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How to Get Organized

Are you organized? If not, learn how to plan it! Get the resources, and then commit to doing it. It is important to get organized at home and in the workplace.

Statistics

• Cleaning professionals say that getting rid of excess clutter would eliminate 40 percent of the housework in an average home, according to the National Soap and Detergent Association.
• According to the Self-Storage Association, 1 in 11 American households rents a self-storage space, spending over $1,000 a year in rent and contributing to a multibillion-dollar industry.
• According to the National Soap and Detergent Association, 80 percent of the clutter in most homes is a result of disorganization, not lack of space.
• For every hour of planning, three to four hours are saved from redundancy, waiting for information, not being prepared, and poorly managed tasks.

Are you organized?

• Do you find yourself looking for things?
• If you look around your space do you see clutter, such as stacks or piles of papers?
• Can you find your important papers easily?
• How does this affect your coworkers and family members?
• Are you paying for storage space outside of your home?

Are you disorganized?

• Do your junk drawers have junk drawers?
• When you ask your phone's personal assistant what your day looks like, does it respond, "You don't want to know"?
• Do you regularly check your Facebook page to see what you've been up to?
• Has your personal philosophy become, "If I can't find it, I probably don't need it"?
• Do you see people who are organized as suffering from a diagnosable mental disorder?

Reasons for Being Disorganized

People are busy, so there are many reasons why one might be disorganized. Reasons might include your life situation, habits, family history and how you were raised, social behavior, chronic issues, inability to make decisions about "stuff," and the fact that you accepted disorganization as a fact of life.

Organizational Skills: Separating Fact from Fiction

Myth: You have to be neat in order to be organized.
Fact: Being organized is not about appearance, it's about function.

Myth: You have to be born with the ability to be organized.
Fact: Being organized is a skill, and, like all skills, it can be learned.

Myth: Throwing things away is the only way to get organized.
Fact: You don't have to get rid of anything; you just have to find a place for it.

Why get organized?

Ask yourself these questions:

• Why do you want to get organized?
• How will your life be improved?
• What are you waiting for?
• Do you have too much, or not enough, time?

Organizing may take more time than you think, but it's time well spent! It's the little things that count. Learn to control the control freak. Remember that tomorrow never comes, and when it does, it's today.

What Being Organized Does for You

• It reduces stress.
• It makes a good impression.
• It can be a safety issue.
• It can ease relationships with others.
• It increases productivity.
• It saves money!

Planning

• Go room by room and evaluate.
• Make lists.
• Visualize what you want your space to look like.
• Divide and conquer! Start by sorting like things together—don't overthink it—and assess what you have.
• Decide what to keep, sell, donate, or throw away.

What do you need?

Think about resources that will help you to be more organized. Here are some ideas:

• An A–Z file
• Bins and baskets
• Drawer space
• Labels
• Garbage can—throw stuff out!
• Time (Set up a regular time to do your organizing projects weekly—a little at a time.)

Getting Organized at Home: Best Practices

• You don't need two of anything.
• Have an empty cabinet or drawer as a backup.
• Save one object, donate one object.
• Find a good place for everything, and put everything away in its place.
• Simplify, simplify, simplify!
• Break your organizing into small projects. Don't try to tackle your whole space in one day—set smaller, achievable goals.

Getting Organized at Work

• Organize your work surface:
  • Only keep what you are working on at that moment.
  • Use technology, calendars, to-do lists in your email and other programs.
• Create an A–Z file, and use it.
• Think before you print!
• Only handle it once (OHIO).

Storage Pros and Cons

Pros

• There are times when you may need to store some items.
• It can free up space so you can better use your living and work space.
• It can create a space for items, so everyone in the family or office can find things (supplies, tools).

Cons

• Storage can be the delay of decision making on what to do with "stuff."
• "Out of sight, out of mind" can lead to storing unneeded items.
• Off-site storage can be expensive.
• It leaves a problem for loved ones when left as part of an estate.

It's about time!

Follow the five Ds to make the most of the time you have:

• Delete the task: Create a Not to Do list for things you have decided can't be done.
• Delay the task: Decide what is still important but can be done later.
• Diminish the task: Reduce the task to its most basic components.
• Delegate the task: Ask for help.
• Stay Determined to stay on task: Be aware of distractions and bad work habits.

When It Becomes a Problem

Some clutter is healthy—to a certain point. When you think it may become unhealthy, and you feel you cannot throw things out, you may want to contact your employee assistance program (EAP) or a counselor for help. You could also consider taking a class on organization, or finding a support group.

Clearing the Space in Your Head

• "When I have time, I'll get to it." (When will you have time?)
• "If it can't be perfect, why do it?" (It doesn't have to be perfect; just start with making a minor improvement.)
• "I know I've not used it in years, but someday I will." (If you haven't used it in years, you probably won't use it.)
• "This 36-step plan to get organized looks good." (Keep it simple!)
• "Those new storage containers will make it so much easier to put things away." (They will only increase the clutter if you don't use them or if you're hiding things you don't need.)

The Five Stages of Loss

People might go through stages similar to the stages of grief, as they progress on the road to disorganization:

• Denial: "It's not so bad. There is a method to my madness. I have a system."
• Bargaining: "OK, just let me catch up on this, and I will never, ever get behind again."
• Anger: "@^#*^(@^(@(&))!!!"
• Depression: "What's the point? As soon as you get caught up, there will always be more."
• Acceptance: "OK, I got this."

In Summary

• Organizational skills are not inborn. You can use inborn traits to develop and enhance these skills.
• Investing time in getting organized is worth it. In return, you save time and reduce stress.
• Someone else's organizational system may not work for you. You are more likely to stay organized if you make it your own.
• Good organization is an ongoing process—the activity is the goal.