GETTING ORGANIZED IN 15 MINUTES!

I received a call from an old friend today who was panicked that January was over and she hadn’t even touched the massive list of organizing projects she wanted to accomplish in 2015. What bothered her most wasn’t a lack of time; it was not feeling able to tackle the task. “I don’t understand how I can manage my own business but there are a million things in my house that are so unmanageable”, she asked.

Easy. She had fallen victim to what I call “The Big O”. No, I’m not referring to something out Fifty Shades of Grey. I’m talking about that terrible feeling of being OVERWHELMED. It happens to the best of us. We want to organize our garage (closets, pantry, office, playroom - you get the picture). We may even start. But too often the task feels so overwhelming that we give up. Some of us look at the size of the project, and uncertain of where and how to start, completely shut down.  So every day that pile in your room ends up growing instead of getting smaller because the thought of dealing with it feels overwhelming.

In cases like this I like to apply what I call the Deli Analogy. It’s simple. You can’t eat a deli sandwich in one fell swoop. And if you take too large of a bite you run the risk of making a mess or even worse, choking. You have to take one small bite at a time. Organizing is exactly the same. Give yourself 15 minutes a day and tackle just one drawer, one shelf, and one rack of clothes. Feel good about that accomplishment. Don’t let yourself be overwhelmed by the big picture. Enjoy the bite. Follow these principles and I guarantee you will be able to tackle your project and eat a sandwich without making a mess.