Organizing Lessons From a Tile Puzzle
One of the things I always tell clients about the process of getting organized, is that it can be like doing a tile puzzle.
Points Of Compulsion To Stay Organized
It is impossible to stay organized without action. If there’s no action on paying bills, the mail will pile up; if theres no action on the laundry, the clothes will pile up; etc. Certain points of compulsion are necessary to ensure that these actions happen.
But I’m Organized At Work
One of the things I often hear during my consultations with prospective clients is “I know things are disorganized in my home, but, believe it or not I’m very organized at work.” Well I do believe it. Here’s why.
Getting Organized: Save Dessert for Last
The number one mistake people make, when trying to get organized, is to run out and buy containers, before they know exactly what they are containing. It’s certainly tempting. I mean look at that sampling of gorgeous containers picture to the right. They’re like candy. Like any dessert, they should be saved for last.
Thinking Inside the Box
Thinking outside the box, of course, means thinking creatively outside of conventional constraints. I’d like to make a case for thinking inside the box. I’m not referring to a conceptual box, but an actual physical box. To be creative, you definitely want to think outside the conceptual box, but, to get organized, let’s get back to the box.
OrGOnized
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.
Organizing Your Living Room With Purpose
The biggest challenge with Read More
Negative Space
As an Organizer, I find the term "negative space" misleading. In design, negative space is the white area that falls between the dark "positive spaces." Perhaps the most familiar example of negative space can be seen in the FedEx logo. As many of you have noticed by now, there is an arrow in the white space between the "e" and the "x." That forward pointing arrow is negative space, but since it is such a perfectly POSITIVE symbol for FedEx it is hardly negative, in the bad sense. The same holds true for staying organized.
Focus On Filing, Part 1: The Filecycle
Originally from Matt Baier’s Organizing Works Newsletter, April 2007
FOCUS ON FILING, PART Read More
