Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.
 
Strategize Organize LLC 
Newsletter Volume 2, Issue 9

 All Done?   

Many people find that finishing off an organizing project is difficult. They have sorted, purged, and found homes for their items. All done, right?  Not quite. Successfully organizing a space should include thinking through how the newly organized space impacts the rest of the home, office or classroom. Projects are not done until all items are put away, lists are made, and systems are put into place. People may not even realize that they aren’t quite done because they feel finished with the project. Unfortunately, not following through to the end can keep them from achieving their organizing goals.

The good news is that there are some simple ways to handle the end of a project. I have found that there are four things to consider:

1. Items that belong somewhere else.
2. Items that require some additional work.
3. Items that belong with something else.
4. Making new systems usable. 


Let's address these one by one.

1. Items that belong somewhere else. 
Take items to their correct home.  Kitchen items go to their homes in the kitchen and other household items go to their appropriate rooms.  Make sure to both take out the trash and put any items that require delivery (a goodwill run) in the trunk of your car.

2. Items that require additional work. 
First make a list of all the projects that require your attention. Making such a list accomplishes two things: it can help you prioritize your time and it can help you make realistic decisions regarding what how much you can do. For example, if you have already started three sewing projects and have some fabric you are saving for the fourth, you may want to consider either getting rid of one of the projects you know you will probably never finish or getting rid of the new fabric you may never use.

3 Items that belong with something else. 
If you know you have a camera but don’t know where it is, it is difficult to know where to store the lens cap.  It is important to find a place for these temporarily homeless items. Label a basket or drawer “Missing Pieces” and put all such parts inside. That way, when your camera turns up you’ll know exactly where to find its missing piece.

4. Making new systems usable.
Many people find that it is helpful to label the new spaces that have been created.  Some of these people will keep the labels forever while others while realize that after a period of time the labels are no longer necessary.

So, push your way through to the end of the job.  The little bit of time and energy that it requires will pay off in spades!

Good Luck, 
Susan


 
You can find my website at http://www.strategizeorganize.com
Follow me on Twitter  
Like me on Facebook 

Forward this Newsletter to a Friend

Unsubscribe

www.susanhunsberger.com

Copyright (C) 2008 Susan Hunsberger, Certified Organizer Coach All rights reserved.
Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp