Reclaim Your Organized Life
Life happens, and sometimes it has a way of burying our best efforts to stay organized. For a variety of reasons, all of us find ourselves back at square one from time to time.
How do you climb back out of the hole? By revamping your life-management center, getting a quick grip on creeping clutter, and learning from your mistakes to stay organized for the long haul.
Revamp Your Control Center
Just as your control center serves as a focal point for getting organized in the first place, so, too, will it help you dig out of a hole. Thankfully, you can restart your control center easily and simply whenever need be.
To jump-start your control center, start with your calendar and update it. Comb the stacks and piles on the desk, and check bulletin boards for notes concerning upcoming appointments, events, and commitments. Enter them all into your calendar and move on.
Next, update planning pages. Turn to the master to-do list, and check it to see that it’s up-to-date. If life has slid too far, start a new master to-do list, transferring any undone items.
Finally, begin a new daily to-do list. Checking the revitalized master to-do list, set aside the day’s “To Do,” “To Call,” “To Go,” and “To Buy” entries. Whether you use electronic list management or a simple paper planner, jump-start the days ahead with a freshly formatted daily to-do list.
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ROAD HAZARD |
Faced with a meltdown of new organized habits, it’s easy to become discouraged and give up altogether. Stop right there! Just as you don’t let one missed class keep you from the gym forever, keep the tone in your organizing muscle by getting back on track as quickly as possible.
Corral Creeping Clutter
Clutter is persistent and sneaky. The minute your back is turned to deal with a new personal or life crisis, it’s easy for clutter to sneak back in the door and take up residence again.
Thankfully, it’s also easy to send creeping clutter on its way. Just as you did when you cleared clutter the first time, use the STOP clutter method to quickly eliminate clutter enclaves. Using the four boxes marked “Donate,” “Store,” “Throw Away,” and “Give Away,” move to each area of clutter to sort, toss, organize, and put away until you’ve restored your organized space.
Focus on clearing counters first; then move on to clutter in living areas. Finally, tackle any clutter that’s washed up in closets, cupboards, and drawers. If there is an organized base beneath the new layer of clutter, it will be easy to reclaim your surroundings.
Each time your organized life falls apart, take a look at the underlying causes. What you’ll learn will help you avoid the potholes in the future, and bolster your organizational skills.
To learn from your mistakes, answer the following questions. Record the answers in your command center planner for future reference. They’ll guide you to a more organized life in the future.
1. What exactly went wrong? Did clutter get a foot in the door and propagate around the house again? Did an illness or a busy stint at work lead to a collapse of household routines? You’ll need to understand the cause to keep the problem from happening again.
2. What were the danger signs? What did you notice first: creeping clutter, time-management meltdown, or disorganized spaces? Identifying the first signs of an organization breakdown will help you spot it earlier next time and take action.
3. What was the effect of the disorganization? If you understand what went missing when life fell apart, you’ll place more value on your efforts to stay the course.
4. What could you have done differently? Write down solutions that might have worked so that you can implement them the next time life goes off the rails.