Professional Organizing Tips To Get Organized

EMAIL INBOX OVERWHELMING?

Make a 2010 folder and move EVERYTHING into it. You can still find what you need if you need it because it will still be in chronological order, but your inbox can now be productive. Delete or file new emails that don't need follow-up and you'll be left with a more managable action list!

I LOVE POST-ITS!

Use them for creating categories when sorting. Turn them upside down & use them for a quick file tab. Cut the unsticky part off of Super Sticky Post-Its & use the sticky part for semi-permanent notes. If you like to color code, have a nice supply on hand. Also - my brights are super sticky's & dulls are regular - I can grab what I need in a flash!

LAZY DAYS OF SUMMER

Put the repetitive parts of life on auto-pilot so you can do what you want. Manage your space so you can find what you need. These are things you can do to defuse the stresses of everyday life. Getting organized puts your dreams in reach. Wishing you at least a few lazy days this summer...

PULL THE WEEDS SO THE FLOWERS CAN THRIVE!

We weed our garden so the flowers get the nutrients & water. If we leave the weeds, they end up sucking the vitality from the soil & our flowers might die. Where are the weeds in your life? As we go into this holiday weekend, think about what you are going to pull so the most important things in your life can thrive.

DON'T OVER-ORGANIZE

The goal of getting organized is not to be perfect, it’s to make life easier. Do you want to get your mail under control? File your paperwork? Find your summer shoes? Complex systems are rarely the answer. Once I give clients permission to not be perfect, their progress takes off. Ask yourself – “what is good enough?”

ORGANIZE TO GET WHAT YOU WANT!
The purpose of getting organized is to get something you want that you don't have. Do you want more time, more space, to feel under control? Do you want the peace and calm that comes with order? These are all good reasons that will help you motivate yourself to make organizing a priority.

WHAT CAN YOU FINISH THIS WEEK?

I bet there is an annoying task that you've just kept putting off. I bet you've invested more time and energy thinking about doing it then it will take to actually do it. How will you feel when it's done? Imagine the relief! Then, schedule it and challenge yourself to follow through and get it done!

FOCUS ON THE 20% THAT GIVES YOU 80% OF THE RESULTS
The 80/20 rule says that you get 80% done in 20% of the time. This week focus on the things that really matter. Try letting the minutia and annoying things come second. Commit 30 minutes a day to the things that matter most. How much more did you get done?

HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOUR DESK IS CLEAR?
How much more productive might you be? How much more might you enjoy your work? Try moving your piles from your desk to another place where you can access them. Clear your space and see what happens.

TRY PLAYING THE "WHAT IF" GAME
Are there things you feel you should do but don't want to do? Emails you feel obligated to answer but you procrastinate? Events to go to because someone else thinks you should? Ask yourself "what will happen if I don't do it?" If the answer isn't compelling, then skip it and do something that is!

OWN THE LAST MINUTE PATTERN
If you thrive on deadlines, it's better to plan for them then fight them. Plan backwards to your deadline; write down the steps, project how long each step will take, and back in to the end point. Then work the plan. You'll be working up to the wire, but instead of stress you just might find joy.

THE VALUE OF STUFF

What is your stuff giving you? What does it take from you? Does it enhance your life or drain you? A lot of people are telling me that they are overwhelmed with their stuff. When trying to decide if you should keep or do something a great question to ask is "Will my life be different in 5 years if I let it go or say no?"

WANT MORE ROOM?

When organizing a space - a drawer, a desktop, a shelf - take everything out, then sort. This causes you to make a conscious choice about which things go back in. It also improves how you utilize the space when you put the things back. Almost like magic you get more room.

SAVVY SORTING

A key step of getting organized is making decisions. To make this easier, divide what you're sorting into 3 parts; Absolutely keep, Absolutely get rid of, & Not sure. Then, put back the keeps, donate or recycle the get-rid-ofs, & put the not-sures aside. Coming back to the not-sures later can help you decide just how important they are.

THIS WEEK...CLEAR YOUR COCKPIT
Think of a pilot - do you want YOUR pilot to walk to the back of the plane to get something he uses every flight? Do you want YOUR pilot distracted by things she hardly ever uses? Take the zone you do most of your work in (a small space - perhaps the surface) and clear it - I bet you'll have a much more enjoyable week.

