Getting organized isn’t the problem for some people. They get organized over and over again. Stay organized is the problem. Maintenance is the problem. Is this you?
Why does this happen and how can you change it?
The causes can vary, maybe it is a system you didn’t create, maybe it’s not set up for the way you think, learn or process information, maybe you don’t have the right skill set, maybe it isn’t really a priority for you and you don’t want to do something. The why is important. You should figure that out so you can move on to the next step.
There are some simple guidelines many of us have heard:
- Don’t put things down, put them away right after using them.
- Tidy up daily for 5-10 minutes or clear your desk before leaving work so you come back to a clean slate without any chaos
- Buy less-if you own less there is less to keep organized
- 80/20 Rules -Most people only use 20% of what they own, the other 80% is taking up space causing clutter and upkeep
- One item in; one item out
- Only surround yourself with belongs that are useful or that you love
- Use labels to mark where items go-almost everyone will honor a label
- Keep belongs where they are used, most used items should be easiest to access, keep like with like
These are all great tips and they do work if they are used regularly. And that is the key.
One more maybe- maybe it’s lack of time management. The one thing that all my clients have in common, regardless of what type of organizing I am helping them with, is that almost everyone needs help with their time management. We don’t plan ahead. Not for the little things. Filing is done when the to-be-filed box is over flowing, the toys are put away when family members start tripping over them, the car is cleaned out when something starts to smell and so on. You may have your vacation planned ahead or when you are going to finish a report for work. That is great; truly because many people don’t. But we should all be scheduling the maintenance tasks of our organizational systems or developing habits.
Here is the how. Developing habits and schedule tasks. What’s the differences? Habits are so routine that we don’t forget to do them. Brushing our teeth, making dinner, taking medication, etc. So if you really go through the house every night to tidy up for 5-10 minutes, that is a habit. I do. I hate waking up to a mess. In the morning, I want a fresh start. If you prepare for the next day by making a lunch, setting out clothes, putting everything you need into your briefcase, backpack or any other bag that is a habit. It takes 21-30 days to develop any habit. You may need to schedule them like tasks at first until they become habits. A task is something we need to do move forward on a goal. It is an action step. Filing, processing mail if you don’t already have a system (many don’t I have seen the piles), keeping up with emails, following-up with people, etc. These activities should be grouped together (remember like with like from above) and scheduled. Make all your calls at one time, return emails at one time, pay bills at one time, etc. The key to scheduling is knowing how long your tasks take you to do. Time them until you have learned how long they take you to do.
Sometimes, it is hard to see how these little things relate to bigger goals, but they do. Making business calls may give your clients a personal touch they want or need which helps you get a promotion or expand your business. Maintaining your organizational systems relates to bigger goals also because we often need to find what we need when we need it to move goals forward whether it is finding a baseball to play with your kids (that goal would be to nourish your family or similar is a common goal for most of us) or a report to refer to when speaking with your boss or a client (that goal to nourish your career) can’t be met without being able to find what you need when you need it.
