Your Organizing Coach

Organize All Over

Accepted wisdom has it that you should concentrate on organizing one spot at a time. No wandering about, getting distracted and off task. Usually, that's good advice.

For general tidying up, however, I think it works well to be all over the map. One of the problems people have with focusing on one spot is restlessness. Focus requires mental attention and physical discipline. When the physical part is difficult, moving around is the solution. Hence, the walkabout tidy-up.

Instead of making a pile of stuff that goes to other rooms, just take the things there as you find them. When you get to the next room, see what you can tidy while you're in there. Move from room to room as it suits you. Staying in motion can do wonders to keep you on task. In fact, it's important not to sit down because you don't want to start reading that magazine you just picked up (no reading while standing!).

Walking around also gets your blood moving and helps energize you. Sprinting from room to room isn't necessary, but if it makes the job more appealing, try it! It's always worthwhile to try a technique you haven't tried before. It could work, or it could give you new insight into why you do things your way.

Hedge Maze from kevingessner's photostream.

Organizing as a Practice

I've been trying to start two new practices recently (I know I shouldn't say "trying;" am I afraid to commit?). One is meditating and the other is writing. Since I used to write fiction I know a practice is important but somehow I didn't think that also applied to non-fiction writing. My friend Deborah assures me that it does (and she gave me some great tips!). So I'm using an online timer and putting in 10 minutes (for now) a day. What I come up with is drivel, of course, but that's not the point.

My meditation practice is also often embarrassingly bad. Wow, is that really me thinking all those incredibly banal thoughts? Then I remind myself that I'm just practicing. I am not very patient and have never understood delayed gratification, so it's a big thing for me to let my practice be a practice and not a path to perfection.

Being organized, clutter-free and in control of your time is also a practice. You're not going to finally get it right one day and be home free. Some days will be better than others. You'll go through busy periods when your system gets a little frayed around the edges and then you'll take the time to get back on track.

I do emphasize having a vision for your organized life, a goal to work towards. However, if that goal is making you feel disappointed in what's happening today, just think of what you're doing as a practice. Instead of thinking, 'my office has to look like that one I saw on Apartment Therapy,' try 'today I'll clear off the top of the file cabinet.' Focus on action today rather than possible futures.

A practice has its own rhythm and is its own rewards. Try it and see.

Kitty with meditation cushion from jakemohan's photostream.

Shoe Storage Ideas

When you’re not wearing them, take care of them. That means putting them away. These boots may be made for walking, but they don’t do it on their own. The three keys to good shoe storage are: Easy to use, accessible and spacious.

Habits create ease. When a task is a habit, it’s automatically easier because you don’t have to think about it. Make putting your shoes away part of your current routine. When you come inside, you put your jacket and bag somewhere, right? And I don’t mean on the back of the sofa. Include shoe stowing in that routine. For example, jacket in front closet, bag on foyer table, shoes in bedroom closet.

If that’s too much work, create a daily dumping spot for your shoes; under the foyer table, under the coffee table, floor of the front closet, etc. The only way this works, though, is if you’re willing to do a daily or semi-weekly tidy up when you put the shoes back in your clothes closet. To keep them looking nice, select a spot where there’s room for a few pairs so shoes won’t get jumbled together and damaged.

The amount of work you have to do to put something away is inversely proportionate to the likelihood of you doing it. Clear plastic shoe boxes are orderly and keep your shoes clean and safe, but they are a pain in the neck to use, in my opinion. Taking a box off the shelf and opening it is two movements already! You want storage that’s accessible without reaching, bending, opening, shoving aside, etc.

Uncrowded space is key to putting away almost anything. Just as your file drawers should never get more than 2/3 full, so you don’t have to use muscle power to wedge things in there, your shoe shelves, cubbies, etc., should be roomy enough so you can access them easily.

Roominess also helps prevent damage to your shoes. If you store 50 pairs of shoes in a space where only 30 will really fit, they’re going to be squashed together and get crushed and scratched. If this is your situation, you’ll have to get creative and realistic about your storage options.

Here are some ideas: 

• Move your shoes to the front hall closet if that’s where you hang your jackets.
• Use shelves at the front door, Asian style.
• Clear the floor of your clothes closet and let it be only for shoes. Then you can almost just kick them off!
• Store off-season shoes away from those currently in use.
• Double up or stack flip flops, slippers and other sturdy, compact shoes.
• Keep special occasion shoes in boxes on a shelf and put a big photo of the shoes on the end of the box to remind you of what’s in there (this is a good trick if you’re worried you’ll forget shoes that you can’t see).

