By Sara Steffens
Reprinted from Contra Costa Times, January 2, 2002
No more piles of paperwork languishing on the kitchen table.
No more forgotten socks slowly souring inside the washing machine.
No more moldy pizza boxes testifying to months of forgotten recycling
days. You've made the vow: This year, you're going to get organized.
And you can almost taste how sweet life will be.
Just imagine: Walking around your own house, barefoot, fearing
neither stray magazines nor sharp playthings. Mailing your credit
card bills early, avoiding the extortion of the pay-by-phone fee.
Actually remembering = each of your siblings' birthdays.
And best of all, simply retrieving your keys from the exact place
they're supposed to be as you leave the house.
Sounds like heaven, doesn't it?
So where do you start?
By taking a long, hard look at yourself. Like all change, organization
begins within, experts say.
"You know a person is ready when they can tell you very clearly
why they want to get organized," says Julie Morgenstern,
author of "Organizing From the Inside Out."
"What is on the other side of the clutter, the compelling
reason? And not just 'It's driving me crazy,' or 'My spouse is
on my back.' You have some bigger life goal. You might say, 'I
want to leave work on time, so I can spend more time with my kids.'
Or, 'I'd like to not fight with my spouse on the way out the door.'"
Two basic problems keep many people from becoming organized,
Morgenstern says.
The first is simply not knowing how to do it. "People start
out shopping for containers, but in order to be effective, that's
usually the last step, not the first," Morgenstern says.
More cumbersome are the psychological obstacles that many people
face.
"If no matter how much you crave order, you keep gravitating
back toward the chaos, you need to find out what those resistances
are," she says. "There's something you need to know
about yourself and then work with it, rather than against it."
Some people, for instance, feel most secure when surrounded by
lots of things. "If that's who you are, that's OK. Don't
try to become a minimalist. Keep your stuff, but organize it,
so it's accessible. If you have 20 bottles of shampoo, put them
all on the same shelf. Organize it. Display it. Celebrate the
abundance."
But remember: Clean and organized aren't necessarily the same
thing, Morgenstern says.
"There are people who live and work amongst piles and piles
and piles; you ask them to find anything and they can put their
hands on it in a second. -- And there are people whose offices
are spic-and-span, absolutely impeccable, with nothing out on
the surfaces, and it's utter chaos inside their drawers."
Morgenstern has these tips for people wanting to get organized:
Tackle one room at a time. Finish every last thing before moving
on to another project.
Start in the room that you spend the most time in. That way, your
work will make a dramatic and gratifying impact on your daily
life.
Schedule appointments with yourself to put things in order. Estimate
the time a project requires, and divide it into manageable sessions.
The average garage, for instance, takes two days of work to complete.
Mary Lynne Murray, a professional organizer based in Walnut Creek,
says one common cause of clutter is our tendency to postpone decisions.
"The piles that pile up are because we don't know where
to put them," she says. "So we're going to put them
off, and decide later. But if you put that off long enough, pretty
soon you have a lot of different piles."
Also, she says, almost everyone has more stuff than they actually
need. "We live in a very consumer-driven society, so it's
something we have to watch. -- Even people with limited funds
often have plenty of things coming into their lives.
"Ask yourself: Why do I have three coffee pots or 10 black
sweaters? Most homes that I go into are twice as full as they
should comfortably be."
At the same time, she warns, organizing isn't just about getting
rid of stuff -- it's about setting priorities.
"We can only do so much. Sometimes people think that being
organized is about being super-efficient. But it's not about doing
more, making us more Martha Stewart-like. I think it's about enjoying
your life, doing what you want to do, liking what you do, knowing
what's important to you."
When a new client calls, Murray first tries to determine the
symptoms of their problem. "I say, 'Tell me about the mess.
What's making you the most uncomfortable?' Sometimes, they'll
know right off: It's my office, I can't see the top of my desk.'"
Others, though, are simply overwhelmed with the state of their
home, so Murray tries to help them narrow in on two or three areas
of concern.
A great place to start is giving up your notion that everything
should be perfect, she advises. Instead, aim for peace of mind,
and a life that runs a little more smoothly. "I tell my clients:
I don't do perfection. I'm into progress."
