Guest Blogger: Jeff Earlywine
If you are asking about being more organized, I know you are considering changes in your life. Changes that could give you more time to spend working “on” your business, with your family, following a passion or hobby, etc. However, these changes could seem difficult and terrifying simply remember the following.
FILE it…Act on it…Trash it
Below are some very practical ideas that you can apply to your life. I have spent my lifetime gathering these ideas, not only gathering but also applying them successfully in my own life.
Understand that you might not be a neat freak. I think I was born organized. My parents never punished me by making me clean my room. The only way that they could have would have been for me to mess it up first and then clean it. Don’t allow the pressure of someone’s neatness to make you feel bad about yourself. When you see their neat and clean home, office, automobile, or sock drawer remember they could be a big mess on the inside.
- Begin with a list. Things often seem less overwhelming if you put them in their proper perspective. Make a list of what you’d like to organize and break it down into manageable and measurable tasks. Remember how you eat an elephant, one bite at a time.
- Get your stuff in order. Well-labeled boxes, drawers, plastic storage bins, and more can be used to store and help establish a routine in your life. Be creative. You can use an old flowerpot to store miscellaneous pencils and pens by the phone. You can store product instructional guides and warranties in a labeled shoebox and keep them in the closet instead of your kitchen junk drawer.
- Create a plan. Now that you have a list and all the tools needed, create a plan of action. Make a priorities list. You don’t have to get “really” organized all in one weekend. Make a plan and stick to it.
- Get rid of the junk. That is a blunt way of saying, “If you haven’t used it in a year consider throwing it away.” Keep in mind that the more things you have, the more you must take care of. Is your closet filled with clothes that never leave the hangar? Maybe now is a good time to donate to your local Salvation Army or church clothing closet. Do you have a storage unit packed with boxes that you haven’t seen in years? If you haven’t used something in over a year, you probably never will. Hold a yard sale. Give it away. Junk it.
Make a place for everything. If you’re not sure where batteries go, how will you put them away? In the junk drawer again? Make certain that everything has a place to be stored. Lose the junk drawer and use boxes and labeled envelopes to store miscellaneous items. You’ll eliminate clutter if you make space now for everything.
Stay tuned…next month we will go over the remaining 4 ways to be more organized and successful in your own life.
Jeff Earlywine
Business and Success Coach
www.PurposePlanProfit.com
