Get Organized with Ease!
Have you ever wondered why some people organize their home, schedules, and lives effortlessly while you struggle just to get out the door without forgetting something? Does your dining room table seem to mysteriously grow mountains of paper and miscellaneous accoutrements that seem to cast a condescending glance at you every time you walk by?
Don’t worry, you’re not alone and there is help on the way!
IT’S AN INSIDE JOB!
Behavioral changes will certainly help, but I’m guessing you’ve tried already only to fall into old patterns. In this case, it’s essential to change from the inside out, by rewiring how you think.
Thinking correctly + Behavioral tweaks = Permanent success!
Find and kill the ANTs (Automatic Negative Thoughts)!
Start listening to your inner chatter. I mean really listening … start repeating aloud or writing what you hear in words. Most of us aren’t aware of the dialogue within, so we can’t change it.
You may be hearing (saying to yourself) things similar to these:
“I’m so unorganized”
“I’ll never get myself together”
“My life is such a hot mess”
However, if you catch these pesky ANTs and consistently replace them with the truth such as:
“I struggle with organization now, but can and will learn to be organized”
“I am getting myself together by changing how I think and live!”
“My life is an adventure, and I am on the road to taking charge of it!”
It’s important to celebrate the wins, including noticing the ANTs. You can’t change what you’re not aware of!
I might suggest, as I do with all challenges, that you journal around these self-sabotaging thoughts. Realizing where they come from and deciding how to replace them will bring more than organizational skills!
Okay, once you’ve started killing the ANTs you can ease into a few behavioral changes. Pick one or two to start and try to stick to them for a couple months before adding any more. Succeeding is a critical component in personal victories, so modify until you see consistent success in an area.
DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT make a lot of changes or big ones at once. Keep them small, even tiny.
TIPS to Increase ORGANIZATIONAL Skills
Once the inside changes begin to occur, it’s time to take it to the next level. A word of CAUTION: it’s easy to fall into old ANT patterns, so watch for those pests!
Example of Brain Dump:
| Priority ONE |
| Take a shower by 6:30 |
| Feed the kids by 7 |
| Leave for work at 8 |
| Pick kids up at 3 |
| Kids in bed by 8 |
| Important |
| Trash out |
| Cook dinner |
| Bathe kids |
| Call mom |
| Check homework |
| Want to do |
| Mow lawn |
| Do laundry |
| Work out |
| Take meal to neighbor |
| Go to HMO meeting |
| Might do |
| Clean rest of house |
| Mend that button |
| Catch up on emails |
| Try new recipe |
| Call brother |
- Create to-do lists (see above). Do a brain dump with sticky notes that can be rearranged easily according to priority. For example, do what’s important to you and leave the rest for another time. Celebrate how far you get on the list, but don’t guilt yourself for not finishing it.
- Think aloud. Talking aloud gives your brain the chance to hear what you want to do in a more concrete way. Remember, only positive and truthful thoughts are allowed!
- Have a calendar on your home page that orders your time (daily, weekly, monthly). Only put priority ONE and important tasks on this, otherwise you won’t even look at it.
- Keep your environment (room, house, office …) simply furnished with as little surface space as possible. If you don’t have anything to organize, you cannot be unorganized!
- Have minimal décor where you need to work or think. (Clear/clean room = clear/clean mind.) A good rule of thumb for those who struggle with distraction and disorganization – SIMPLIFY! The less you have the easier it is to manage.
- Develop SMART goals together and revisit them often (an online search will produce ample examples).
- Use time chunking. Either set a chunk of time to do a task, say 10 minutes to work on decluttering the kitchen table. When the timer rings, you are free to stop or keep going.
- Use task chunking. Decide on one small task to do, say decluttering the kitchen table. Work on it until it’s finished without going on to another task (unless you’re on fire to do so). If the table is totally out of control, modify it to a portion of the table or certain items such as all paper or all books.
- Start the day mentally going through the schedule and remind yourself that you can focus on prioritized tasks only if desired. Remember to tell yourself the truth … that you want to succeed, and that you are more than capable of doing so!
- Develop mnemonics for important tasks (e.g. “F.A.D. = a daily reminder for Fun After Dishes”)
