getting organized

The Laundry Room - a great place to start

Today is a slow day for me. No work, nothing pressing. It is good though - it gives me time to organize things and to re-charge my battery. Organizing feels good. There is a sense of peacefulness at the end of the day as things are put away as they should be, and 'to-do' lists become shorter. Some of my favourite organizing tips are:

1. if you don't love it or don't need it, get rid of it
2. designate a family donation box - put things in there as you discover you don't need them - when the box is full, take it to a local charity and then start again
   
3. put things back where they belong - when you set something down, ask yourself if that is where it belongs
4. if you have sentimental things but realize you have no use for them, take a photo of it so you still have it to see - open a new file in your picture files for this specific reason
5. always choose organized over neat - the neatness will follow

I could go on, but these are some really important general ideas.

To get started, begin small and don't expect it all to happen in one day. Give yourself 10 minutes and work really fast. Set a timer to go off. In all likelihood you'll keep going after the timer goes off, but it is much less daunting to think about 10 minute blocks to start.