How To Make Your Organizing Goals A Reality

By NANCY DROBNIS | Special to the Palisadian-Post

Very organized people are not born that way. Organization takes effort and good habits, which can be helpful in striving to meet your life goals.

Being organized not only can improve your work performance, but it can also lower your stress level. Anyone can learn to become organized and these five tips will help you get there.

1. Write down things like appointments, birthdays, shopping lists, dates and reminders using pen and paper, smart phone or computer. (You will complicate your life if you try to memorize everything.)

If you want an organized home, write down your intentions so you will keep your commitment. Make a plan to start organizing one room at a time. For example, begin with the garage and then the kitchen until your home is clutter-free.

2. Give everything, including your documents and papers, a place. Start by sorting your things into piles: “keep,” “donate” and “toss.” Then group like-with-like.

Maintain order by designating a place for everything and labeling storage areas, but stay away from labeling things as “miscellaneous.” Sort your papers into “keep,” “shred” and “recycle.” Consolidate existing folders and label folders in a way that makes sense to you, and in a way that will make items easy to find.

3. Develop routines to make good habits last. Commit a certain amount of time each day to de-cluttering and putting items back where they belong, in addition to cleaning up as you go throughout the day, in order to form good habits that will reinforce your commitment to being organized.

4. Keep only what you really need and want. Having fewer things helps you appreciate what you have and makes it so there is less clutter around collecting dust. Instead of renting a storage unit, donate things you don’t want or need. Sell more valuable things on eBay or Craigslist or have a garage sale. This also helps our environment.

5. Do it now and don’t procrastinate. The longer you wait to do something, the more overwhelming it becomes. If you want to lower your stress level and lift the weight off of you, then organize as soon as possible.

As you go through the organizing process, reward your achievements and stay positive. We are human and sometimes will slip a little. Reward milestones and bask in your accomplishments. For example, being able to say “I can finally easily find all of my papers!” may be an accomplishment worth celebrating.

The final reward will be achieving and maintaining your organizing goals.

Nancy Drobnis, MBA, is a professional organizer and owner of The LA Organizer. Nancy helps de-clutter and organize a wide array of clients including busy and overwhelmed people, compulsive buyers, professionals, people with chronic disorganization, as well as individuals with ADHD, ADD and hoarding disorders. She gives workshops about tips and strategies to de-clutter and become more organized. She is a member of the Pacific Palisades Woman’s Club and the Chamber of Commerce. Nancy is a Palisades resident of 17 years and the parent of two teenage boys. The LA Organizer: 310-963-3909 or www.thelaorganizer.com.