Five  Four   Three    Two    and  ONE!  Happy New Year!

You are already ahead of the game of getting organized in 2020 by getting support like this. Congratulations!

If you have reviewed all four, now your attitude is adjusted a bit, you have a few ideas for new habits and you know your why. With that, it’s time to start getting organized. This, of course, is the hard part. To follow are some ideas to help make this easier for you

Firstly, give yourself time. If you have been disorganized for a few months, you may get thing back in order in a few hours. But if you have been disorganized for months or years, it will take time. This is a journey. You will be learning new skills, getting better at making those postponed decisions and changing old habits. Be patient.

Secondly, schedule it and be committed as you would be for any important event. Put organizing on your calendar. Ideally for at least 2 hours or more to gain momentum. Perhaps just start with once a month. If you have a family and/or a significant other sharing your household, have them join you on the effort. The more hands, the faster the work gets done.

Third, build in a reward to keep it motivating. If you complete two hours of organizing, then you get to make that trip to your favorite ice cream store or enjoy an evening out. I don’t love the idea of the reward being buying something to add to your stuff, but if that’s what motivates you, go for it.

And now, the how!  Virtually any organizing effort follows the same general process defined by the acronym S.P.A.C.E., by my peer Julie Morgenstern, in her book “Organizing From the Inside Out”. Slightly modified in my BALANCE world, it stands for Sort, Purge, Assign a space, Containerize and Energize. Whether your organizing your clothing, your paperwork or even your action items, this process applies.

Sort – Sort everything into categories.
Purge – Eliminate what you don’t need. Edit down to only what serves you and is active.
Assign a Space – Consider priority and accessibility. If you use it often, make it more easily accessible.
Containerize – Get containers if you need them or use what you have.
Energize – See how it works and tweak. If you don’t like it, or it’s not working, make some adjustments.

Finally, get professional help if this is all too much. It may be, especially if you simply have no time, have limited skills or your disorganization has been long-term. A professional organizer helps you get it scheduled, expedites the work, brings expertise and does it with consideration for your unique goals, skills and capacity. A pro will also come in with objectivity and compassion – he or she isn’t going to make judgments based on your past behaviors or hang-ups as a friend or family member might. Because not all my prospective clients can hire me for personal one to one service, I also offer inspiration and tips via my Got Clutter? workshops and a 5-week intensive course, both available online from the comfort of your own space. If there isn’t a course or workshop scheduled soon, contact me and I’ll let you know when the next course is on the calendar.

This is do’able! Give it time and, above all, move forward with self-compassion.

BONUS: Some simple ideas for the quick everyday organizing of your active spaces

Set a timer and organize until it goes off. 10 minutes or 20 minutes. Whatever you’ve got.

The 10’s .. In a cluttered room, start with 10, 9, 8.. down to 1 and put one thing away with every count. I often do this before I go to bed. 10, put the socks in the hamper; 9, hang that shirt; 8, put the books back on the night stand shelf; 7, throw those tissues in the trash, etc.

Thank you for being here for this countdown and don’t forget to let me know how it’s going! xoxo