If "Get Organized" made it to your New Year's resolution list, you may be wondering how to achieve that goal. Whether you want to be able to invite friends to your home on the spur of the moment or you're tired of wasting time and energy trying to find your vegetable peeler or that special scarf or the stapler, here are some tips from organizational gurus on line.
Seven Simple Tips to Organize Your Space from onewithnow.com by Manal.
1. Just start.
If you wait for the right time or to have a complete plan before you do something, you'll never get it done. The best antidote is action. Go to the space you want to organize and take everything out. Once everything is out of its place, you have to deal with it.
2. Identify problem habits.
What are thoughts and behaviors add to your physical or mental clutter? Once you become aware of those barriers, try to break the pattern.
3. Work with what you have.
If you need something, you can get it as you progress: it will be a nice break and change of routine.
4. Things don't have to be perfect.
Don't get bogged down by details. Focus on the improvements you have made so far and be prepared to change some of your ideas.
5. Find uses for the stuff you own.
Don't go buying stuff to replace what you have. You may also get creative in how you use your space.
6. Keep only what you use.
Getting rid of what you don't use is harder when you start thinking of what you could do with your stuff. If you're unsure whether to get rid of something, put it in a visible place and put a date on it within 8 weeks. If you don't use it before that date, get rid of it.
7. Create an ongoing maintenance process.
Once you've deal with your problem space, you'll have a better understanding of how you got there. Take advantage of this knowledge while it's fresh and create a simple maintenance process you can apply on a regular basis to eliminate the need for another big organization project.
Six Reasons to Let it Go from unclutterer.com.
You don't use it, love it, need it, or treasure it.
It's broken, busted, damaged, or destroyed and you haven't fixed it in six months.
You have multiples of it. (Just keep the best.)
It's expired.
You don't have anywhere to store it.
It doesn't fit in the life you desire.
Five Top Organizing Tips from punkrawkyoga.com by jenny lens.
1. If you don't have time or inclination to organize yourself, ask an organized friend to help you or hire a pro. Or bring someone in, once a month or so, if you cannot stay organized. Accept it and deal.
2. It's easier to sort and discard when someone else is spending their time and energy to help. You can't sit down and get lost in pile of books or magazines. You must keep focused.
3. Organization is cheap! Find boxes, trays, shelves, and such at a discount store, hardware store, thrift shop or yard sale. Use things you already own, but aren't using.
4. Don't be seduced by expensive filing or storage systems you can't afford. They don't ensure successful organization.
5. Get ready to commit to mindful organization of your space and stuff.
January is National Get-Organized Month. Call on AYS for any organization project that is too big or too time consuming to tackle on your own.
