Setting Goals for Getting Organized

Goals. We all have them. We need to have them.

Do you know the goals for your living space? Is it convenient for you and your family to live there? Could your house be “company” ready within a 1/2 hour notice? Are things routinely put way; laundry, clean dishes, or table clutter?

Well, if you can’t answer yes to several of these questions you need to set some goals.

The Messies Manual written by Sandra Felton suggests that you should write the goals down on paper.

“The hardest part is keeping one’s goals in view when the going gets rough and the end is not in sight. That’s why it is so important to write it down. If it is written, you have made a stronger commitment”.

My personal goal (which I wrote in the margin of the book as suggested) is: I wish my home to be free of clutter, well organized and clean. I wish to keep only what I need to be comfortable, what I require for my soul and what I need to access for information or posterity.

The book also suggests reaching your goals by incorporating the three Cs into your plan. The three Cs are change, commitment and control.

Change can be difficult. It involves exploring uncharted territory.

Trying new approaches to old routines is one way to start. If your stored dishes are on the other side of the kitchen, far from the dishwasher, it is time to move them. Commitment means you consider these goals part of your daily activities. The goal is as important each day as getting up and getting dressed. Lastly, control is vital. If your goals are to be met, then whatever is standing in your way has to be prioritized.

Ms. Felton says, “You have only a limited amount of time and energy. Spend it where it will help accomplish your goals”.

Handy Organizational Items

Last week I was asked to donate to a silent auction item to benefit a fundraiser for SmileTrain and the local Baltimore food banks sponsored by Legacy Associates LLC.

As a personal organizer I put together a lidded bin filled with organizational items. The bin itself can be used to store off-season clothes.

I put in some nesting hangers. They take up so much less space in your closet.

Then I thought about all the magazine subscriptions people have and added two magazine holders. They are also great for the white and yellow pages phone books. It was fun coming up with items that everyone could use.

Drawer organizers were added, the kind with small separate compartments for socks or tights.

Two photo boxes were added to keep those vacation and family pix in order.  Also I included an accordion folder with 13 separate dividers. There lots of ways to use this handy file system, as a bill paying system or a place to store appliance instructions.

Then I added a bag of coins rollers. Roll up those coins and you can buy something you wouldn’t have been able to purchase otherwise.

A 2010 day planner was a no brainer. All your appointments, phone numbers, dates to remember, are all in one place.

Finally I added a package of markers. I use them to date spice containers and perishables with date of purchase. Then you never have to guess if an item is out-of-date.

It was fun to gather seemingly unrelated items and know that ultimately they can be used in any household.