by Jennifer Gittins-Harfst

No Frills Organizing

This is the time of year when many people think about getting organized. If you have resolved to start, or even if you’re already pretty good at it, beware of the “disorganization devils”! They are those little demons that whisper not-so-sweet nothings to derail you from making progress.

Here are some of their favorite lines, and what to tell yourself instead:

“It’s too overwhelming” Oh how the little devils love it when they can paralyze you into inactivity; when you do nothing, it makes their job that much easier! So if you don’t know where to start, then literally start with anything -- search for the match for your ‘orphaned’ shoes; gather up all the empty boxes lying around; throw out expired foods from the cabinets. It matters less what you are doing, than that you are doing something. And why is that? Because progress is contagious!

“You can do it later” But will you, really? Or do you have stacks and stacks around your home that suggest otherwise? Silence the little devils by handling quick tasks as they arise. But if you really are pressed for time or it’s a bigger task, and you intend to do it later, then prove it, by either setting a timer if you’ll have time later that day, or setting an appointment with yourself for a specific date/time in the next several days.

“It won’t make a dent” That may seem true at first, but keep going! You will reach that magical tipping point where real progress becomes visible.

“You don’t have any time” You do, actually (with very rare exception), it’s just that you’d rather spend it doing something else, anything else. But your home will not organize itself! So steal time from something else if necessary…delivery dinner versus going out, or even frozen dinner versus cooking; stop Netflix before it cycles to the next episode, and get out of your TV trance; shorten or alter an exercise session. You’d be amazed at how much you can accomplish from just stealing time here and there.

“It will just get messy again” Ah, the futility factor, but each subsequent time (if applicable) will be less messy and will take less time to clean.

“You don’t have the right containers” Just start with boxes, baskets, and bags that you have on hand, especially since at first you will probably mainly be gathering and sorting. Sturdy shoeboxes and office trays are great, as are the reusable shopping bags that have flat bottoms so they stand up. When you finish an area, if you want to buy attractive containers, that can be a nice way to reward yourself for your progress.

 

“The place doesn’t need to look perfect” Those little devils are tricking you into a false dichotomy, that the only alternative to what you have now is unattainable magazine-ready perfection. So recognize that for what it is, a “sucker’s choice.” In reality, there is a vast middle ground of improvement, and wouldn’t it be nice to spend less time looking for misplaced items and experience less stress about someone coming over unexpectedly?

So, when it comes to getting organized, remember the Rolling Stones got it wrong -- “No sympathy for the (disorganization) devil”!

For more information, contact Jennifer Gittins-Harfst