Lisa S. Griffith

I can hardly believe that August is here! My mother-in-law's favorite expression was, "once the Fourth of July comes, the summer's over!" I used to scoff privately, thinking that the summer weeks stretched endlessly before me, with all kinds of adventures, relaxation and projects waiting to be tackled just ahead. However, today it seems like the Fourth just ended, and now I'm watching those back to school commercials on television (doesn't that drive you crazy - like seeing those Christmas commercials in October?) My projects? Some completed, but others still languishing on the back burner. And my trips to the beach have been woefully few (I know, tough life!). So, my plan is to milk every last bit of summer out of this month, from watching those amazing athletes in the Olympics, to enjoying the last weeks of having my college-aged daughter home before she leaves to start a new school year back in the dorm, to finally getting some of those projects to a full boil! I hope this August newsletter finds you wringing every last bit of enjoyment out of your summer before the busier pace of back to school and back to fall schedules comes flying at us after Labor Day. Don't forget that it's really not too late to tackle some of those home organizing projects you had planned - think of how nice it will be this fall when the weather changes to enjoy less-cluttered, more organized, peaceful living and working spaces. Along with reading about the next step in how to get your space organized this month, you can sign up for any number of my workshops and seminars (many of them free) to help you achieve your organizing goals this fall. Make the most of those last few (to quote a VERY old song),"lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer"!

 

One Bite at a Time  

Last month, I began a series of articles describing the seven steps of my IN ORDER™ system for getting your space organized. The first step, "INVEST", speaks to the importance of making the commitment to the organizing process, making the necessary investment of your time, energy and finances to improve your living and working spaces. This month, I'll discuss the second step of the mental process necessary to getting organized, "NEED".

N = NEED

Once you have decided to invest your time, money and energy into getting organized, you must decide where to start. This is where many people become overwhelmed and give up before they've even begun. While there may be several areas in your home or office that require organizing (or it may be your entire home), deciding which area has the greatest need for organization is crucial. Tackling any large project, whether it's your entire home, your office, one room, or your desk, is daunting when viewed as a whole. It's important to break it down into smaller, more manageable pieces. Keep in mind the expression, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!" Before you jump into any organizing, take a few moments to sit and write down all of the areas that need organizing. It may be many, or just one. Then think hard about what area (or what particular piece of that area) where the disorganization most affects your life in a negative way. Consider which area would have the most positive impact on your life if it were organized. That's the area of greatest "need", and that's where you should start. You may only have one room that drives you crazy. Break the room down into segments, and tackle the portion that affects your life the most first. For example, if your home office is disorganized, the spot that probably affects your life most negatively is your desk. Start there. Clear the desktop first, since that's your working space, and that's probably where the majority of your most recent paperwork resides. In all likelihood, the important stuff is not piled up on the floor or in your filing cabinets. That's the stuff you shoved out of the way to make room for the new stuff! If your kitchen is a disaster, and your kitchen countertop is covered with papers, start there, then tackle the drawers and cabinets you use most often. If you're walking into a particular space every single day, multiple times a day, and that space is where you lose stuff, waste time and spin your wheels every day, that's where you start, because it's there where you will reap the most benefit in your life as you regain that time, money and energy. Start small, pick a spot, and get going. Once you take a bite out of that elephant, it will taste so good that you'll want more and more and more!

Next month, O = ORGANIZE

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