Staying Organized and Stress-Free, Part 3
What are the best practices for finally getting organized?
Getting organized for the first time can be an extremely exciting (or
frustrating) time because you’re faced with a gargantuan pile of tasks but
you also foresee a most tantalizing reward: to finally be able to live and
work in a space with little or no clutter.
Today, I am going to share with you some organizational tips straight from
the experts, so you can begin hammering away on your own clutter issues
at home or at work.
The Golden Rules of Getting Organized
1. Create a Detailed Clutter Map – This might sound depressing to some
of you, but it’s the most important part of your blueprint for conquering
clutter and finally ending the chronic stress caused by disorganization.
You have to create a detailed Clutter Map of the spaces that you want to
organize and clean up so you will not become overwhelmed with all the
things that you have to do.
Often, people just give up because they view all the clutter as this
monolithic and immovable mass (like a mountain!)
While it is true that physical clutter can reach epic proportions, the only way
that you can practicably tackle it is by performing a series of clean ups.
Getting organized is not an overnight endeavor. If you’ve seen TV shows
that tackled extreme clutter, you may already have a clue as to how much
work it actually takes to straighten out a cluttered space.
Even an army of a dozen men will require several days of continuous
cleaning and clearing to straighten out two large rooms of an ordinarysized house.
I am stating these facts not to discourage people from trying but to
empower others to start as soon as possible if they want to see results
quickly.
Now, it’s important that you set specific goals for yourself as you create a
detailed Clutter Map. You need goals and milestones so have clear proof
that you are progressing with your de-cluttering efforts.
2. Start Right Now – Starting right now sounds a bit crazy, but there is no
better time to get organized than the present time.
As soon as you get up from your chair or bed, start clearing away at the
clutter nearest you. If you don’t have a Clutter Map yet, that’s alright: you
can make one after you spend a few minutes getting organized.
It doesn’t matter if you can only clear one table or cabinet at a time. The
important thing is you’ve actually started something and you can
immediately see the difference when you dip your toes into getting
organized.
3. Get Serious About Clutter – In all my years of coaching people with
stress-related problems, I’ve found that one of the most challenging
hurdles is to start taking something new seriously.
I have met countless people who thought “stress management” was simply
a fad or worse, a joke – as if millions of people weren’t suffering from toxic
and chronic stress.
If you have a similar mindset about getting organized, let me be the
first person to tell you that you’re going to have a hard time freeing
yourself of clutter if you don’t take things seriously.
Surprisingly, the best attitude to motivate yourself to start de-cluttering
your home or office is to get really angry at the disorganization of your
living or working spaces.
If you start viewing clutter as the enemy or at the very least, an overstaying
guest in your living space, you will begin to take clutter very seriously and
you will no longer allow yourself to make more excuses not to clean up.
4. Don’t Be Afraid to Dive Into Deep Clutter – Clearing clutter can
become a frustrating and anxiety-causing enterprise when you begin
seeing the extent of the disorganization that you have to tackle. I call this
“fighting from the trenches”.
The effort needed to clear clutter and stay organized is literally a battle
against present and future clutter. Here are some tips to stay strong even if
you feel like you’re already sinking while cleaning up your living spaces:
i. If you can’t think of a good use for something, choose any of these three:
throw it away, sell it or donate it.
ii. People often make 2 piles when de-cluttering their home or office: a
“keep” pile and a “throw away” pile. Check your “keep” pile to see if you can
discard more stuff. Thin it out a few times to make sure you’re not hanging
on to useless stuff.
iii. When you decide to throw away something, forget about it and move
forward. If you keep reviewing your “throw away” pile you will only become
emotionally and physically drained.
iv. Create a small support network so you can call someone if things get too
intense or difficult.
v. If you can’t throw away something because you might use it someday,
put it in a box and write the date that is exactly three months from the day
you placed the item in the box. If you didn’t even touch the item after 3
months, discard it!