Reaching your organizational goals.

Organizing can be a daunting task.  We often tell ourselves that we have to get at that particular closet or pile of papers but we just don’t know where to start.  Or we start and get frustrated because we didn’t accomplish the whole task all at once.  Or maybe the organizing system we put in place just isn’t working and we don’t want to tackle it again because we are afraid of “failing” again.

There is no such thing as failure.  Whatever the problem, it simply was a misjudgement of your standards.  That filing system that you so carefully put together was too detailed and now it is impossible to maintain.  Or you tried to organize your whole closet in a day and now you have clothes all over the bedroom and you feel like you failed again.  Before you completely give up,. Remember that “hindsight does not equal foresight”  (Joseph Hallinan, Why we make mistakes).  You did the best you knew how with the tools you had available to you.

At the fall NAPO conference, the guest speaker Suzi McCune spoke on how to make organization simple.  Sounds impossible but it’s really about getting back to the simple steps, using simple tools and taking the whole process one step at a time. 

One of the most basic tools to help you achieve success is your kitchen timer.   I am sure many of you have heard of this organizing tip before.  If you have an electronic timer, all you need to do is follow the instructions.  Set timer, start and…..STOP.  (idea curtosey of Suzi McCune,) 

The timer actually gives you “permission” to stop your project at that point with no guilt involved.  Your new goal was to only tackle what you can within that time allotment.  Does it mean that you finished your organizing project?  Maybe you did and maybe you didn’t.  It doesn’t really matter because your success lies in organizing (or cleaning, or filing or returning phone calls or whatever) for that amount of time.  ‘

Congratulations.  Success achieved!