A.C.T. to Get Organized Now-Put a Little SPARK in Your Life

(Ten Tips for Getting Organized)

If you are feeling the “urge to purge,” you are not alone!  Do your home, office, calendar and inbox all appear to be overflowing with more stuff, paper, commitments and emails than are humanly possible to manage?  Whatever your organizing challenge may be, there is a great formula that can help you cage the beast!  The acronym A.C.T. will help you know where to start!

ASSESS:  Take a look at where you are and assess your situation.  What is driving you crazy?  There may be more than one area that is frustrating you. That is OK!  For now, choose the one that is creating the most chaos and stress for you. Has the situation been created by you alone or are there contributors?  What are the costs you have experienced in time, energy, health, finances and relationships from being disorganized?  Be honest and patient with yourself. Very few of us had the opportunity to take a “get organized” class in high school or college. So if being organized is not your natural tendency, it is not surprising that you are struggling a bit!  Write down, draw or map the problems—get it all out!!!

CREATE:  When you have determined where you are, you will then be able to begin.  Create in your mind a vision of how you would like things to be.  Picture the wonderful family time in your tidy kitchen.  Imagine how you will feel when your papers are easily filed, located and purged.  Think of the peace you will have knowing that you have a realistic schedule on your calendar, and that your digital data is up-to-date, safe, accessible and useful!  Visualize it—and again, write it down, draw it or map it out.  Don’t set limits on yourself—this is your dream and you are the boss!

TACKLE: Once you know where you currently are and where you want to go, you are ready to the tackle the job.  Plan some time to focus on your plan—you didn’t get here overnight and you’ll need to acknowledge it will take a little time to move forward. 

If you could use a little S.P.A.R.K. to get you started, here you go!  This formula will work for organizing ANYTHING.

SORT: Begin by sorting like things together.  In a closet—all the white shirts, the jeans, the dress shoes, accessories—would be sorted into piles.  On your calendar, categorize by the parts of your life—perhaps, home and family, personal, job, volunteer responsibilities, etc.  Paper might be sorted by medical, bills to pay, contact information, etc.  The important piece here is to not get stuck making decisions whether or not to get rid of something or not—unless it is obvious garbage.  Just sort like items with like items. This will help you be prepared for the next step.

PURGE:  Here is where many people get lost.  Whether you are fearful that you might need something in the future or that you may be showing disrespect to a gift-giver or previous owner, you will be able to come up with all types of reasons to keep something.  A favorite saying of mine is that “Clutter is the result of delayed decisions.”  Decide to decide.  If you are truly interested in creating order and peace for yourself, you are going to need to let some things go.

Most of us use only 20% of what we have 80% of the time—think about that!  You’ll see that it is typically true!  Because you have already placed like things together, you will be able to logically recognize that you do not need nine yellow t-shirts or five can openers—something you hadn’t realized before sorting things together.

As you go through things, you will need a box or bag for four collections:  Things to Keep, Things to Donate, Trash, and Things That Go Elsewhere.  The “elsewhere” box or bag will keep you from leaving your current project to put something away and ending up being distracted.  It can all be put away when you are finished! 

ASSIGN A HOME:  Once you have completed the purging stage, you will then be able to see what it is that you have left to organize and store.  Then you can begin to determine what area is best for storing each type of item.  Create zones in a room or categories in a file drawer that make sense, keeping the things use most often in the areas easiest to access and easiest to put away. 

ROUND UP CONTAINERS:  It is important to save this step until now so that you are sure what it is you are storing and where it will be kept.  Be sure to measure your items and the storage space before shopping.  Note that containers for kids’ items should be easy for them to use—perhaps without lids.  One goal is to make putting things away EASY.  There are great containers available at low cost or no cost—this doesn’t have to be a big investment!

KEEP IT UP!  Spending a few minutes each day to keep up your new system will ensure that you will not have to do it again!  Put things away NOW—not in a minute!  Make sure that you have allowed a little space – in your room, your files, your calendar – for breathing room and something wonderful to come.  When our lives are so full of things from the past, it leaves no room for amazing things to come in the future.

 And, one last suggestion: Something in, something out.  When something new comes along, allow something old to leave.  That will help maintain the order and calm you have created!

Remember the phrase:  ACT to get organized now!  Put a little SPARK in your life!  You can do this!  Just start!  And, little by little, you will have created and life and space you deserve!

Laura Lawrence,
Professional Organizer, Audio Show Co-Host
801-376-3367
www.theorganizedwomanshow.com
www.harmonywithin.com