If you buy containers, make sure they will fit your shoes and your closet space

• Chunky heels, boots and platforms won’t fit into shoe pockets
• Over the rail cubbies are great, if you can spare the rail space
• Wire shelving not so good for stilettos; the heel sinks through and the shoes can get scraped
• Baskets are only good for casual shoes that can be bashed up a bit. Best for canvas, plastic and very sturdy leather

My favorite shoe containers:

• Over the door shoe pockets for low profile shoes
• Over the rail cubbies for bulkier shoes and for doubling up flip flops and slippers
• Three-shelf unit under my short hanging items for any size shoe and floppy boots
• Floor space for rigid boots

Figure out what works for you!

Shredding Scissors

I saw these at a store today and did a double take. I've never heard of shredding scissors but I think they're a great idea. Many of my clients stockpile their shredding until it gets to be a huge pile that they then don't have time to shred. Even when I get them to station the shredder right where they sort mail and paper, they still don't use it all the time. In fact, a lot of them would just as soon tear up paper than feed it through the shredder.

I'm going to start recommending these shears. I can see one really helpful application for them and that's to shred just the personal information on a piece of paper, or the address label on a magazine. Credit card applications, for example, don't need to be completely shredded. You just need to get rid of the identifying information by using the scissors to snip up that little section.

These shears do straight cut only, so they aren't as good for entire sheet shredding as cross-cut shredders because theoretically the strips can be reassembled. However, if you're trying to make some paper fringe to decorate your tiki hut or sushi plate, that feature comes in handy!

Autofocus with the Master List

The master list is one of my favorite tools. I love making lists and I usually make them by hand in a notebook because they're simpler to work with.

Time management coach Mark Forster is a man after my own heart. He's written several books about personal effectiveness and he's now sharing his Autofocus system on his website for free.

The Autofocus system is simply what I described above, one very long list in a notebook that you keep adding to and crossing off of. The cool thing about this system is that it doesn't involve prioritizing. Forster asserts that as you scan the list, you'll be able to select the important items naturally, using the "balance between the rational and intuitive parts of your mind."

This is really important bedcuase so much of procrastination results from just not really wanting to do things. People do what they do. If They don't want to do a particular thing, they just won't, no matter how "important" they've decided it is. This system forces you to be honest with yourself and either favorably recast (meaning figure out a way to achieve the same goal in a way that you prefer) or delete the to do's that aren't getting done.

List from Carissa GoodNCrazy's photostream.

Christine Arylo on self love, success and clutter

Creating an organized space makes it easier for you to lay your hands on the things you need and helps you be more effective because you now have time for the important stuff. It's also an essential part of taking care of the most valuable person in your life, yourself. Christine Arylo, coach and author of the new book, Choosing ME Before WE, graciously took some time from her book promotion schedule (you can hear her speak on June 2nd at 7pm in Oakland at Great Good Place for Books) to do an interview for my blog.

Christine is also an inspirational catalyst who uses the power of self-love to help people liberate themselves into the life they really want… or as she likes to say “Dare to Live and Love YOU!” 

Clutter Coach:
Sometimes clutter results from not deciding where to put things, or just not spending the time to put them away. It's a common problem. But what if you're using clutter as an excuse not to move forward in your life, or to insulate you from discomfort?

Christine:
The clutter we surround ourselves with is the symptom, it’s not the disease itself. The clutter is the outcome of something deeper going on within ourselves, and often times it’s protecting us from something we don’t want to be with… or it’s slowing us down from actually getting what we really want in life. If you have a clutter filled life, you have to stop and ask yourself, “What is behind this clutter? What is it a symptom of? What inside of me am I not willing to be with or look at?” And then attack that problem. The clutter will clear itself up from there. If you only attack the clutter without addressing the underlying issue, the clutter will just keep coming back.

Clutter Coach:
It can be scary to commit to a goal like getting organized if it's a big shift from where you are now. Who will you be once you're organized? Will you lose your creativity? How do you deal with the identity issues that come up with any major change, no matter how positive?

