Week I:
Pick your battles.
Happy New Year!! A New Year can mean fresh starts, new beginnings, and endless possibilities. I want to thank Dyp for offering me the opportunity to post this month on the topic of “organization.” I hope to help you on your way to establishing workable solutions to your organizing problems.
Does just the word “organization” make you pause and shutter? You are not alone! It is a common misconception that professional organizers’ homes are picture perfect. Umm, not! Let me just say that you can go on-line and find all the suggestions and guidance that you could ever need*, this month I am hoping to assist you in identifying your trouble spots and find a working solutions for you on a smaller scale.
As a professional organizer I spend more time defining my clients organizing “style” than actual hands on organizing, to me, identifying this personal “style” is the key to individual success.
So let’s break this down:
Step I:
Pick your battles.
· Pick just one “thing”, your problem room/area or even a habit. Whatever seems to pile up the fastest, is the room you routinely keep the door shut all of the time, or is a habit you need help controlling.
· Got it?
· Take a seat and think about what habit or which room it is and what it is about that habit/room that makes it a problem for you. If it would be helpful write down what it is about the habit/room that frustrates you the most.
Ok, big whoop, right? I know nothing earth shattering happening yet. What’s the big deal with sitting and thinking about stuff? Well, the majority of people seeking assistance with organizing, the exercise of identifying and admitting what it is about a certain room and /or task is crucial, and is often more difficult to identify than the actual physical cleaning. Please take the time to do this exercise; you may be surprised to see what you learn. Let me know what room/habit you picked and what questions you have, I will be here to help you find answers.
Here is the result of my exercise:
I: My sewing/guest room. OMGosh!
II: This room has become a storage room, overtaken by clutter, a dumping zone, too easy to stuff & shut (stuff it in and shut the door). Too many projects half finished and all over the place. Nothing put away. I don’t have places to put things. I hate coming in here. Why are there piles of paperwork that should be in my office?
I can’t finish projects if
· I can’t get to the sewing machine
· I spend more time sifting through piles of stuff trying to gather what I need to finish a project than the time it would take to finish it.
There are a few things that can be identified right away about my list. Obviously, I picked a room but take a moment and re-read the rest of the exercise. Red flag words everywhere, Clutter, dumping, and the big one, “nothing put away.” So, now you can see how easy it is to identify what habits are contributing to the overall situation.
Now, I know you just want to get in there and finish the cleaning and check it off your list of “things to do”. I am with you there. Go ahead, but will you be just repeating the same habits? I do it all the time. Will you just rearrange the same items, stuff another drawer and close it, hide everything in a different place? Time to change it up!
I will be working along with you while tackling my sewing room and I promise I will post the “before” pictures of my sewing/guestroom as soon as I download them from the camera.
*Here are some of my favorite organizing/cleaning blog sites:
I’ll be back next Wednesday for the next steps in this process.
Michelle
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