There are two essential parts to being organized: getting organized and staying organized. Getting organized involves a lot of sorting, purging, and rethinking of your stuff. Sorry, there’s no way to stay organized without first processing out the excess. Once you've done that, however, there are certain factors that will help you stay organized.
Being organized does not necessarily mean that you accomplish everything faster. Being organized, however, does require that you help yourself by establishing actionable areas to make your finished goals easier. I call these actionable areas, launch pads. Here are some examples of some key launch pads to keep in a typical household.
This time of year, some things automatically go on the to do list. Stock up on school supplies? Check. Sign up for after school activities? Check. Back to school clothes? Check. You might also want to consider these five organizing tips to reduce the stress in your family’s routine, for the new school year.
Let’s face it. Pets are messy! As with all organizing solutions, the answer is establishing dedicated zones. If you have a small dog or a cat, like Daniel here, just store him on a shelf. Look how thrilled he is! OK, so I’m kidding, but the real point here is not to be uncomfortable with leaving open spaces. We had recently cleared this shelf, but instead of filling it up, just for the sake of filling it, we left it open.
As with a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup, two storage items that are good separately are great together. The two items I am focusing on today may seem pretty familiar individually and perhaps you use the combination already. I would go so far as to say that for a quick, easy, inexpensive, and optimally efficient solution, there is nothing better.
Ever notice how the relaxing effects of a vacation often go sour on the trip home? While I may not have advice for the stressful return flight or traffic, I can offer some tips for streamlining the unpacking process. Let’s face it, you may feel compelled to attend to your pet, quench your thirst, filter through the mail, or just take a nap, but no one wants to dive in to unpacking, when you first return home. However,
If you find yourself struggling with HOW to get organized, it might make all the difference in the world to step back and ask, WHY get organized? You will find it easier to stay organized, if the reason why has more to do with savoring than with saving. When you’re saving, it’s either stuff that ties you the past or prepares you for the future. Some of both is necessary, but too much can compromise your enjoyment of the present. ...
When it comes to finding what you want, when you want it, I have come to believe that the security that come from “safety in numbers” is a false sense of security. Let’s look at pens, for example. In my parent’s household, there was always a basket full of writing implements next to the telephone. Or so I thought. For it seems that every time I reached for a simple ballpoint pen to write a message with, I would ...
Just got back from a two week vacation, but I haven’t taken a vacation from thoughts on organizing. Here are a few organizing tips that can make your travels easier. Traveling light means choosing right. With the airlines charging for extra luggage checks these days, traveling light makes more sense than ever. To get everything into one bag, you have to make some really tough choices. For instance,
To understand what it takes to stay organized, it might be helpful to change the spelling of the word itself. The word “go” needs to be at the heart “organized.” To be truly organized, you need to be or-GO-nized. I know the definition of organizing, but I haven’t found a satisfying word origin. 1375-1425, late Middle English from the Medieval Latin organizare- to contrive, arrange— is not doing it for me.
Do you tend to put things where they belong or where they fit? If you put them where they belong, then you are using dedicated zones, even if that’s not what you call them. If you just put things where they fit, it can be very difficult to stay organized. Seven words I dread hearing from a client, upon gaining a clear drawer or shelf, are “what can we put in here now?” It means I haven’t done my job of explaining how being organized works.
I have a simple little theory that explains why it is so hard to stay organized. While I have never tested it scientifically, I have observed it throughout my life and in almost every home I have organized. I call it the One, Two, Four-get it! theory. It begins with two other organizing beliefs of mine. First, I believe that a clear work surface is your number one organizing tool. Second, I believe that limitations breed freedom. For example, if you limit the
A golf ball is placed on a tee, so that the ball is in a position that it can be struck cleanly. Teeing up is a step that is taken so the next step is easier. Effective organizing systems need to be, not only a series of stages, but a series of stages that are each “teed up” for each subsequent stage. For example, if your system for organizing the ugly mail is hiding it in a pretty basket, you have not teed up the next stage well.
Establishing and maintaining dedicated zones are essential to staying organized. Here are the top 10 dedicated zones every home should have. 1. Out-the-door zone. Leaving [...]
I have to admit that when I took the Neat Desk One Month trial offer, I was planning on returning it. I didn’t. Don’t get me wrong. The Neat Desk is not without its problems, it’s not cheap, and it’s not for everybody, but I have concluded that for me it is worth the investment.
Several clients have told me, “I’d like to see your house. I’ll bet it’s perfect.” My home is not perfect and for one very good [...]
Professional Organizer Matt Baier and his team declutter and organize homes and offices in Stamford, New Canaan, Greenwich, Westport, Darien, Norwalk, Fairfield, Westchester County, and New York City.
Matt Baier Organizing, LLC
Professional organizer • Stamford, Connecticut
14 Forest Lawn Ave. #B6, Stamford, CT 06905
Phone: (203) 253-8414 • Email: matt@mattbaier.com
Home Organizing Greenwich CT, Darien CT, New Canaan CT, Stamford CT & Westchester County NY
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