The Stress Talk

I view organization in two ways: effective or ineffective. If what you are happy with your type of organization – why change?

We can be very judgmental. I think we spend too much time wondering what other people think about our organizational ability. We often make assumptions about people whose organizational style is different than our own.

What does matter is that you are comfortable with your own organizational skills. Whether you fold your underwear or color code your closet, or drop everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) into a big pile on the floor; you should give yourself permission to be who you are and not let the opinion of others’ upset you. However, if you wish you were more effective. Read on!

Anyway, I digress. The focus of this article is to offer a simple plan for organizing yourself. The first idea is to help with organizing things. The second is a suggestion about organizing your time. The ideas below can work equally well for a school, a house, or a work space.

Three Box System: How To Organize Your Things

First, get three boxes. In large letters label the boxes:

Write ‘THROW AWAY’ on the first box. The second box is the ‘GIVE AWAY’ box. On the third box, write ‘PUT AWAY’.

Sort through a cluttered area and ask yourself three questions to decide which box an item goes into:

1. Have I used this item in the past year? a. Yes? – Put it away. b. No? – Throw or give away 2. Does the item have sentimental or monetary value? a. Yes? – Is it something you want to keep or is it time to pass it on to someone else who would appreciate it? b. No? – Throw or give away. If you want less clutter in your space, you will absolutely need to let go of some stuff! 3. Do I know someone who could use this? a. Yes? – Great! Give it to them. If you think you might need it sometime, just ask them if you would be able to borrow it if you ever need it. b. No? – You can always donate items to the Salvation Army or another charitable society.

WARNING – Beware of the phrase ‘You never know when this will come in handy.’ You’ll never be able to throw or give anything away because it’s too easy to convince yourself that you are being prudent by keeping everything.

Create A To Do List To Organize Your Time

We are all given the same 24 hours in a day to accomplish things. I’m fascinated by how we all make our choices and turn out so differently. Some are billionaires, some are famous celebrities, some are just happy, and,of course, some are neither rich nor happy.

One simple thing you can do to get a better control of your time is to create a daily to do list. It doesn’t matter what you write the list on – as long as you keep it with you. The idea is that you write down all the things you need to get done as they pop up throughout the day including appointments, errands, grocery list items, etc.

In the morning – before things get busy – review your tasks for the day and pick two or three other things that you can complete that day. You won’t always get everything done – just be pleased that you accomplished something! If there are chores that keep getting shuffled to the bottom of the list – that’s okay. There are days when you have nothing to do – that’s when you go after those types of tasks.

Ask yourself if there is anything on your list that you can get someone else to do. Sometimes we think we have to do everything ourselves; which is usually not the only solution.

Organization Can Become A Habit

Whatever you are used to doing is a habit – and it will take a concentrated effort on your part to change. It has been said that it takes 21 days to replace a habit. Why do most New Year’s Resolutions fade? Because we don’t focus on them long enough to become a new habit.

Repetition Is Key To Making A New Habit Stick

So, in your journey to become more effective with your time and/or space be aware that it takes about a month of constant, conscious repetition to make a lasting personal change.