Enjoy this great piece on organization, by Chris Hall:
"Liz asked me to talk about organization for her February BlogSpot. It is a bit funny because if you asked my mother she would tell you I have not always been neat or organized. During my teenage years she would just close the door to my room. Being organized is truly a skill I have obtained over the years. Is there a difference between being neat and being organized and if so what does it cost you NOT to be organized?
Most people can pull off being neat but being organized is a different animal all together. Admittedly at this point in my life I would consider myself to be fairly OCD but find this “skill”/affliction to be reassuring not to mention time and money saving for my clients and myself. I plan ahead and I know where everything is, saving both time and money. How much time and money does it cost you to not be organized? Most people would be shocked if they sat down and added up the amount of time and money that is lost per year in not being organized. Remember when you couldn’t find your car keys? How about the time you needed to reference a bill or receipt but couldn’t find it? Where did the scotch tape go?
Being organized is about systems and routine. I know it is not sexy or spontaneous but it saves running around in circles. When I talk to clients about the space we are organizing I like to ask questions that pertain to them in particular. How do you use this space? How do you want to use this space? What are the things you need access to regularly?
Storage is often times an issue which perpetuates the problem. I try not to use large containers as smaller boxes are easier to pack and stack, especially for those papers or objects that you don’t need to get your hands on regularly. Banker boxes are great for this purpose as they don’t get too heavy and can be labeled. Making use of the inexpensive variety of stylish containers you can now get at Target, Office Depot and The Container Store help to organize all your “things”. If you want to find your keys every day then put them in the same place when you come in the door. It is the same thing for your office or space which is to say that everything has a place and a place that makes sense to you so you will continue to replace, put back or file after each use.
The biggest problem most people have is that they either don’t have a system or follow through regularly with the “system”. They put one thing down expecting to get back to it later. The next thing goes on top of that and so on and so on until the pile appears insurmountable. This is when it is helpful to have a third party come in. I find my clients are more likely to let go of papers/objects when I am physically there asking the question “Do you need to keep this?” This also tends to speed up the process as most individuals take weeks, on their own, to accomplish what should take a few hours.
Once given a system most if not all of my clients are proud to say months later that the space is still as pristine as when I left. At the end of the day being organized saves time, money and stress. The extra time you have by being organized helps you to be more productive in your life, work and family. Take a deep breath and take back your life and GET ORGANIZED!"
Chris Hall owns and operates Bluegrass Go2Girl. Beyond organizing, BGG2G offers a myriad of other tasks to help people get back their time. Check out the website here
Happy Organizing!!
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