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Successful organizing begins with knowing where you want to go. When people call me about getting organized, I ask them about their higher goals. (No one, except a few crazy professional organizers, wants to get organized for the fun of it!) What motivates you to bring order to your space? What dreams do you want to make room for? Is it having friends over, better relationships within your household, making more money, or improved health? All these things boil down to desiring a better quality of life. The space at home and/or office has become a clutter trap, and is hindering productivity. For your vision to grow and prosper, it must begin as a seed planted in your mind. What would you accomplish within the year if you were better organized?

Say goodbye to excuses
There are always "reasons" for not getting organized. I say, okay, state your reasons, and then get started! Getting started on a piece of your vision provides the impetus to proceed to the next step and the next, until you've achieved success-whatever that looks like to you. Martin Luther King said it this way: "Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." Decide to get started today with what you've got.

Commit
This word can strike fear in some hearts, yet it is vital to being successful. It takes a commitment of time (often many hours) to get organized, but it's a rewarding investment. You can bank on greater harmony and productivity when you are organized.

Tackle with tools
How will you reach your vision? There is more than one way to organize, and you don't have to be organized to get organized! But you will need to evaluate the tools available, choose those that match your preferences, and then put the right tools to use. I make the Paper Tiger software available to my clients because I believe it is the most effective tool for managing paper. Another tool that I recommend is the Globe-Weis Everyday File & Fast Sorter. With slots 1 - 31 and a slot for each month, it provides a home for pending papers needed on a certain day. Some people use this for bill paying. Both are available on the web site www.marylynnemurray.com.

Maintain (or watch your effort go down the drain)
With a vision planted in your mind, excuses thrown out the window, a commitment to devote time to your vision, having and using tools that will support your goals, the only thing left is to maintain the order you've established in your life. I recommend setting up a small amount of maintenance time each day. Depending on your work style, you may need to clean up more than one time during the day to avoid being overwhelmed. Practice keeping up instead of catching up, and watch your higher goals come to pass.