10 Steps to Organize Your Life

By Lisa Tuttle

Psychological studies show that people are more
productive when working in an organized environment.
That's great news for the neat freaks, but what about
organizationally deficient folks?

Are they destined to wallow in their debilitating
clutter for eternity?
Of course not!
With a little effort, anyone can learn
organizational skills and reap the benefits of an
orderly life.

If your mess has bested you, give this 10-step program
a shot.

1. Fix the leak.
It doesn't do any good to repair a water- damaged
ceiling until after the leak in the roof is fixed.
Likewise, you will make no progress in organizing your
life if you continue to practice disorderly habits.
Examine your lifestyle and determine where the bulk of
the mess is coming from, then make a conscious effort
to break those habits. Set some guidelines for
yourself and your family—"No new messes!" being the
primary rule. The first step in changing messy ways is
to stop contributing to the problem.

2. Assess the mess.
Take a look around and decide what areas of your home
or office need your attention. Maybe just one or two
rooms have started to clutter, or maybe every square
inch of your property is packed and piled with
possessions. Whatever the case, begin with a good
look-see.

3. Do the daily dozen.
I know the thought of sorting through those closets
and corners makes you shudder, so don't overwhelm
yourself by trying to tackle the job all at once. The
hit-and-run approach works much better. Set aside
twelve minutes a day to do something simple like
cleaning up your medicine cabinet or organizing your
lawn and gardening tools in the garage. When your
daily dozen is up, walk away. It may not seem like you
are accomplishing much, but like running water wears
away at a rock, after a few weeks, you will begin to
see the effects of your efforts.

4. Localize.
If you are disorganized, chances are your mess has
crept through your entire house, with pieces and
projects all mixed together in a jumble.
Don't despair! It's fixable. Start by localizing your
messes. Choose a place for each "category" of
mess. Paperwork should go by the filing cabinet, tools
in the garage, music and videos with the entertainment
center. Don't worry about organizing them yet; just
stash them in a box, basket, or plastic tub in the
general vicinity of their final destination. Think of
it as a giant puzzle. If you put all the pieces of one
section in the same place, the final assembly is
faster and easier.

5. Reduce, recycle, resale.
Admit it! You don't even use the stuff you're hording
in that basement storage room, and half the
clothes in your closet don't fit you anymore. And when
was the last time you listened to the music cassettes
you purchased in 1983? As you begin to sort and
localize your mess, find a giant box and write "garage
sale" on the side. As you uncover something you can
live without, stash it in the box. Recycle old
papers, magazines and plastics, and make weekly
donations to a charitable resale shop.

6. Choose a corner.
Pick one area or room and concentrate your
twelve-minute organizational spurts on that place
until it is finished. Those jam-packed dresser drawers
might be your first focus. Or maybe the cupboard below
the bathroom sink demands top priority. If your whole
house is in chaos, make a project list, placing
high-priority jobs at the top. As you clean and
organize
each area, cross a line off the list and pat yourself
on the back for a job well done. Seeing the list
dwindle will keep you motivated!

7. Categorize.
When organizing, it's often easiest to remove
everything from its container or cupboard and sift
through all the pieces that need to fit into the
space. Sort through and separate your stuff into
categories. If you're tackling the bedroom closet,
maybe you want work clothes in one section, formal
outfits clustered together and casual digs in a
separate cubby. Once your clothes are categorized, you
can see how much space you will need for each
grouping.

8. Case the space.
Take a look at your closet and determine the most
efficient way to store your possessions. Which items
do you use the most? You'll want those in an
easy-to-reach location.
How much space will the items in each category take
up? You'll want to choose a shelf or drawer that will
accommodate them. If needed, add shelves, hooks,
closet rods and other gadgets that will improve the
organization of a space.

9. Clean and replace.
Since an empty space is easy to clean, this is a good
time to pull out a sponge and a vacuum. Once you've
vanquished the dirt, start replacing the items one
category at a time. Work at it until you've found the
right mix of organization and convenience. When one
area is finished, move on to the next until the work
is done.

10. Maintain.
Your house or office is organized, but it won't stay
that way unless you do the upkeep. Now that you're in
the habit of spending a dozen minutes a day
organizing, spend that time eliminating little areas
of mess or disorganization that appear. While putting
bath towels in the linen closet, take an extra 30
seconds to straighten the other shelves. Is that
Tupperware cupboard starting to overflow? It only
takes two minutes to restack the containers in a neat
and orderly fashion. Spending a few minutes each day
to stay on top of the mess is much easier than
reorganizing the whole house each year.

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Lisa Tuttle is a freelance writer, publishing short
stories,devotionals, and articles for newspapers and
magazines. She recently accepted the opportunity to
write a biography for hire and is pursuing publication
for her novels.

__________________
Nivedhitha