Staying organized takes a lot of discipline, she adds. "It's
not like you can get organized one time in your life, and it's
over. It's like maintenance. -- I liken it to your car: If I just
drive drive drive the car and never worry about putting in the
gas or changing the oil, it's sometimes going to break down."
Murray also suggests that you:
Break up large jobs into smaller tasks. Set a timer for 30 minutes,
and spend that time cleaning your office. When you're done, schedule
your next work session.
Try writing your to-do list before leaving work, or before going
to bed at night. "If you have kind of a plan, even if it's
just your small to-do list, and if you've made that the night
before, it just sets it in motion for the next day to go smoothly."
Create systems and routines to make it easier to maintain order
in your home or office. "I encourage people to keep up, don't
catch up. -- It's a lot easier to start your day productively
if you don't have to clean up yesterday's mess."
Start with itty bitty baby steps. That's the emphatic advice of
Amy Atwell, manager of the new Walnut Creek Container Store.
"Organization is a journey," she says. "You don't
just wake up one day and say you're going to get organized, and
then bring everything under control. You take control of one small
space, and work from there."
Maybe you're ready to clear out the garage. Perhaps you want
to tackle that gross cabinet underneath the bathroom sink. Or
maybe the junk drawer alone is enough challenge for you.
"Start with something that you really think you can carry
out," she says. "Find a solution for one individual
problem."
When trying to solve organizing problems, think in terms of your
stuff, she says, not the space itself. "Ask yourself: What
do I own? What's important to me? And what do I need access to?"
Take an inventory of the things you'd like to store in any particular
space: say, 25 soup cans, an upright vacuum cleaner, and your
cherished coin collection. Then take basic measurements, and set
a budget.
When designing a space, Atwell says, always consider visibility,
accessibility and flexibility. In other words: You have to be
able to see your things, reach your things, and move them around
as the need arises.
In older homes, with small closets and limited storage, creative
use of space will become especially important, Atwell says.
Atwell admits that there was a time when she herself was an organizational
skeptic. When she first started working at the Container Store,
she wondered, who really needs this stuff? But she started trying
things out, and before long, she said, she was won over by the
ingenious solutions she found "for all those stupid things
that make you crazy."
Sara Steffens writes features for the Times. Reach her at 925-943-8048
or at ssteffens@cctimes.com.
You can't buy your way into organization. And if you don't have
a system for keeping things clean, a container is just another
receptacle for mess.
Still, we can't help thinking that life would be a little easier
in a home equipped with any of these things --
IKEA's Pavo Key Cabinet: A tiny, hook-filled cabinet. Finish
the wood to suit your entryway decor, and you'll always have keys
handy when it's time to go. $4.95. Available at the Emeryville
IKEA (though frequently out of stock), online at www.ikea-usa.com
or by phone at 800-434-4532.
Rubbermaid Wrap N' Craft Storage Container: Since the TV ads
started, we've been coveting this translucent plastic bin, specially
designed to hold 20 rolls of wrapping paper, plus ribbons, bows,
tape, scissors and other supplies. $13, Available at the Container
Store, Home Depot, Kmart and Target. Call Rubbermaid at 888-895-2110
for details
Kids' 7-Pocket Weekly Organizer: Lay out a week's worth of school
clothes by using each pocket of this bright, cheerful hanging
closet accessory. Available at Target, $19. Find them at www.target.com,
or visit any of the store's East Bay locations.
Compact Office Center: Hate staring at a messy desktop? This
elegant walnut cabinet from Hold Everything is designed to keep
a computer, files, paperwork and other office supplies behind
closed doors, but ready to use. $699, plus shipping and handling.
Inquire at one of Hold Everything's East Bay locations, or call
toll-free, 800-840-3596.
Junk Drawer Organizer: Never again hear the question, "Honey,
where do the scissors go?" This nifty plastic bin comes with
a sliding top tray, and decals to stick in the bottom of each
of the 23 compartments, indicating which item belongs where. $7.
Available at the Container Store in downtown Walnut Creek; or
order online at www.containerstore.com.
Some signs that it might be time to call a professional organizer:
- Your social life or career are being compromised by the clutter
in your home.
- You can't imagine how to solve your organizational problems.
- You've tried several times to get things in order, and haven't
been successful.
- You keep stopping at the same point in the job.
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