Do you find…
~yourself spending too much time looking for lost items?
~you have piles of paper all over the place?
~items laying around because you don’t know where to put them?
~your storage areas are overflowing?
If you have answered yes to even one of these questions, then read on for valuable tricks of the trade from Heart of the Matter Professional Organizing.
Strategy #1. Bring in the New and Fling out the Old
For each new gift you receive or purchase that you make, choose one similar item that you can donate, throw out or pass along. If you keep allowing things in the front door, but nothing goes out the back door, over time, you will be buried. Simple but profound!
Strategy #2. Make friends with your timer
Are you like many of us and sometimes find it easy to procrastinate when there is a big job that you need to tackle?
Often times a task seems huge because we think we need to work at it for a long period of time. The prospect of that is no fun, especially if it is something we don’t like to do.
A favourite example for me is cleaning up the kitchen. Sometimes it seems like such a huge job and I just can’t face it…..but if I set my timer for 15 minutes and work hard and fast it is amazing what I can do. When the timer goes off usually one of two things has happened. Either, I’ve accomplished what I need to do and I can move onto something else, or I’ve got over the biggest hurdle which is getting started. I can easily continue on with the job until it is completed, because I’m on a roll.
This technique is helpful in lots of different situations…….
Maybe you have piles of filing and paperwork to catch up on and you are doing everything possible to avoid it. Set your timer and promise yourself that you only need to work at it for 15 minutes. Any of us can survive for 15 minutes.
Maybe there are some jobs around the house that could be accomplished easily if the whole family helped out. Be sure everyone knows what their assigned tasks are. Set the time for 30 or 60 minutes and go to it. If everyone works hard and fast it is amazing what you will accomplish as a team. At the end of the allotted time, reward yourselves with a walk to the park or a family movie night.
Make friends with your timer on a regular basis and you and your family can accomplish great things.
Strategy #3. Identify your “Hot Spots”
Maybe yours is the corner of the kitchen counter or your dining room table. Hot spots are the place where clutter seems to breed. It is usually short term, temporary paper. Think about where these spots are for you, and then make a plan!! A plastic file caddy that Heart of the Matter calls a “Hot File” is a perfect solution. File it, don’t pile it. Give each category of papers a home within the caddy.
Strategy #4. Think Baby Steps
Don’t be too hard on yourself. Set a small reasonable goal for conquering your clutter. Do what you can today, then do a little more again tomorrow. Baby steps will get you to your goal as long as you keep taking them. Oh, and one more important thing……. don’t forget to smile!
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
“I choose to surrender my anxiety and my sense of urgency. I will allow God to guide me in the pacing of my life. I choose to open my heart to God’s timing. I release my deadlines, agendas and striving to the gentle yet often swift pacing of God. As I choose to open my heart to God’s unfoldings, my heart attains peace. As I relax into God’s timing, my heart contains comfort.” – Julia Cameron
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