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Organizing
for the New Year
The second
most popular New Year Resolution, running just behind
losing weight, is getting organized. Why
is it that we go into it with good intentions and energy,
only to fall back into being disorganized
and discouraged so quickly?
Getting organized isn’t
simply about cleaning up and putting things away. Getting
organized is about discovering how being disorganized is affecting
you, then setting up systems, patterns and new habits to insure
success. Disorganization can cause great stress,
as well as take a bite out of your reputation - not to mention
your finances.
First,
discover where is your disorganization affecting you. Is it
that you can’t seem to get yourself to work on time?
Is it feeling overwhelmed by all that has to be done?
Or starting things without finishing them? Are you spending
too much money in interest and late fees on bills? Watch yourself
for the next week or two and observe what areas are causing
you stress. This will give you a good focus for where to target
your efforts.
If your stress
is coming from time management issues such as not
getting to places on time, take a look at your planning process.
Start with the time you need to arrive at your location and
work backwards. Take this week to get a more realistic idea
of the actual time it takes you to shower, do your make-up,
eat breakfast, get the children ready, run an errand, and
drive to your destination. Once you have a realistic perspective
of the time, add twenty five percent more time to
your plan as a cushion for those things that come
up that you have not counted on. Now you have a realistic
measurement for how to arrive on time. Even a minor
hiccup in your plan will not cause you to be late because
you planned for it! It is important to be aware of
your activities and not try to squeeze projects like spot
cleaning the kitchen or watching television into your time.
These were not in your original plan.
Take a look at the
events, meetings, and appointments you have on your
planner or PDA for the upcoming weeks. How much time
did you allot in between appointments? Have you considered
the real time it takes and added twenty five percent to it?
If you begin aligning your schedule with this cushion of time,
I guarantee you less stress!
If getting sidetracked
is your organizational challenge, I would ask you
to jot down those items that pull you away from your focus.
You start to do the dishes and look out the window to realize
that the birdfeeder is empty. So you head on out to the garage
for additional birdseed and there in the garage you discover
that dog food supply is out. You run back in the kitchen
to make sure you write that down. In your search
for the piece of paper to jot that on, you discover a note
with a phone number on it that you were supposed to call yesterday!
You then pick up the phone to make the call and you
notice your plants have fallen over and are screaming to be
watered, so …….. you get the picture
here! At the end of this day you are exhausted and you have
nothing to show for it!
The simplest
answer to this type of disorganization is to put
new consistent patterns into place. For example,
fill the birdfeeders every Saturday and water plants
on Sunday. This way the feeder is full and the plants
are standing upright and proud. Create a generic chart
with one week on it and list those items that are sidetracking
you today and get them on a schedule. Some distractions
are out of our control. We can not schedule what
children will do or need at any given time. When life
throws the uncontrollable at us, the objective is
to schedule and plan for what we can.
Imagine what you could accomplish
if your distractions were cut in half.
Are you losing
a lot of money because you are disorganized? Are
bills not getting paid on time? First of all you need to set
up a plan for bill paying. I normally recommend the first
and the fifteenth of the month. In addition, make
a chart listing any bill you pay and if it is due the first
or second half of the month. As a Professional Organizer,
I always recommend that clients pay bills with bank drafts.
If you are uncomfortable with drafting, the second
option is to set up bill paying online. These programs
are so user friendly and can drastically cut down on the time
you have to commit to paying bills. Many programs allow you
to set up reminders. Yes, it takes some time up front to do
this, but the time it gives you back and the stress
that it relieves in the long run make it
worth the investment.
One word of caution
in establishing your “get organized” plan: take
on one organizing project at a time and stay focused
on that until it has become a habit for you. Taking
on too many projects at once will only lead to failure and
disappointment. Your goal is to be better
organized. To get there - take it slow, keep it simple and
stay focused. The rewards of being organized are stress reduction
, money saved, a better reputation and more time to do what
you want to do!
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As
a Professional Organizer, Cyndy Ratcliffe works with home and small business
owners to clear their clutter and organize what is important. She assists
individuals to reduce stress, boost their image, and be more productive
through her speaking, teaching, and hands-on coaching of organizing techniques.
