So You Fell off the Organizing Wagon ...  

How to Climb Back On  

This story is about how to get back on the wagon - my wagon being exercising at the gym.  Getting back on the wagon requires a behavioral or habit change, which is why the wagon seems to ride away from us sometimes.

Around my 50^th birthday, I decided exercising was more about improving my health, and secondarily maintaining my weight.  It exhausted me to carry in the groceries up the fifteen+ front stairs. Feelin' my age for nearly the first time. 

Off to the gym I went, January 2009. Later that year, I fell off the wagon. Got back on.  In 2010, with several significant family crises, I fell off -- and recently got back on my wagon again. 

Just like organizing ... you fell off the wagon and how do you get back on?  

Apply these ideas to get back on track - keeping up with organizing systems at home, with your calendar and time management systems, or at your office.

My tips for getting back on the wagon:  

• Come up with a small goal. Just to get started again. 
• Cut yourself some slack when life crises hit.
• Remember why you're doing this (and what it felt like when it worked before, like the high after a workout).
• Put it on the calendar again to get back to a regular schedule.
• Use an inspiring accountability partner. My housemate goes to the gym every day for 1-2 hours! A personal trainer when I first started also helped. 
• The value of money: Total monthly fee divided by number of visits. Ack! Realizing each visit had to be "worth" $15 was a motivator.

Join me, back on the organizing wagon. If you can't figure it out on your own, try a one session phone call meeting, or a one session, side-by-side to figure out which systems will help you climb back aboard. 

Read the full article here 

603.765.9267

or email me 

Your closet is too full.

"Just reorganize."

"Just get rid of it."  

Sounds easy but often it's not, is it?

You can't buy Spring clothes because you'd waste money and time; you're not sure what you already have. You renovated the bedroom, so clothes are everywhere. Your closet has become the "I don't know what to do with this. So I'll put it in the closet ... for now" place.  

But you never quite get back to it.

Why Bother?  4 Practical & 2 Emotional Reasons  

• Find it faster. Create more space for what you wear frequently.You won't be saying "I have a red shirt to go with these pants -- where is it?" (Lost time. Frustration.)
• Less ironing. If your closet is jam packed, you've created more ironing. (Time.) 
• Make room for new clothes. (Joy.) 
• You'll get ready faster. (Time. And ontime!) 
• You'll be happier when you get up in the morning and when you go to sleep at night; the stuffed closet will no longer remind you of what you haven't had time to do. (Joy. Less stress. Feeling good about yourself. And looking good!)
• Moving on. I often find closets are filled with items from our past. Is it time to move on and create your next chapter?  Shed the clothes from who you were. 

10 Tips to Let Go Easily

1. Next time you hang up an item, look at two items to the left and right of what you just hung up. Are these still keepers? Drop into a donate box. 
2. Before you begin, choose a cause you'd like to donate to. Emotionally, this makes letting go easier.
3. Which friend (or organizer you trust!) will tell you honestly how your clothing looks on you?
4. Not sure if you want to give it up? Put it on "probation." This is a separate part of your closet or different colored hangers. Let them hang around for awhile until you're comfortable deciding. 
5. How frequently do you wear each item? When you reorganize, give yourself easiest access to the clothing you wear the most often so you're "fishing" less.

Click here to go to my blog for the rest of the tips.   

It's even more difficult when you need to sort out all of your closets. What a puzzle. Call for a jumpstart phone call or in person meeting or let's attack it together. 

603.765.9267 or email me by clicking here.