Set your organizational goals and make them realistic. Don’t try to organize every area of your life at once because this will be too overwhelming. The most important thing to remember with any organizing task that you tackle is to be realistic with your expectations and about what you can accomplish in the time you have allotted.
Break your organizing task into small manageable pieces. Like any other project we undertake, our only real hope for success is to identify the action steps and complete them one by one. The same thing is true about getting organized. Instead of saying that today is the day you are going to organize your entire office, try selecting one specific place to start such as the top drawer of your desk or your briefcase.
So what do you do next?
Once you have decided where to start, the rest is downhill. Follow these simple steps and you will be assured of making measurable progress in a short period of time.
- Remove items from the designated area.
- Sort the items by grouping like things together.
- Toss or recycle the things you no longer need. Ask yourself why you are keeping it and if it still serves a purpose. If you are still having trouble “letting go,” then ask yourself what is the worst thing that could happen if you toss it? If you can live with your answer, then get rid of it.
- Containerize items to keep similar items together and make it easier to retrieve them. Use drawer dividers, file folders, binders, and appropriate storage boxes for this purpose.
- Replace items in the designated area.
About the Author
Barry J. Izsak, CPO, is the immediate past president of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), the author of Organize Your Garage in No Time, and the co-author of Exploring Productivity. He is a national speaker, founder of ARRANGING IT ALL™ in Austin, Texas, and a Certified Professional Organizer (CPO). Barry has been featured in hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles, as well as on television and radio talk shows nationwide. For more information, visit www.ArrangingItAll.com.
