Let’s face it—being disorganized is stressful for many reasons. If you’re trying to get out the door to a meeting and are delayed because you can’t find your keys—hello STRESS. When your cell phone dies in the middle of an important call because you didn’t charge it the night before (couldn’t find the charger)—it’s stressful. So ask yourself--Why are you putting these small daily stresses on yourself and what can you do to change? The answer is really simple—everything needs a home—a place to rest when you’re not using it. Once you give everything a home, and put it back in its home when you’re done using it, it will be right there waiting for you when you’re ready for it again! Simple, right? The tricky part is: a) making time to create the “real estate” blueprint; and b) deciding what gets to live where, i.e., prioritizing your real estate. Everything doesn’t get to go on the prime real estate of your desktop or kitchen counter! Some items will have to commute from the linen closet.
Let’s do a quick visualization exercise. Close your eyes and envision your morning…
7:00 a.m. Wake up and go downstairs to make coffee. Takes extra time because you can’t find the filters.
7:15 a.m. Head upstairs to lay out clothes for today’s meeting. Where are my black shoes? These stockings have a run. Where are the ones I just bought? Head back downstairs looking for these items. Find shoes in laundry room and new stockings lying on the credenza.
7:35 a.m. Head into the shower. Darn!—no shampoo! Forgot to get it when I was at the store getting stockings.
8:15 a.m. Will pack lunch to save money, but where’s my new recyclable lunch bag?
8:30 a.m. Rushing out the door w/lunch in paper sack. Should have been at the office by 8:30, but couldn’t locate my Blackberry or keys!
Take a deep breath, close your eyes again and envision a second, different scenario:
6:45 a.m. Wake up 15 minutes early to meditate!
7:00 a.m. Go downstairs to already brewed coffee—set it on autoperk last night.
7:05 a.m. Head upstairs to select today’s outfit—love doing this because the closet is organized by item—skirts in one area, pants in another. Sections are organized by color so easy to find—all black skirts together, all white blouses together. Shoes come off my feet and onto the rack so I can find them easily.
7:15 a.m. Enjoying a nice relaxing shower. No running out of anything because I now make a shopping list!
8:00 a.m. Grabbed phone off the charger, easily located by the door and keys off hook as I headed out the door. Plenty of extra time to stop by Starbucks for a coffee.
Which one feels better?! Being organized isn’t a talent like singing. It’s a matter of creating a system, preparation and planning. Create your space—design a plan for where your belongings belong! Plan your day; plan your meals; plan your filing system. There’s no secret that the people at the Container Store are keeping from you so you keep buying their products! I know—I’m a professional organizer by trade! The reason you may need a professional organizer is to help you create the plan because you’re so overwhelmed you can’t see the forest through the trees. I tell my clients that I’m like a personal trainer. You may know how to lose weight and exercise, but a trainer is going to help you stay on track. It’s the same with a professional organizer—we’re going to give you the benefit of our knowledge and set you up for success and hold you accountable to a plan.
Before you start deciding where things belong, you probably want to figure out what things you need to keep, toss or archive. There are some basic guidelines to follow for retaining documents for tax purposes, but most businesses have specific guidelines. If you’re uncertain, you should contact your financial advisor or attorney. This is another area where a professional organizer can be a help—he/she can assist you in making the tough decisions about what goes/what stays because we’re not emotionally attached to the item.
Once you’ve decided what stays, what goes and what gets stored, then you need to figure out your “prime real estate.” In your kitchen, it’s probably your countertops. In your office, it may be your desktop and the filing cabinet in your desk. What items do you really need in your prime real estate? Figure that out and then back into the rest. Of course, everyone has some “secure” real estate—a fire safe or safe deposit box, right? Where are you storing your VIP documents and/or do you have a copy of them in a secure, preferably off-site, location? VIP documents include items such as birth certificates, deeds/titles, passports, social security cards, credit card info, etc.
Start the New Year off with a plan. Set two to three goals to get started—you don’t want to overwhelm yourself. Once you feel organized, the world is your oyster!
Here’s to a bright, light and organized New Year!
Lori Welch is the owner of JCL Services, Ltd., the area’s premier personal concierge and professional organizing company serving clients in DC/MD/VA since 2001. JCL was recently named “Best Closet Organizer” and “Best Concierge” by Northern Virginia magazine. www.jclservicesltd.com.