THINK ABOUT NO DIFFERENTLY

Depression Era thinking coupled with Information Age availability is a recipe for disaster. If you read everything you could read, did everything you could do, and kept everything you could keep, life would be overwhelming. Enjoy life more by saying no to the unimportant things.

"THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE AREN'T THINGS" -- Art Buchwald
At this time of year, when we feel pressure and stress around gift giving, perhaps it will help you to remember that things are just things. They take space to keep and time to maintain. You might want to consider giving "experiences" instead.

RUTABAGAS OR SWEET POTATOES?

Life is like a Thanksgiving plate. If you put things on your plate to please someone else or because you think you should, there might not be room for what you really want. Wishing you a fulfilling holiday week with your Thanksgiving dinner plate filled only with the things you love.

FREE ISN'T REALLY FREE.

I went to a wonderful party yesterday with lots of free party favors. I saw people taking and taking and taking. I kept thinking "Where are they going to put it all"? Free isn’t really free. It takes time to put it away, space to keep it, and energy to maintain it. If you wouldn’t spend money on it, think twice before taking it!

DO YOU REALLY NEED THAT PIECE OF PAPER?

80% of filed papers are never looked at again!
What's the worst thing that would happen if you didn't keep it?

Can you get the information elsewhere?

If you keep it, will you ever think to look for it?

HOW MUCH IS YOUR PIECE OF MIND WORTH?

The key to successful organizing, is making decisions about where things go and putting them there. Not just some things, all things. If there isn't room for all of your things you may want to consider that there is greater value in your peace of mind than in your stuff.

WHY GET ORGANIZED?

Look to your reasons to get organized as motivation. Do you want your space to feel open, and clear, and energizing? Are you tired of looking for things you know you have but can't find (and then spending money to buy them again)? Are you stressed by feeling out of control? Now may be the time to change.

FOCUS ON WHAT YOU WANT.

Remove distractions to focus on what you want - what you want to do, to use and to treasure. When you take away the things that don't matter you are left with the most important things. Life becomes easier because you are now choosing among your favorites. Decisions are made faster and are going to be better too.

THINK OF THE POSSIBILITIES.

"Productivity is being able to do things that you were never able to do before." Franz Kafka

What new thing would you do if you could figure out how? How would life be better? What would it take for you to step up and learn something new? If you were more organized, could you do something you've never done before?

PLAN ACTION.

Wishing you were organized doesn’t get you organized. Action is the first step to change. With Summer winding down you may be thinking that Fall is the perfect time to get organized. How will you make that happen? If you don’t think about it until September you won’t be taking action until October. Plan now.

DONE IS BETTER THEN PERFECT.

Sometimes DONE is better then perfect! Do you wait for the chance to do it perfectly and because that time never comes you don't accomplish much of anything? Some things are fine when they are done "good enough." Get it done and celebrate!

MEASURE BEFORE YOU BUY.

Take a walk around the Container Store. It's one of this Professional Organizer's favorite spots. Look for ideas on how to get organized. See what's new in home organizing and office organizing. We are lucky to have the Container Store in Southern New Jersey - right here in Cherry Hill! Just remember to measure before you buy!!!

There are times we need to create some space and see what fills it.
~Gail Watts
Have you given thought to what you don't have in your life because of the things you are choosing to keep? If you had less clutter what would that mean to you? If you had more time how would you use it? How would it feel to have that choice?

Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone.

The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non- essentials.

~Lin Yutang

Instead of having an endless to-do list this week, make a priorities list - a list of 5 things you really want to accomplish. By focusing on these priorities you will not be side-tracked by the non-essentials.

Once you decide what is important, making choices becomes easier. Being clear about what is important is the first step in bringing order and control to your work, your home, and your life. Identifying what your priorities are, helps you to organize so that you can best focus on the things that make a difference in the quality of your life.

Ellen Faye, CPO®

Remember that you are procrastinating if you work on a trivial task while a more important one remains undone.
National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization

You can't fill your pockets with gold if they are filled with junk.

Simon Aslanian

You can't have all you want and keep all you have.
Kathy Waddell

Lost time is never found again.
Benjamin Franklin