As promised yesterday, I will be sharing tips and tricks for organizing, the “principles” or “rules” for getting and staying organized that I have shared with my organizing clients.
The primary goal of sharing these secrets is to provide you, my readers, with easy-to-follow guidelines so that you can spend more time creating.
How can I possibly offer you more time for creating?
Well, it’s simple, really. By providing you with easy-to-understand and follow concepts.
Learn and follow these simple steps and you are likely to:
- Waste less time hunting for misplaced items, and/or moving them from here to there to here to there to here… (you get the picture)
- Use more of what you already own (or make room for new treasures)
- Spend less money as a result of over-purchasing (because you didn’t really need what you bought, can’t recall what you already own, or because it’s just easier to buy it again than to locate it!)
- Enjoy spending time in your creative space – whatever and wherever it might be
- Feel less stressed
- Be More Productive!!!
In addition, should you choose to apply these basics to the rest of your home or office, you are likely to enjoy the same level of increased enjoyment and productivity, and lower spending and stress levels.
Ready?
Then let’s get started!
Rule #1: Being organized is NOT about being perfect!
It’s not about YOU being PERFECT, or your space being perfect. It IS about finding solutions that WORK…for YOU.
It IS about YOU being in control of your environment, your stuff, your time, your money and your productivity.
And, it’s about you feeling less stress and more enjoyment.
Rule #2: Everything you allow into your life becomes an obligation to you.
Read that again:
EVERYTHING you allow into your life becomes an OBLIGATION to YOU.
What does that mean?
That means that once it crosses the threshold of your space (whether that’s your front door or your craft space door, or even your car door), you are now responsible for that thing. And, this applies to that which YOU bring in and that which OTHERS bring in.
In the case of craft supplies you have purchased, you have now paid for them (meaning you had to work hard to make the money to pay for them) and must now find a way to safely organize and store them, and most likely clean and insure them.
This costs you – it costs you time and money, and physical and mental effort.
So, next time you are holding that item in your hand, determining its fate, think hard: do you really want the obligation of this item?
Rule #3: Weigh your purchase decisions, carefully.
Every time you are about to make a purchase, ask yourself these questions:
- Do I LOVE it?
- Do I NEED this or simply WANT it?
- Will I actually USE it (and how often)?
- Could I borrow or rent it instead?
- Do I need it/will I use it NOW?
- Where will I STORE it?
- Is it really the BEST way to spend my hard-earned dollars?
- Does this purchase help me reach one of my goals, or fulfill a resolution or intention?*
*This one might be tough to answer. You see, we are exposed to some 3,200+ marketing messages a day, each one telling us we’ll be more popular, more attractive, more successful or even happier if we have THIS one thing. Well, that is until the NEXT THING comes along.
With practice, however, you can get better at determining whether or not these temptations are worth your money and effort or better left on the shelf. The thing to remember is to do your best to make purchase decisions based on your goals. Yes, your goals.
How does one do that? Quite easily. Does this purchase get me to a goal? Yes or no? If it does, then it is worth considering. If not, then it stays right where you found it!
Here’s an example: you made a list of resolutions (or as I like to call them, intentions). One of those intentions was to create more scrapbook pages this year. You’re holding in your hand a knitting kit. Do you buy it or don’t you? Well, does it get you closer to your goal? If you also had “learn to knit” as a goal, then yes, it might. But, if learning to knit is not on your list, and spending time learning to knit or spending money on knitting supplies means you can’t get what you need for scrapping or you won’t have time for making more scrapbook pages, then that wonderful kit is better left behind. Go find something to help you reach your goal of scrapbooking more pages this year, if you simply must buy something.
Rule #4: There is no “someday.”
There is a Sunday, a Monday, a Tuesday, a Wednesday, a Thursday, a Friday and a Saturday.
But, there is NO SOMEDAY!
That means there is no “Someday I’ll find a space for this,” no “Someday I’ll put these things away and get organized,” no “Someday I’ll use this,” or “Someday I’ll find a new home for this.”
It’s now or never, folks!
Yup, this is where I don the hat of the Hardcore Organizer Lady (as one of my clients so aptly named me!) and I force you to be honest with yourself and take action…NOW!
If you bought it, find it an appropriate home and store it. If you use it, put it away when you’re done using it. If you are not using it, and really don’t NEED it, sell it, give it away, donate it or toss it.
Nope, someday will never come. Act now!
And, that brings me to the next rule…Rule #5
See you next time…
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