Christine:
One simple fact: structure actually creates more freedom not less. When you have form and structure in your life – such as getting organized – you create more space and that creates more freedom, not less. And within freedom, you are inherently more yourself, not less.  This lifetime is about letting go of all the ‘stuff’ that isn’t really who we are – fears, society expectations, bad training, ego, obligations, etc. – so that we can be free to be who we really are. If you can keep that perspective, that your life is a series of steps that brings you closer to your truest essence, it’s a lot easier to take each change one step at a time, stopping to integrate what you’ve learned about yourself along the way.

Clutter Coach:
Habits can be ruts we get into that prevent us from seeing what's really going on, or they can be welcome time-savers that allow us to focus on the important stuff. How can we become aware of our habits so we can evaluate them clearly and choose the positive ones?

Christine:
Notice what continually works well and what doesn't. Then look for the patterns that cause those results. That is where you will find your habits. Obviously, if your habits are producing good results, keep doing them. For the habits that create unpleasant or unwanted results, it’s time to create a new habit, so you need to cut a new internal rut. Literally, you have to retrain your brain to act differently, to follow a different pathway. It takes time but if you treat it like building a new muscle, it can be a lot of fun. The following four step process is one that I use with all my clients and with myself:

1. Awareness:  You see the truth of your behavior and the outcome it produces. You take responsibility and commit to change.
2. Reflection:  You still do the habit, but afterwards, you look back and say, “Oh, I did that again. Here is what happened. Next time, I would like to do …”
3. Change in the Moment:  You notice the habit while you are doing it and you interrupt it, choosing instead to do something new.
4. Integration: The old habit has been replaced with a new habit, and you no longer have to think about it.

Clutter Coach:
How can becoming accepting and loving of ourselves help us battle that sneaky little demon, perfectionism?

Christine:
Success begets success, so when you feel good about yourself you will naturally create more things that result in you feeling good about yourself.  Perfectionism never leads to success, only distress, so it’s a habit you want to give up for sure! You can do that by doing two things. 1. Set realistic expectations for yourself that you can meet. 2. When you meet them, celebrate! The more you acknowledge your small wins the more they will add up to big wins. Before I go to bed each night I actually say out loud at least 5 successes I had that day. It sounds so simple, and it really does make a difference.

Clutter Coach:
What's your personal favorite organizing trick?

Christine:
If it doesn't have a place to go, find it a home. I notice that whether it’s my email box or my desk, what causes clutter more than anything are those things that are homeless. So I immediately create a place for them to go – whether it’s a new email folder on my computer or in my filing cabinet.

If you find yourself living among clutter, working harder not smarter, or running around like an energizer bunny gone mad, your life is running you, instead of you living it. Don't feel bad, you’re not alone – we’ve been conditioned to live that way. But do be smart and realize that you need to learn some new habits, skills and super powers to deal with the realities of the 21st century. Also be smart enough to find people and resources that can guide you – none of us can do it alone!

About Christine Arylo
A new kind of self-love expert, Christine Arylo, inspirational catalyst, traded in twelve years of creating powerful images for brands like Visa and Gap, to inspire people to bust through their limiting self-images and self-expectations. As an author, speaker, and coach, Arylo is an expert at helping people to get the success and happiness they want by living and loving their most real and wise selves first. She is the author of Choosing ME Before WE, Every Woman’s Guide to Life and Love, and the founder of the international Madly in Love with ME™ movement. She has appeared on national television and syndicated radio shows across the country, and her opinions have been featured in places like the San Francisco Chronicle, Glam.com and Daily Om.

Are You an Overdoer Procrastinator?

This is the second part of my series on Linda Sapadin's six procrastination styles, based on her book, It's About Time! Last year I wrote about perfectionism. Today's style is overdoing. The other styles are the dreamer, the defier, the worrier and the crisis-maker.

People who are overdoers:

• feel they have to do more work than others to prove themselves, even if it's too much to handle
• hate to say no or ask for help, again from a desire for approval and respect
• spread themselves too thin, causing them to have to work even harder
• let their work rule their time so that personal needs and relationships are put on hold
• have a hard time relaxing without feeling guilty or ashamed

Now, how do you go about changing those habits? Dr. Sapadin writes that overdoers often have low self-esteem and overwork to compensate for it. In my view, they also let their lives be controlled by external forces.

A good place to start in overcoming overdoing is to bring yourself back to your own goals, your own vision of how you want to live. Take a clear, hard look at all that you do and be honest about whether each activity is fulfilling to you or something you're doing for approval, image or obligation.

