Getting Started - Getting Organized
So often, getting organized is all about getting started.
Determined to make a difference in a space, you march in, ready to organize. You pick it up, put it down, spin in a circle and leave in a fit of frustration.
It's not that you aren't willing to roll up your sleeves and do the work. It is that you just don't know where to start, what to do next and how to tackle all that follows. That's where working online with a professional organizer can bring you success. They can help you determine where to start.
Just as each person is unique, so are their projects. Some want to organize their time and their habits. Others want to organize their papers or their shoes. Deciding to get organized is the right first step. The next step is figuring out exactly where to start.
Here are a few ideas to get the wheels spinning in your brain. Try following one of these ideas if you are stuck on where to start.
- Start at the point of your frustration. What was bothering you today? What made you sit down and get on the computer to look up organizing? The very thing that caused you to be frustrated today is a great place to start.
- Start geographically. That means pick a spot and work around the globe- east, south, west north. You work in one direction, slowly tackling each thing that appears next in your path.
- Start today. Instead of tackling stacks of older things, begin today with anything new. For example, find a new system for incoming mail and school papers. Start fresh to tackle what is coming in and once you feel good about that, you'll be ready to gather and sort the old things.
- Start small. Don't look at the whole picture or the whole room. Choose one manageable task- perhaps that bookshelf, the kitchen table or the stack of magazines by your chair. Work on that one small task. Finish it then choose another.
- Worst first. Have you put off something you need to organize? Maybe if you tackle your worst spot first, all the rest will seem easier.
There are lots of ways to tackle an organizing project. Getting started can be done in a number of ways, as you can see from the list. An online organizer can work with you to decide which starting point is best for you and your project. To get started, all you have to do is ask.
Written by Lea Schneider, an experienced professional organizer and author of Growing Up Organized. Her organizing advice has appeared in Woman's Day, Natural Health, Better Homes and Gardens Kids' Rooms magazines and other publications. Her company, Organize Right Now, has an online organizing team of professionals. Visit www.organizerightnow to learn more.
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Getting Started - Getting Organized
