Those are some very powerful words. When you get milk out of the refrigerator, you put it back, right? Yes, because that’s where it belongs. When you put clean dishes away, you don’t just stack them on the countertops, or do you? So, when you get something out of your closet or a drawer, it follows that you can return it there when you are finished with it. If you just put it down, eventually you’ll have to put it away so why torture yourself with a big pile later and take the 10 seconds now to put it away.
Next time you find yourself vacillating between putting it down or putting it away, time yourself as to how long it really takes to put it away and you will be surprised. Would you rather take a few seconds now or face piles and piles later on when you have to spend a valuable Saturday afternoon cleaning up after yourself? I know this makes you procrastinators cringe, but if you can change your habits in small ways, it can improve your daily life in big ways! Think of it as 10 seconds now or two hours later. It’s your choice!
Jan Davis
ClutterBye
www.ClutterBye.com
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
I'm Not Perfect
As a Professional Organizer, people often ask me if my place is perfectly organized. I’m going to publicly out myself and admit that it’s not.
I look at being organized as a way to find things, not a way to hide things inside matching baskets just so they look nice on shelves. When you have 10 matching baskets without labels on them, how can anyone find anything or put something back?
I’m more practical than that and certainly can understand when clients want to just achieve a level of organizing where they can find things and not necessarily make it beautiful. A good example is files. Typed filing labels look the best but if you’re not the type of person to type labels, then why bother? If it’s more work than you’re willing to do, then you’re probably not going to do it so hand write your labels. It’s better to just do it than to avoid doing it for lack of perfection.
I have a very dear client who is afflicted with perfectionism and the poor woman cannot complete many things that she starts because she doesn’t have the time or energy to make them perfect. Just getting something done is more important (in most cases) than getting it perfect.
Organizing is an ongoing, never ending project. You don’t do it then it stays that way forever. Organizing is about having like items together so you can find things and know what you already have so you don’t buy more! It doesn’t have to be about living in a perfectly straightened up environment all the time. That’s called being neat.
I look at being organized as a way to find things, not a way to hide things inside matching baskets just so they look nice on shelves. When you have 10 matching baskets without labels on them, how can anyone find anything or put something back?
I’m more practical than that and certainly can understand when clients want to just achieve a level of organizing where they can find things and not necessarily make it beautiful. A good example is files. Typed filing labels look the best but if you’re not the type of person to type labels, then why bother? If it’s more work than you’re willing to do, then you’re probably not going to do it so hand write your labels. It’s better to just do it than to avoid doing it for lack of perfection.
I have a very dear client who is afflicted with perfectionism and the poor woman cannot complete many things that she starts because she doesn’t have the time or energy to make them perfect. Just getting something done is more important (in most cases) than getting it perfect.
Organizing is an ongoing, never ending project. You don’t do it then it stays that way forever. Organizing is about having like items together so you can find things and know what you already have so you don’t buy more! It doesn’t have to be about living in a perfectly straightened up environment all the time. That’s called being neat.
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