Here are Dr. Sapadin's suggestions:

• Accept that you can't "have it all." You're not superwoman or superman and that's fine.
• Remember that life is an adventure, not a struggle. We all have different capacities for work; when you exceed yours it starts to be drudgery instead of exciting.
• Distinguish between what you believe is important to do versus what others want, or what you "should" be doing
• Don't depend on others for approval. This gets easier the more you reaffirm your own goals and desires.
• Remember that ultimately it's you who decides how to spend your time. You aren't really a victim of other people or circumstances, so take back your control.
• Write leisure time into your schedule so you'll remember to take a break!

House of cards from vincegiantesano's photostream

"Stadium Seating" to Organize Your Folders

If you saw the new Star Trek movie at IMAX as I did, you know that stadium seating rocks. No bobbing heads blocking the screen! Peter Walsh's new [In]Place angled file holder provides that kind of visibility for your folders. This video introduces the product line from Office Max.

Clever hanging folders lock together so nothing falls in between them. They're transparent and the tabs go straight across, no 3 or 5 cut, so you never run out of one type, and you can see through to the next tab. A notch on the side is for a binder clip; nothing falls out and they don't snag on each other. Best of all, you can write on the tabs with an erasable marker and use them over and over.

 There are still more [In]Place products I don't have room to mention, so go over to the site and look. I'm a big fan of Peter's and these products were clearly well thought out and well designed.

Organize with Photographs

A quick way to get some objectivity about your space is to take some pictures. Our brains are constantly filtering extraneous information out of the visual field. We see what we need to see (sometimes what we want to see). Otherwise, we'd be overwhelmed.

A photograph includes all the information without editing anything out. I mentioned this technique in a previous post about a client who literally did not recognize her living room from a photograph. Your reaction may not be so strong, but you will be able to see things that escape your notice in real life. 

How to do it:
Say you want to organize your home office. Get your camera and take a series of photos, starting from the left and crossing the room. Print them and lay them out in a panorama. Does the room in the photos look more cluttered than you thought? Are the piles bigger? Are there more of them, now that you can see the whole room at once? Is there a box under the desk that you've been conveniently ignoring?

Remember, this is just information gathering. It's not an opportunity to make yourself feel bad about the state of your office. You can use these photos to help you identify what to do next. Right now, choose one thing you can do today. Make sure this is a do-able task, not a project.

Tips on task selection:

• Choose something that's been there for awhile; that box under the desk, or a hunk of paper off the bottom of a pile. Usually it's easier to make decisions about older items because they're not relevant anymore.
• If you were able to quickly identify something that you know what to do with, do that. Maybe it's a stack of folders for a completed project that need to be filed away. Maybe it's some magazines you've been meaning to give away but they haven't made it out the door yet. It's not cheating to start with the easy stuff.
• Choose a task that will improve the aesthetics of the room and make it a more pleasant place to be. That could be decluttering the windowsill so your view is clear. It could be taking all the Post-It's off your monitor and copying the notes onto your to do list, address book or wherever they make sense.

If that worked for you, post the photos on a bulletin board so you can refer to them again and select another task. Bonus task: when you get your office looking the way you want, take another series of photos and post them. You can use them as a guide/reminder of how things are supposed to look so you can maintain it.

Camera from BigTallGuy's photostream

The Seven Deadly Organizing Sins: Gluttony

Here’s the second installment of my tongue-in-cheek series based on the seven deadly sins: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride.

The sin of gluttony is pretty easy to identify as it applies to clutter. It means over consumption, particularly “to the point of waste.” We live in a retail culture and consuming is part of our identity. Americans are used to being referred to as consumers, cogs in the machinery of our economy. It’s our patriotic duty to buy stuff.

But at some point, you have to stop pointing your finger at insidious advertising and the countless other cultural messages compelling you to over consume. Take responsibility for what comes through your door and makes itself at home in your life.

Gluttony is what leads you to buy the latest gadget even though you don’t need it. Gluttony makes you want all the versions of something, in every color, instead of just one. Gluttony encourages you to go to the mall and shop because you feel the need to buy something, anything.

To avoid sin: Don’t shop just to shop; shop with a list in hand. Before you buy, ask yourself, do I need this? Do I love it? Where will I put it? How much will I use it? Is it easy to maintain and keep clean? Do I already have something just like this at home? If you’re replacing something, promise yourself to get rid of the old one.

Shopping carts from Stoichiometry's photostream