline that is vital for success. Many times a disorganized person is stressed, anxious and struggling to complete assignments and make deadlines.
When receiving proper guidance and lots of encouragement, a disorganized person CAN turn around and grow to become very organized. It may require a real heartfelt talk to awaken the desire to really change, providing the expert advice and help and then working alongside with lots of encouragement, developing the discipline it takes to move into a new permanent organized way of life.
The decision to change must come from deep inside the core of the person involved. He or she needs to choose for him or herself and then act upon it. Asking questions is a good start to observing, learning and following someone’s example. The time saving, improved self-esteem and the awesome feeling of being in control of one’s own life could be a huge incentive to grow towards becoming better organized. Disorganized people are basically their own worst enemies, so it is important to change adverse conditions in order to survive in harmony in the work place as well as at home. Rather than always picking up the slack, offer some respectful guidance and direction. This will promote trust, healing and harmony in relationships.
