From: Kay Jones Lewis
April 01,2010
Do you spend a lot of time trying to find your belongings at home or at work? Have you ever resorted to buying new supplies because you’ve forgotten where you put things? Is your morning routine chaotic simply because you and your family are trying to locate all your “stuff” (clothing, homework, briefcases, cell phones, lunches, athletic equipment, etc.) at the last minute as you’re headed out the door for work and school? Then you can probably agree that getting organized would not only save you time and money; it also would relieve a great deal of your daily stress. Unfortunately, the adverse consequences of clutter don’t stop there. When your belongings have taken over your space, it’s more difficult to clean. As a result, the accumulation of dust can aggravate allergies and may even lead to allergy-induced asthma. Mold and mildew may grow in damp areas of your home—such as bathrooms, basements, kitchens, or garages—which also can contribute to respiratory problems. And then there’s the possibility that some unwelcome guests (bugs) may discover that your mess is a perfect breeding ground. Not a pretty picture! So are you ready to turn over a new leaf? Carson Tate, a certified professional organizer, said, “The first step is to know why you want to get organized. What is your goal? Do you want to reclaim space? Do you want to make it easier to get out the door in the morning? Do you want to reduce your stress? Then take it just one step at a time. If you have ten minutes, clean out a junk drawer. If you have thirty minutes, tackle that closet.” It’s also helpful to have a plan of attack. Carson compares it to doing the laundry: Step 1 is SORT: The first thing that you do with laundry is sort it, right? So the first step in organizing is sorting or grouping like items. Step 2 is DELIVER: What do you do next? You take your laundry to the washer. In organizing, at this point, you take sorted items to their proper places. Step 3 is SUPPLIES: The third step when you’re washing clothes is to add the detergent. The third step in the organizing project is to determine the tools and supplies that you’ll need to get organized. Do you need drawer dividers? Do you need plastic containers? Step 4 is STORE: Once the clothes have been washed and dried, you fold them and put them away. This is the same step in your organizing project—to put away your sorted items in their designated homes. While the process is simple and can be divided easily into incremental tasks, don’t be shy about asking for help if you’re in over your head. Check out the National Association of Professional Organizers website, www.napo.net/referral/, to find organizers in your area. They can offer you varying levels of support—from doing all the work for you to just being your coach and a source of moral support as you do the work on your own. From an interview with: Written by: |
