Organization
Advice on getting organized
Making a commitment to personal organization may seem like an overwhelming task, but the rewards are worth it. When your life is organized, you reduce your chances of missing an important deadline or misplacing a critical item, and you take a big step toward reducing your overall stress level.
Steps to Organization
The first thing to do to achieve organization, whether it's time management office organization, garage organization, or your whole home organization, is to make a mental commitment to a system for automating decisions about things.
When something comes into your home, it should be subject to an algorithm that will determine where it goes. For instance, a bill goes in a certain cubbyhole in your desk, or a new piece of clothing goes directly into the closet (and an old piece of clothing subsequently gets put into a bag destined for the Goodwill, so you don't create a jam-packed closet).
People who are disorganized have no system for where everything goes, so they must consider each item on a case by case basis. When this becomes overwhelming, things get left out and the clutter builds. The advantage of having this system in place is that it becomes automatic where things belong, which saves mental anguish and contributes positively to your time management process, as well.
The next step is to tackle the existing clutter. Take it one room or area at a time; a good place to start is with a smaller place, like closet organization. Place several boxes on the floor, and designate them according to what makes sense. For instance, one box could be to throw out, one to give to charity, one to file, and one for items which belong in another room.
Continue with this process through each room. If an area is overwhelming at first, set a time limit, say 30 minutes. Do what you can in just that amount of time and then take a break. Tackle the organizing when you have the energy for it and try not to turn it into a chore. Put your favorite music on to keep you energized.
Tools to Help You Get Organized
For those items that will stay in the space you are organizing, determine if you need a new piece of furniture or storage container to house them optimally. There are a number of ingenious pieces of furniture with built-in storage that doesn't compromise functionality. Ottomans, benches and coffee tables with storage drawers are all prime examples. Even filing cabinets can be attractive, and they're available in finishes that coordinate with many decorating schemes.
