I've failed in my resolution to blog regularly. "Bad organizer! Bad!"
We're all human. Which perhaps should be the topic of this blog. There's something that's been on my mind recently though. It's a simple question that I think organized people ask (and answer) more often.
Is this [item, goal, habit] making my life easier, or harder? Better, or worse?
I often wish for more than 24 hours in the day. But for some reason, that wish doesn't come true. If I could magically create more hours in my day, I would have time to enjoy and benefit from all the magazines I'm saving to read, let alone the books, blogs, and recipes.
But I can't create more hours in the day, and neither can you. What we can do is ask ourselves if we're getting what we want to get from the items that we're hanging on to. If something is cluttering your space, what are you getting out of that exchange? Is it bringing you joy? Fulfillment? Or guilt?
If you've had uncompleted projects for more than a year, it may be time to re-evaluate whether you're getting anything good out of hanging onto that item, or whether you'd feel better by letting it go.
Remember, you can find almost anything on the Internet these days! The world might not end if you recycle those Bon Appetit magazines without clipping and filing all the appealing recipes.
So consider this blog a personal "coupon" for a free exemption. You get to pick one thing in your life that you've been hanging onto, and let it go, guilt free!! Comment and let me know what you decided to let go of. :)
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Saturday, January 3, 2009
My best organizing tip for 2009
I've been contemplating what to post about for the New Year. What can I say about organizing that hasn't already been said? What piece of inspirational organizing brilliance can I come up with? After a while I realized I didn't have anything terribly new or brilliant to say, and that's all right.
What I do have to share is an organizing principle that I'm finding very powerful and relevant in my own life. This is my best tip for getting organized, and more importantly, staying organized, in 2009. Ready? Here goes!
Limits and boundaries. Yup, that's it. Set limits and boundaries, and hold yourself to them. If you find that difficult (as we all do), then create systems that help you stick to the limits and boundaries. There you have it, folks. That is what organizers do, in a nutshell.
Whether it's an inbox on your desk that limits the number of papers you can have piled up before you must sort them, or a closet that limits the number of clothes you can cram in it, that's what organizing systems do: they put boundaries around our stuff.
It doesn't really matter where you set the boundary, just that you set it. And that you don't ignore it! The point of the boundary is to remind you to do something about the stuff. If I say I only want to have one basket of magazines to read, then when the basket is full, I have to do something. I either have to read some magazines, get rid of some magazines (or both), change the boundary (get another basket), or choose to live with the overflowing basket.
Every season, I sort through my closet and get rid of clothes I haven't worn in the last year. I could just set a date to do this, every three months. Maybe I'd do it. But what really motivates me to action is the fact that my closet is getting uncomfortably full. The boundary is being encroached upon. If I don't do something, my closet will overflow!
We often think of boundaries and limits as... well, limiting. But I think they can also be empowering, if we use them as reminders that motivate us to action.
So, what limits and boundaries are you going to set for yourself in 2009? Maybe it's a physical limit, like switching to a smaller handbag so you aren't constantly digging around in your huge purse. Or perhaps you need some mental boundaries, like setting a timer when you log into Facebook or Twitter, so that you don't unwittingly while away 3 hours (*nervous cough* I've never done that!).
Remember that limits are gentle reminders to switch tracks, engage in an action, or change a habit. If you can set limits and boundaries, and respect them, you'll be well on your way to becoming more organized in 2009!
What I do have to share is an organizing principle that I'm finding very powerful and relevant in my own life. This is my best tip for getting organized, and more importantly, staying organized, in 2009. Ready? Here goes!
Limits and boundaries. Yup, that's it. Set limits and boundaries, and hold yourself to them. If you find that difficult (as we all do), then create systems that help you stick to the limits and boundaries. There you have it, folks. That is what organizers do, in a nutshell.
Whether it's an inbox on your desk that limits the number of papers you can have piled up before you must sort them, or a closet that limits the number of clothes you can cram in it, that's what organizing systems do: they put boundaries around our stuff.
It doesn't really matter where you set the boundary, just that you set it. And that you don't ignore it! The point of the boundary is to remind you to do something about the stuff. If I say I only want to have one basket of magazines to read, then when the basket is full, I have to do something. I either have to read some magazines, get rid of some magazines (or both), change the boundary (get another basket), or choose to live with the overflowing basket.
Every season, I sort through my closet and get rid of clothes I haven't worn in the last year. I could just set a date to do this, every three months. Maybe I'd do it. But what really motivates me to action is the fact that my closet is getting uncomfortably full. The boundary is being encroached upon. If I don't do something, my closet will overflow!
We often think of boundaries and limits as... well, limiting. But I think they can also be empowering, if we use them as reminders that motivate us to action.
So, what limits and boundaries are you going to set for yourself in 2009? Maybe it's a physical limit, like switching to a smaller handbag so you aren't constantly digging around in your huge purse. Or perhaps you need some mental boundaries, like setting a timer when you log into Facebook or Twitter, so that you don't unwittingly while away 3 hours (*nervous cough* I've never done that!).
Remember that limits are gentle reminders to switch tracks, engage in an action, or change a habit. If you can set limits and boundaries, and respect them, you'll be well on your way to becoming more organized in 2009!
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