HELP!! I just returned from my national organization’s annual conference in Baltimore. There’s no food in the house, the laundry is piled high, and I can’t see my office floor, let alone walk in it. Doesn’t that sound funny coming from a Professional Organizer? I’d like to hire one of me to organize the post-conference clutter.
To prevent any trip and fall injuries, I’ve decided to follow my own five basic steps to get things under control.
- Sort everything. Gather all the materials that are strewn on my desk and floor and put like with like. For those of you who have been to conferences, you know how many goodies you bring home with you
- Purge what I know I don’t need or won’t ever use. Okay, things are looking a little better. The pile is dwindling.
- Containerize the new workshop materials and products. After sorting and purging, I know what I needed to house everything. Alas, I already have containers from one of my other de-cluttering and organizing projects.
- Find a home for my new items. I am even ready to start using some of them immediately.
- Maintain my original system. Put items away in places that are already designated to hold them.
I scheduled the time to organize and followed my own advice of setting SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely). I didn’t get distracted by cleaning out a file drawer that had nothing to do with organizing my conference materials. And, guess what? I also had fun. I can now begin my week organized and ready to go.
I won my clutter battle, and so can you! As you can see, even Professional Organizers are challenged to stay organized. How do you feel every time you walk into your office and see files all over the floor, books around the bookshelf not on it, and the top of your desk buried with papers or even those goodies you brought back from a conference? Professional Organizers are Accountability Partners who will keep you motivated and on track, help you decide what to keep and not to keep, and develop systems and strategies for you that are easy to maintain.
About the Author
Barb, it is so true that people think we professional organizers are perfect. We are challenged in the same way every other business owner is. I think the main difference is that we all have our methods & systems, and we trust them. No matter how big the pile – we know we can tackle it because we’ve done it before.