Summer is halfway over (sorry to break the bad news) and I bet you wrote a list of projects you were going to accomplish over the summer. Don’t despair!
Pick the two projects you absolutely have to do to feel like you’ve accomplished
something. Then break each one into small discrete tasks, assign a date to
each small task, and then do it! You may find that you can actually finish
more than those two.
Example: Clean out basement
Task 1: Take a deep breath and look around. In your mind, picture
what you would like your basement to be – uncluttered and organized. What
would that mean for your particular space? Shelving or containers to hold
holiday decorations? A spot for bicycles? A place for firewood? Begin to select
areas where different items would be.
Task 2: Select one small part of the basement. Look through each object
or carton, asking these questions: “Do I love this? Do I need this?
Do I use this?” If that object cannot fit into one of those categories, get
rid of it! Sell it, give it away, or trash it. Go slowly and methodically and
stop immediately when you become tired or burned out – usually after two to three hours. Do NOT be a nutcase and tackle the entire basement!
Now you should have several piles of things other than the ones
you’re keeping - things to sell, things to give away, and things to dump. This is where the pedal meets the metal. It’s easy to stop here, thinking you’ve organized your basement possessions. However, if you don’t do the final step, you will be back where you started. Those nice piles will start to disengage and spread all over the place.
Here’s how to avoid that scenario – save time at the end of each clean-out
session to get rid of those piles. Fill your car with stuff to go to Goodwill. You’ll
be motivated to drop it off if your entire car is filled with bags of things.
Fill your garbage cans with items to be discarded – that day!
Take your books to a used bookstore and get money for them.
Now get your calendar out and schedule time for another small part of
the basement clean-out. Key words: ”schedule” and “small.”
Repeat until done.
A note about the question “Do I need this?” The answer to this question is
not, “Well, I might need it someday,” or “It could come in handy.” The correct
answer is “Yes, it is a winter coat and I will need it when it gets cold.” Don’t
hang on to stuff for a future use that may not ever arrive.
Tags: cleaning, clear, clear clutter, feng shui, goals, hoarders, hoarding, organization, organizer, organizing, procrastination, professional organizer, professional organizing
