Not getting organized can be depressing, exasperating and time wasting. How many wonderful creative ideas don’t go anywhere because they are never given necessary balance and life by ordered steady organization? Life can seem chaotic and overwhelming when we are not organized.

Ironically people often don’t take time to get organized because they feel this delays them in what they want to do or is time wasting in itself!

But have you ever tried to ‘save time’ by not reading the instructions when assembling a piece of furniture only to find that you have done something wrong and end up wasting more time?

It is organization which gathers the fruits of creativity then turns them into something real.

When you start to get organized you will notice a wonderful sense of relief fill all areas of your life. All kinds of activities start to become enjoyable and satisfying that weren’t before. Getting organized gives you extra energy, making you feel more capable and on top of things.

Feeling any of the following?

• Everything in your life is out of control
• Too much on your plate to handle
• Scattered
• Frustrated
• Ideas with no movement
• Cluttered

If so, it’s time to get organized. To achieve organization on the inside, you will need to take steps to become organized on the outside:

• Clarify your priorities
• Simplify your objectives
• Decide how you want your belongings and your lifestyle arranged
• Keep stuff where it belongs

Organize your space

Whether it’s your home, bedroom, kitchen, office, PC, closet, desk, locker, etc., you need to see what’s in there.

Throw away anything you don’t regularly use (or put it in storage where it can be accessed easily) and give everything else a convenient and clearly designated space.

Clean out your things before you think about organizing. Don’t do it the other way around. You can only really specifically know what space you have when you’ve cleaned up. Take a good look at what you’re stuffing in your spaces, otherwise you’ll waste time and money organizing stuff you don’t need.

Monitor how you use your things and work out how to use space efficiently. Make it easy to get to things. Make it easy to get to and put away the things you need most often. Put things where you use them most. For example, pots get stored near the stove, envelopes and stamps are stored in the desk, stain remover and bleach goes in the laundry room or linen closet. (You’d be surprised how many people just put things “wherever” and then are surprised when doing anything is tremendously inconvenient.)

Be aware of what just takes up space. Be sure to de-clutter regularly.

Good questions to ask yourself in deciding:

• Do I need this?
• Will I need this in a year?
• Have I used this in the last year?
• Do I really love it?
• Is there someone else who could use this more?
• Do I have more than I could reasonably use in foreseeable future?
• Will I miss this if I don’t have it?

Know what “being organized” looks and feels like. Organized spaces are simple to use. They have enough room for the items there. It makes sense. Every item in your home has a location. Organized spaces also feel calm, open, and welcoming.

Use timers. Set a timer for how long you think a cleaning organizing task should take then work like crazy to get it done in the allotted time.

Have a spot for all bills. Open all mail immediately and dispose of the outer envelope with the junk mail. Keep only the bill in a prominent location.

(Coming soon…”Once you establish where everything belongs…”)