By Janet Barclay, MVA
It’s not uncommon to set goals when a new year begins, and for many people, these goals involve getting organized. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as waking up on January 1 and being organized from that moment on.
In the past, you may have worked hard to clear the clutter from your desk or to purge outdated documents from your paper and electronic files, only to find yourself plagued by these same problems within a few months, or even weeks. This likely occurred because in your enthusiasm to get organized, you jumped into the project without taking the time to thoroughly evaluate your situation and develop a strategy.
First, you must ask yourself why it is that you feel you need to get organized. What specific challenges are you experiencing? Do you waste time looking for things? Do you forget to go to appointments or to work on certain tasks? Do you spend more time on some activities than they are worth to you? Write down any problem that comes to mind that could possibly be alleviated by becoming more organized.
Next, select one or two problems that are causing you the most grief, and decide how to best handle them. Identify the specific steps you will need to take, and estimate how much time will be required for each step. You may find it helpful to refer to Julie Morgenstern’s book, “Organizing from the Inside Out” which lists time estimate for a large number of office and home organizing projects.
Once you have this information, you can schedule the necessary time in your planner. These times can be shifted if other priorities arise. The important thing isn’t to have a rigid schedule, which you may find confining if you are a Perceiving type, but to make sure that enough time is dedicated to organizing for you to solve the problems you have identified. Remember that if you don’t take the time to complete the necessary tasks, you won’t see any progress, because new paper and other potential clutter comes in on a regular basis. In fact, organization is a little like housework - you can’t just do it and expect it to stay that way forever. Regular maintenance is essential. This important fact is often overlooked and is the reason many people find themselves disorganized once again, after working hard to overcome this problem.
In order to stay organized, you need to decide what you’ll do with your incoming mail, purchases, and other items. If you already know where everything should go, it’s much easier to just put it there than it is to make a decision when you’ve just walked through the door and your mind is on checking your messages or greeting your family. Clutter is usually the result of indecision, so having a system in place can actually be liberating, rather than confining.
If this sounds like a lot of work, that’s because it is. However, you do not need to face this challenge alone. Professional organizers can help with any or all of the above steps, from identifying your problem areas to hands-on implementation of strategies to help you get and stay organized. The type of service you may require will depend on your skills, your schedule, and your budget.
If your goal for next year is to become more organized, contact a professional organizer, and start planning now. Why wait until January?
About the Author
Janet Barclay, Organized Assistant, offers a variety of professional quality services to support entrepreneurs and other individuals who are overwhelmed by the demands and technology of the 21st century. For further information or to request a subscription to her monthly ezine, The Organized Assistant Resource, please visit her website at www.organizedassistant.com.