The following post is from Laura of I’m an Organizing Junkie: Create a Plan for Organizing Success
The first step in any organizing endeavor is to create a plan for success. Why? Without a plan, you’ll have no direction or road map for your journey. You may flounder, knowing you want to make a change but not knowing how or where to start. A plan can help you identify the necessary steps required to achieve optimal results for organizing YOUR way.
It’s not difficult for us to imagine how we’d like our spaces to look. We look through magazines of highly organized and uncluttered spaces and imagine how perfect our lives would be if only our spaces looked like that. But those spaces aren’t organized YOUR way and won’t necessarily be practical for YOUR organizing needs, and that’s where having a plan comes into play.
To find out your needs, you’ll first have to ask yourself some very important questions.
Start by looking around each room and making a list of what isn’t working for you. Why does it bother you? What areas stress you the most? Drill it down as far as possible because you can’t address the problem(s) until you know what the issues are.
Table of Contents
Purpose
How would you like the space to function? How many activities do you need to fit into the space? Who will use the space? Be specific about your needs; list them out and identify them one by one. Next put some priority beside each one to help you determine where to start.
Budget
What kind of budget do you have for organizing products and solutions? Be realistic about this step but don’t get discouraged if you don’t have a big budget. Storage solutions are available for all sorts of price points, and purging is free! Don’t worry about finding those particular products right now, as this comes later in the organizing process.
Time
What kind of time do you have available for tackling this task? Can you set aside 15 minutes a day, an hour, or sometimes on the weekend? Whatever time you can manage, it’s good to know in advance that this is your dedicated time to help avoid procrastination. If other family members contribute to the space, have a family meeting and discuss how the whole family can get involved.
Habits
How willing are you to make the changes necessary to achieve the purpose and vision you have for your space? Do not set yourself up for failure. Know your clutter standards and look to create systems that won’t be more work to maintain than the time you have available to manage it. However, it’s important to recognize that, as with anything new, it will require some commitment on your part to make lasting change.
Help
Along with family members, perhaps you need to also enlist some unbiased help, someone that isn’t as attached to your stuff as you are that would be willing to give you an objective eye and hold you accountable. Do you have a friend you can call? Or perhaps you might want to consider the help of a professional organizer. You can find a professional organizer in your area by visiting these sites.
US: National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals
Canada: Professional Organizers in Canada
Following these tips will make your organizing efforts a success.
Which space would you like to tackle next? Have you got yourself a plan?
| Laura is a wife and mother to three great kids, lives in Alberta, Canada, and is an addict to all things organizing. You can find her blogging regularly at I’m an Organizing Junkie, and her organizing book, Clutter Rehab: 101 Organizing Tips & Tricks to Become an Organization Junkie and Love It!, will hit bookstore shelves in December 2010. |
