You Can!

1. Breathe.
   
2. Pick a problem & start small.
   
3. Repeat ' a bite at a time'.
   
4. Generate solutions that work for you.
5. Act and make it fun.
6. Try it, Maintain it, & Improve it.

I think this is the most important rule to learn regardless of whether you are decluttering, managing a project, scheduling your 'to do' items, or changing a habit. BREATHE. Take deep slow breaths when you are stressed; breathe when you are feeling tired; breathe in the joy and celebration for a job well done; and anytime during the organizing process that you start to feel overwhelmed, stop and take a breathe.

Have you heard the joke, "How do you eat an elephant?"

"One bite at a time." And that is how you will organize. One bite at a time. One piece of paper at a time, or one habit at a time. Little steps do count in this game. You didn't create your problem in one day and you aren't going to fix it in that time. It may be overwhelming to think of how big the elephant is (or how much clutter there is), but if you repeat "a bite at a time, a bite at a time..." and focus on one small area at a time, you can and will complete your organizing project.

Pick one problem or one area to start organizing. It can be a room, a project, your schedule, or a habit. Can you break it down into smaller areas? If it's your home office, focus on your desk or a bookcase. Then break it down into even smaller portions such as a drawer or one shelf. If you can complete the organizing project in an afternoon or less, then it's small enough. Keep it small and you can do it.

But we still haven't really picked the problem yet. Take some time to think about why the area, project or your time has gotten out of hand? If your desk is cluttered, is it because you don't know where to put all the papers (storage) or you don't spend the time to put the papers away (habit)? Identify the reasons why it's not working for you. Find as many as you can so that when you move to the next step, you can generate solutions that really do address the problem.

Get comfortable, maybe grab an organizing buddy and dream up solutions. Think about the problem you picked and the causes that you identified in the previous step. How can you fix, change or solve one or all of them? Think about what outcome you want. Do you want to relax in your space? Do you want to feel energized? What activity or activities do you want to enjoy? Dream big, really big. Come up with as many solutions as you can and don't worry about whether you have enough money or the right stuff. The dreaming and brainstorming is just to get the creative and fun side of you going. Once you get all the ideas down that you can think of, which ones solve the problems you had? Now, how can you implement that solution(s) on your budget, with your resources? Generate solutions that work for you. Create a new system that will allow you stay organized and enjoy doing it. And remember, there is no wrong way to organize, except creating something that doesn't meet your needs or desires. Just because a system works for your neighbor, your friend or a family member, doesn't mean that it will necessarily work for you. Thankfully we are all different and our solutions and systems should be also.

Now that you have a solution, let's put it into action. Put some music on, get into some comfortable clothes and have fun getting organized. Use colors to make it more fun. Buy containers, equipment, or tools that are both functional and beautiful to you. Create an environment that you will want to stay organized in. Get rid of the things that don't work for you. The more fun you have with your new organizing system, the easier it will be to maintain.

Guess what? Just because you put your new system into place doesn't mean the work is over.

You need to try it out. You need to maintain the system you've built. And you need to fix and improve it. Sometimes the new solution works immediately with no changes necessary; other times there may be some minor (or even major) changes necessary. Sometimes your system will work for years and then one day because of changes in your life, the system doesn't work anymore.

You need to maintain it. If you de-cluttered your office desk, then you need to spend time each day clearing away the day's clutter so it doesn't build up. If your organized your closet, each night you need to spend a few minutes placing things back on their shelves or hangers. If your new system is time management, you will need to spend a few minutes each day planning for the next day. Take a few minutes now to maintain your system and that will save you hours and days of rebuilding it.