The Habit of Organizing

I’m a naturally tidy person. That’s probably why I was drawn to becoming a professional organizer. 😊

But being tidy is a struggle for a lot of people. The question I get most often from clients is how I stay organized. And the answer is actually really simple…at least for me (and luckily for my hubby, too). Instead of putting something down, put it away.

Let me repeat that. Instead of putting something down…put it away.

Like any other daily routine, once you make a habit of putting things where they belong, you become an organized person.

But creating new habits can be tough. It’s easy to get frustrated, throw up your hands and give up. But here are some tips I use with clients to help them get into the habit of organizing.

  1. Decide to change. Knowing and doing are two very different things. You need to make the conscious decision to change and form this new habit.
  2. Commit to one month. It takes about 30 days to make a new habit feel automatic. You can try anything for one month, right?
  3. Start small. If your goal is to be organized, you don’t have to attack your entire home at once. This one new habit will start you on that journey. And, once putting things away becomes second nature, additional organizing goals will be much easier to attain and maintain.
  4. Be consistent. If you want to lose weight, you know you need to eat right and exercise daily. A once or twice a week commitment won’t give you the results you want. The same goes with organizing. Make a daily decision to put things away once you’re finished using them.
  5. Stick with it. Creating a new habit is not easy. You will slip up. And that’s okay. But please don’t give up on yourself. It’s not about perfection. Just shake your doubts off and get back to it.

Now imagine this:

No more ever-growing pile of clean laundry. You took it straight from the dryer and got things folded and put away.

No more paper piles. You tossed the junk mail straight into the recycle bin, you paid your bills and filed or shredded the rest.

No more random obstacles cluttering your home. You tucked the step ladder back behind the door after you used it to get something down from the top shelf in the kitchen.

Remember…Instead of putting it down…put it away.

You can do this. Give it 30 days. You’ll be amazed at the results.

And if you still find yourself struggling, give me a call. You know by now that helping people get organized is kind of my thing. 😊

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