Top 4 Ways To Get Organized

I have helped many people get organized over the years.  In almost every single case, these 4 areas were the most important in getting these folks to a more peaceful place in their homes and workplaces.

1.  Give away.  One of the first things I tell my clients is to go through everything and clean out!  Give away (or sell) anything you don’t use or love regularly.  This is the #1 best way to get more organized.  Get rid of stuff that is wasting your time, your space, and your  money right off the bat!

2.   Find a home.  Make sure everything has a place to live.  Everything you need, use and love that is.  Not only does it need a place to live, but that place needs to be easy to get to (especially for regularly used items), and close to where it is used.  If you have to lift lids or unstack things to put something away, you will not do it most of the time.  It will get stacked.   Make homes for everything easy to see and easy to get to.

3.  Categorize.  Keep like with like.  It’s much easier to find things when they are not in 10 different places around the house.  For instance, keep all batteries in one container in an easy to get to place.    Keep all garden supplies together in the garage.  Keep all tools together in one place.   Keep all files together in one place.  You get the idea.  It’s MUCH easier to put things away and to find things when you know they should be in one location.

4.  Keep it up.   You must keep it up.  I’d say about 20% of it is setting up the system and the infrastructure for your organization.  80% is keeping it up.  I tell my clients this all the time.  Unfortunately my time with them will not solve everything going forward.  It definitely sets them on their way…but it does not solve the issue.  They must be willing to spend time every day putting things away and cleaning out on a regular basis.  When new things come into the house, old things must go out or you will be under a pile before no time! 

I hope these help you in some way.  These are really the biggest steps to getting and staying organized.  Good luck!

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