6 Organizing Must Haves

Being organized is not a static state. Paradoxically, order requires constant motion. It helps if you recognize these 6 organizing must haves if you are to remain on top of the job. It matters little whether you're organizing your bedroom closet, your filing cabinets or your daughter's school bag. These principles, in order of importance in my experience, may help lead you to successful project completion:

1) You must want to get it done:

If your heart isn't in it, the project will likely be abandoned. Where there is a will, there is usually a way.

2) You must allocate the time to do it yourself or be able to delegate the work:

No one gets organized by planning to get organized at a later day and time. Wishful thinking does not beget results. Actions do.

3) You must have sufficient physical space, besides the floor, to be able to put the objects into:

Aka appropriate storage capacity. To organize paperwork, you need sufficient drawers & cabinets; to organize a warehouse you need a large space WITH sufficiently strong shelving and storage racks. I have seen attempts at both with inadequate physical structures - it does not work. 

4) You must have the will to adapt and to adopt new ways if what you thought at first does not work:

For example: You believed you could bring order to the children's bedrooms by quietly throwing away some of the large toys they outgrew and with which they rarely play. Instead, you found out the kids want to keep most everything and there is clearly not enough floor or closet space in their rooms. You can leave everything as is which drives you nuts, or you can sit down with your kids to negotiate a different set-up. Sure it will take longer than you expected, but when you are finished fashioning the new storage/play area in another section of the house that is less under foot, you will have created a permanent home for what your children desire and insist on keeping until they are really done with them. No one's feelings are hurt, and you got cleaner, neater bedroom space. 

5) You must embrace "organized enough" and not insist on perfection:

Perfection exists but for only a moment - the natural state of chaos starts operating as soon as you've completed your organizing project. Good enough, however you define it, is a practical goal to pursue if you're not to burn out.

6) You must have the patience to visit your newly organized space from time to time to keep up a healthy circulation:

When introducing newly acquired items to your organized space, remove what doesn't belong, replace what's been used up and what's not needed anymore. Otherwise, the order you just established will slowly regress back to the natural state of chaos.

These 6 organizing must haves are helpful mental attitudes to keep you going when challenged by situational or chronic disorganization problems.