Six Tips to Start Your Organizing Journey

I am not a naturally organized person. For some, keeping things neat, tidy and orderly is just a way of life.

That is not me! For me, being organized is an intentional, repeated and mindful act. My internal dialogue goes something like this, "don't lay that there, put it where it belongs, it takes as much effort to place it in the wrong place as it does in the right place."Funny right? I want to be an organized person, it helps me manage my day and life better and reduces my stress. Those reasons are my why. Answering the why is

first step in a more organized and intentional life.

Define your Why

Prior to this journey I read a lot of articles on how to become a more organized person. I've absorbed many great tips and how tos that I implemented. I've purchased the organizer bins, dividers, baskets, label maker and more. You name it and I've probably purchased or used it on the path to becoming more organized. What I failed to do was ask myself why I needed to be more organized. Depending on the stage of life I was in, the answer would be different however what it all comes back to is how being more organized creates calm in my life. Knowing where something is every time verses have to think about the last place I might have had it and begin the search for it is disruptive and stressful. My why is I crave and need as much calm in my life as I can build into it. My why is I want to use my time wisely and for activities I love not wasting it frantically searching. My why is it makes me a more present and happy wife, mother and member of society. Why will being more organized benefit you? How will it positively impact your every day and life? Before you begin any organizing activity, define and understand your why.

Be Honest about who you are

I often refer to my goals as my ideal self and my realistic self. Meaning, the ideal version of myself will do all the steps, maintain the diet, exercise on the schedule etc. The version of me in my head does what I set out to do. Then there is the real version of me, the one that won't follow the overly restrictive diet for longer than a week, the one who loves the way micro organized systems look but needs the functionality of a macro system. You should start your organized journey with accepting your realistic self and fashioning your organization goals around how that person will really operate in those scenarios. I love the way rolled spa towels look displayed in linen closets or bathrooms (ideal self) but the real Sharon is only going to make a small effort to get the towels folded and put away as quickly as possible. In another stage of life, I may spa roll my towels, but today my realistic self will only fold :). Its ok to have an ideal self, that person is who you aspire to and grow to be. Its also ok to realize who you are today, accept that version and make organization work for you rather than you working to be organized. Which brings me to my next tip.

Organize for you

We've all looked at Pinterest or Instagram for inspiration and come across those perfect spaces, pantries where everything is perfectly decanted and zoned, bedrooms are immaculate, drool worthy living rooms and say I want that. Those spaces are all very worthy of the attention they get. I too aspire to have spaces that are clutter free, perfectly organized and Pinterest worthy but I also recognize that the person I am envying may not have an organization style that works for me. I have taken this quiz from Clutterbug to understand my organizing style, I'm a cricket and according to this quiz, I love micro organizing. Think small dividers within a larger container, each item having its own space and individually labeled. It is true when I think of myself that I love to organize to the most individual level however I am not the only person living and functioning in my home. I am part of a family of four. As much as I love the detailed organizing, it does not work well for my household or family memebers. I've adjusted my organizing style to maximize the functionality for everyone in my family. That gives me the greatest chance of everyone using my system. Its not too complicated and hard to follow. So while you may love the visual look of someone else's organizing system, you need to ask if you will have the time and energy to maintain that type of organization and does it work for the majority of those who will have to use the system. Simple is often more consistentanly used than complicated so strive to keep things simple and adjust along the way.

Don't Buy Anything

As you begin, you will be tempted to buy the pretty containers, the dividers, bins and baskets. I know this may be hard, but resist the urge. I learned this way to late in my journey, but containers and tools do not equal organized. You might find yourself like me, wasting money on tools that don't work or fit my organizing style and goals. What l learned way too late is I already have tons of organizing tools all around my house. I either 1. couldn't find them because of my lack of organization or 2. need to be a little creative with what I already have on hand. I'll say this again, containers and tools do not make you organized and they can actually make the process worse. Rather than addressing piles of items, I'd stuff them into Rubbermaid containers and hide them in the backs of closets, the garage and attic. When I finally decided to address my issue, I had numerous boxes, bins and baskets full of stuff I had forgotten about, no longer used or needed. It was decision making overload and cost me time, energy and mental anguish. As bad as this might sound, seeing the full extent of what you need to organize will give you a better idea of the project.

Have a Written Plan of Action

There is a saying "A goal without a date is just a dream." The same goes for organizing, Pinterest pins, Instagram photos, hope are not a solid strategy for getting your life organized. Writing out what you want to accomplish and why keeps the end goal at the forefront of your mind. My action plan is simple to keep me from getting frustrated and overwhelmed. I start by writing my why, what area I will tackle and how I want the final organized space to function. Here's an example:

Start Small

In organizing and decluttering you first need to strengthen your decision making muscle. When starting this journey you may have lofty ideas of how much and quickly you will organize. Set that aside for a short while and learn from my mistakes. I wanted to organize quickly. My goal was to have my whole house Pinterest worthy in a month. I jumped right in, bought way to many organizing solutions and was less than impressed with the results. The reason is, I gave myself way to much credit (ideal self) on how much time and energy I would dedicate to organizing and decluttering. I also overestimated my decision making confidence. I thought I would either easily get rid of things I didn't need or quickly come up with an organizing solution for the items I kept. I was incapable of doing either.

The reason our spaces get disorganized in the first place is because we don't make decisions to keep or get rid of things often or consistently enough. We purchased those items with a purpose in mind and maybe never get back around to the doing part. All of that comes flooding back to you when you decide to organize and you need to build up both your ability to decide to keep or purge as well as creating a system that works at keeping your items organized. Those type of decisions take time and energy. Build up your decision making confidence, look for inspiration on organizing and organized spaces and consider whether a solution will work for how your home and spaces operate.

Start with a small space like a drawer or spare closet and start flexing your decision making skills. Set a realistic deadline to accomplish your goal, how many days/hours you will dedicate to organizing. I suggest breaking it down into one hour time slots but even if you don't do that added step add your completion date to your calendar. Write your why and how the space will function once organized and post it where it will be visible. Spend a few minutes or days mentally preparing for the activity of organizing then begin.

Get Started

My tips are here to help you in your process but take action. Don't delay, your organized, clear space will make your life easier and contribute to a happier you. I heard this from The Minimalist, "Day one or one day, you decide." Let's make today the beginning of a new, organized you.