How to get Organized...Now!

A challenge I hear from my clients and friends is that their organizational tasks are overwhelming and they don’t know where to start, so they don’t. It’s easy to procrastinate when all you see is the big picture, and that big picture ain’t too pretty. So here are a few tips to help you break it down.

1.    Time It: Set a kitchen timer for 5 minutes. ONLY 5 minutes! And jump right in. Knowing that you won’t be at the task for hours on end will make it seem less overwhelming, and you may be amazed at how much you can do in 5 minutes. When the buzzer goes off, walk away. You can spend another 5 minutes on it tomorrow.

2.    Hoop it up: Use a hula-hoop and place it over a pile of your clutter and ONLY focus on what’s inside the hula-hoop.  Don’t allow yourself to become distracted by anything outside of that hoop. Just work until the hula-hoop area is clean, organized or uncluttered. Then move the hoop to a new area and repeat. Or start fresh tomorrow with another cluttered space.

3.    Get a Theme Song: Find a song that you love, that gets you moving and motivates you. I’m kind of partial to the Black Eyed Peas right now…but you know what you like. Tell your family members that when that song is playing, you are not to be disturbed. Give them a threatening look that shows you mean business. Then pump up the tunes and get organizing. ONLY organize while that song is playing. Throw in funky dance moves as you see fit.

NeatFreak News: Copyright 2006, Neat Freak Professional Organizing. This information is not to be reproduced without written permission from the author.