Be happier and more productive in an organized environment.

Welcome to my first blog post. My first 5 posts are going to cover 5 Organizing Principles that will assist you in becoming your own personal organizer. Along with these principles are questions to ask yourself that will teach and inspire you to think more like an organizer regarding your life, your space and your schedule. The questions are intended to get your passion and ideas flowing again. It is so easy, when life is complicated and messy, to lose track of what you want and your purpose in life. I hope these questions will help you to head in the direction of your heart’s desire and encourage you to reach your goals.

Organizing Principle #1: Organizing is never just about organizing. Knowing your purpose makes all your decision-making easier.

Organizing is about people, our desires, doing better, doing good. A better family life, getting a promotion, succeeding in a new position, mastering a new skill set, developing new habits. Before organizing a client, I strive to     understand the individual’s purpose in getting organized and in life.

When you walk into your room, do you relax? When you look at your calendar are you excited because you can see just how much you’ll accomplish this week? If not, your room or schedule is not supporting you. Whether it’s your kitchen or your office, a room that is organized to support you will help you to live the life you truly love. Life moves quickly and each day brings with it more paper, objects and tasks then one person can complete in 24 hours. If we are unconscious that this is happening and make no choices about our environment we will quickly become overwhelmed with clutter and tasks. Our time and energy are drained and we are no closer to reaching our desires.

Making choices, conscious choices, is the way out. We need to be alert to our environments and how they affect us. Investing your time in clarifying what you want and then spending the time organizing your room to reflect how you want to spend your time will make each day of your life easier, happier and more fun.

Questions for You:

• 1. Have you identified your purpose in life and/or at work?
• 2. Do you know what your 3 most important goals are? Can you state them clearly right now?

If you know them, you’re a big step ahead. Without these it’s difficult to set up your home, office or schedule to support you. Write down your purpose and goals now and refer to it when making decisions about what stays in your environment or in your week, and what goes. If it supports your goal it will stay. If it does not, it needs to go (or at least go elsewhere).

If you’re unsure of what you really want, know that this is exactly where you must begin an organizing project. Take 5 minutes right now to write down what you think your purpose is and your 3 most important goals are. Put it on an index card and carry it with you in your pocket or purse. It doesn’t have to be perfect or even right. The act of asking yourself what you want and writing it down will get your mind working on the question.

• 3. What one area of your life – if it were organized and streamlined – would greatly improve your life and support you to achieve one of your important goals?

Do cluttered counters keep you from cooking healthy, home-cooked meals? Do you want to be more fit? Organize your kitchen to support this goal and cook meals at home. Organize your schedule to include time for the exercise you keep meaning to do.

Is a major purpose in your life to financially support your family? Over your lifetime this may mean doing your job well AND consistently preparing yourself for the next step in your career. Are the piles on your desk and floor keeping you from using your time well and staying focused on your highest tasks? Designing a filing system that’s reliable and easy for you to use will save you hours per week. Getting some time management coaching could help you to balance your schedule between current job and preparing yourself to step into your boss’ shoes.

Maybe just getting dressed in the morning is too hard and starts your day off poorly. Wouldn’t making getting dressed a breeze change your attitude toward the day and let you start each day feeling lighter?

Or it could be as complicated as needing to change careers. However, even if you adjusted your weekly schedule and made taking a course in your new field a priority, wouldn’t that one change, lighten the time you put in at your current job? Taking the first step toward a long dreamed of goal and having a plan for how to get where you want to go often puts you in touch with opportunities you didn’t realize existed that will move you toward your goal.

This month, determine which area of your life you are ready to tackle. Here’s another effective tactic from my 2 decades of organizing people: tackle something smaller and more doable first. The success of a small area gives you amazing motivation to take on the bigger projects. Want to start with a junk drawer? Your bathroom? Your car? All can be done in 2 hours – 4 hours.

This month: Identify and write down your purpose and your top three goals. Choose one important area of your life to streamline and organize that will support one or more of your top goals. Write down your vision of the space you want to change & what it needs to do better for you. Or of what is frustrating you in your schedule. Analyze what you need to change.