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Stuck indoors for too long? Now's a great time to organize your space!
By Cena Block, MS, CPC, COC — Written on Jun 28, 2020
When you're down, home organization can feel impossible. But one easy way to feel more focused at work is getting organized in your space.
Sometimes when you're in a slump, it's better to stop procrastinating, drop, and get organized!
Since "mom-entrepreneurs" are some of the busiest people on the planet, an organized space helps you stay focused, productive, and more profitable!
Organizing is a means to an end.
Everyone's goals are different, but getting organized is really just the first step in the direction of making your life and business work.
One of the quickest and easiest ways to get yourself motivated again is to take the time to organize your workspace.
An organized person is better able to do more of what they want to do with ease: They know what they have, have what they need, and can find things when they needs them.
When you're not organized, the entire family suffers. And when you're attempting to run a business with limited time, being organized is essential to feeling productive and less stressed.
Organization impacts your success.
Staying organized is a challenge for most people, not to mention moms and entrepreneurs. Without your space working for you, one of the key dimensions of support is broken.
However, maintaining systems takes time. If you never organize your space and avoid maintenance because of the mess, you may need a time out often.
Or worse — you may tank your success and experience a critical failure. Instead, start strong and organize your space today.
Here are 5 home organization tips so you can feel calm and focused.
1. Avoid distractions.
Dedicate a chunk of time in your schedule to get organized and stick to it. Push till you complete what you start.
Try to avoid breaking your organizing stride with interruptions. There are many apps that can help you stay focused. Check them out and see which works best for you.
If you never start, you run the risk of feeling less organized in the long run!
2. Start small.
Too often, people try to attack a big, disorganized space first. When you feel the need to organize, pick somewhere contained and start small.
For example, choose a desk drawer to tackle first. Dump it, and get rid of unnecessary things. Keep only what you need and love. Reappoint the space with less stuff, and arrange it so things are easy to see.
Creating a small contained, organized space is a big win and can be very motivating. Build on your wins, and only take on a small task if you have limited time.
3. Organize to suit your style.
Each person has a different preference for an organized style. There are six organizing personality styles that determine your preferences for staying organized.
Some people like to tuck items out of sight. Still, others feel more organized when they can see everything out in the open.
Find out your organizing style preferences with the TSSI. The Time & Space Style Inventory is an online test that provides you with your own personality profile. Your scores reveal how to get organized according to your style.
For instance, if you like clear surfaces, make sure you create systems that can keep items tucked away. If you like to "see things," use labels. You'll also tend to enjoy color.
Be sure to find a home for the files you create. Spacial orientation matters. This way, you'll know where to find items and put stuff away.
Whatever your organizing style dominance, getting organized makes you feel more in control. And feeling more in-control means managing less stress.
4. Sort your stuff using the "F.A.T." formula.
If you don't have very much time to organize your space, just the act of sorting can help.
Look for ways to create "landing places" to stage organizing tasks. When you break projects down into tasks, it makes getting started easier.
If you're sorting papers or documents, you may want to consider using the "F.A.T." sorting process, which was first created by Barbara Hemphill.
- Create three piles and be sure to label them "File," "Act," and "Toss."
- Choose a random, unsorted paper pile that needs to be filed. (Start small — no more than two inches high).
- Now, simply sort your papers into one of the three categories you've labeled.
If a piece of paper already has a file folder created and just needs to find its way there, put it in the "File" pile. However, if a paper requires any action — even if you have to create a new folder for it — put it into the "Act" pile. Then, anything you don't need to keep or take action on should be put into the "Toss" pile.
When you follow this method, it helps you push through papers fast. You'll be able to break down the daunting task of organizing your space into simple, easy-to-follow steps.
Try this sorting method. It works because it is simple, and helps layer decisions and avoid decision fatigue.
5. Organize your computer with broad, intuitive file names.
Be sure that you label everything when you begin to file items.
Some people make the mistake of feeling like they need to organize "perfectly." There's no perfect way to file.
What you need to really pay attention to is naming your files in ways that make sense to you! Keep file names simple and easy to maintain. You may also consider pairing your digital files to their equivalent paper files.
Additional ways to organize your space include making things super easy. If you can shift the way you see your space, it's easy to create touch and go systems.
What I mean by that is create ways to hold your space. This way, you can jump out of work at a moment's notice and know what you need to do when you come back.
A professional can help you create files and manage your digital life. You'll need a way to capture, organize, schedule, and remind yourself. Design systems that work for you and your style.
It's not hard to organize your space.
All it takes is a little planning and a little time. Set yourself up for success, avoid distractions, start small, and follow the easy sorting and purging processes above.
Why wait? Now's always a great time to organize your space!
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Cena Block works with ADHD entrepreneurs to turn ADHD blind spots into super-powers through coaching. To learn more about how she can help you, visit her website for a complimentary discovery call.
This article was originally published at Sane Spaces. Reprinted with permission from the author.