Most of us have some area of our lives, homes or offices that need more organization. It does not matter whether your goal is the ability to easily find an important document, to park your car in the garage or have friends over at a moment’s notice, getting organized will decrease your stress level and give you more time to connect with what matters most. Here are a few tips to help you get started in on your organizing projects:
1. Start by making a list of the areas that bother you the most or that cause you the most frustration.
2. Pick one area, room or project to organize first and do not start on a second one until the first project is completed.
3. Plan out larger projects like organizing an entire room or a garage. Remember that organizing takes time, and you will have to schedule a time to make it happen.
4. Make your projects more manageable by breaking them down into smaller tasks, and then set a deadline to complete each task. For example, if you are working on your office, work on one drawer at a time.
To organize each room or area, work through the following steps:
4 Configuration Connection C’s
1. Categorize all of your things or documents into groups. All similar items should be in the same group or pile. For example: All plastic bowls go with plastic bowls, all glass bowls go with glass bowls, etc.
2. Cleanse – The cleansing step is where you trash, toss & shred all outdated and unwanted items! Throughout this step, continually ask, “Do I need to keep this? What will I use this for? How long has it been since it has been used?” Answering these questions may help you clean out more items.
3. Configure a space for the items that you want to keep. This step may include measuring the items that you have left and purchasing containers for them or it may be as simple as placing them in the right drawer.
4. Continue to maintain the area that you have organized. The continuation of the configuration is as important as working through the first 3 steps. Maintaining your organization structure may be as easy as putting things back in their home or it may require a 5-10 minute cleanup on a regular basis.
As you complete an organizing goal, celebrate your success and enjoy your results! One of the best ways to do this is to take before and after photos of each project. Configuration Connection is here to help you with your projects and goals.
There are more quick tips on organizing on our blog.