The longer I help clients organize, the more I see that staying organized is not just about setting up a dynamic system, but it is about changing behaviors. I can set up the most wonderful system for a client, but if they don't work it, they will not see the desired results. I often encounter clients who have tried in vain to keep themselves organized. Usually that is when they hire me. My approach, after a few years of organizing, has changed. I now focus on the client's behavior in addition to a great organizing system.

The following steps will help you maintain the organizing you have done.

• Identify your organizing issues. Do you have trouble with filing? Do you have trouble finding things? Do you have trouble letting go of things? Do you have trouble making decisions?
• Set realistic goals for yourself. Change happens small and gets bigger the more success you see.
• Develop a plan. Prioritize the organizing projects you have identified.
• Decide how you will implement the plan.
• Set up a realistic schedule to work on the projects. Some people have a deadline, such as relatives visiting, which motivates them to get things done. Even if you don't have a deadline, make up one so that you have something to work towards.
• Reward yourself in small increments when you finish each project.
• Make sure that the process or system you set up fits your style or approach.
• Make organizing fun. Play your favorite music as you work or invite a friend to help you or at least to be in the same room as you organize.
• Set up a regular maintenance schedule that will work for you. This is possibly the most important step and where most people fail in keeping themselves organized. Some may need daily maintenance, others weekly, and still others can manage with longer time between maintenance.
• Hold yourself accountable to someone, whether it is a spouse, friend, or professional organizer. Ask them to be your organizing coach or mentor to keep you on track and check in with you periodically to see that you are maintaining the projects or systems that you put into place.

Your continued commitment to staying organized will reduce stress and give you a feeling of control over your environment. If you keep doing what you have always done, you will get what you've always gotten. Let that become an organized space.

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I was working with a client in her home office. We were surveying what we had already accomplished and deciding what to do next when I picked up an object from the top shelf of her bookcase. I said, "What are you going to do with this?" She looked at me and smiled, knowing that her answer was important to our organizing tasks. She said, "I really like the colors, they are so bright and cheery." "But do you use it?"  I asked. I knew the answer before she did.

That conversation prompted me to show her a guide for making decisions as you are organizing. See the article below to find out how to make decisions.

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It occurred to me recently that my mind was becoming cluttered. Because I am a professional organizer, that bothered me. Even though I have not yet succumbed to the plethora of technology gadgets that are available, I do make use of a few of them. My computer has generated the most mental clutter that I deal with everyday. Just the emails alone for my business connections and friends and family send me into a tailspin when I see the number of messages.

I attend several networking meetings where I capture more information on business cards and get good ideas from the people I meet.

I read business books on organizing and running a business. There is more mental clutter.

When I open my snail mail I have more information to deal with. It makes my brain hurt just thinking about it.

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