Things can get crazy. Regardless of how “on top” of things you are – little things (an unexpected twist in your schedule) and big things (an unexpected – OR expected – twist in life) can put you into a tailspin.
As I shared in my last post, it’s been a crazy year for me. One of the blessings was experiencing how my three Organize Your Life principles I’ve incorporated into my own life kept me afloat. And they didn’t just move me through the storm. They’re helping me get to a pretty cool new place.
Today, I’ll share the first part of what’s become my organizing trifecta:
Organize Your Life #1 HOME: for everything
It’s knowing where to find what you need, when you need it. It’s simple. Yet powerful.
This “Lessons from the Silverware Drawer” excerpt from Stacey Platt’s book What’s a Disorganized Person To Do? illustrates this fabulously:
source: salvador G2
If I came to your house and asked you to show me your birth certificate, would you know where to find it? What about a safety pin? Your checkbook? The receipt for your computer? An extension cord? Your 2006 tax returns? Regardless of how many or how few of these you could produce without too much digging, I bet that if I were to ask you for a fork, you would know exactly where to go to get one. Why? Because the system for organizing your flatware demonstrates four organizing principles:
- Forks are kept with forks.
- They have a single and consistent home.
- Everyone in the household is in agreement about it.
- Forks are put back there after being used (and washed!).
These principles can – and should – be applied to organizing anything in your home. Keep like things together. Give everything a home. Get the whole household on board. Put things back when you are done. It’s really that simple.
Stacey Platt – What’s a Disorganized Person To Do?
Quick Sidenote! Don’t be fooled by appearance – even the most pristine on the surface homes can have homeless things galore. (Have company coming over in an hour? I can show you how to “organize” your entire house in 59 minutes. But that’s another post – and a very temporary “solution”!)
Back to the lasting solution: While we’ve probably heard Benjamin Franklin’s wise words “A place for everything, everything in its place” hundreds of times, many of us don’t truly practice it. (Notice the word “practice” because it’s really a habit – not a one time thing.)
How will HOME – for everything benefit you? (Envisioning these benefits can be quite the motivator!)
- Saves time (even if it’s a few seconds of searching each time you open the fridge door, those seconds add up)
- Saves money (no more duplicates – not to mention when saving time, you’re more than likely saving $)
- Lowers stress (notice how stress levels rise in proportion to time spent searching for something?!) And lower stress has its own benefits including health and beauty to better focus and results)
- Makes putting stuff away SO much easier (even if you let things completely go for a bit)
When I began making this a habit, everything from my virtual stuff to car console stuff became so much easier to manage. Which makes life easier to manage.
Take action!
- What’s homeless in your home? (Or workspace?) You don’t have to do a whole house overhaul. To keep from getting overwhelmed, simply focus on one item / category at a time. Begin paying attention to what you spend time looking for, and give it a smart home.
- Get in the habit of putting stuff back in its place. And if you need to let things slide, just take time at the end of the day or week to get things back in order.
HOME – for everything makes keeping things in order so much easier. And “easier” means you’re much more likely to do it (which is key to making it stick!).
Up next… I’ll share my second of three Organize Your Life principles. Until then, stay warm!!!
All the best,
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