KEEPING YOUR LIFE ORGANIZED

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Say you manage to reverse eons of disarray and disorganization and now, having applied much grit and determination, you have a clean slate. Rather than waiting for the disorganization to return, you can do a number of things to maintain the order and harmony that you’ve achieved.

Being proactive

Following is a list of tips to help you keep your life organized:

Do it now. Rather than postpone clearing up clutter, do it as soon as you create it.

Do it every day. Try to spend 15 to 30 minutes at the end of the day putting things away so that you can start tomorrow in a (relatively) organized place.

Become aware. Every time you come across an item or piece of paper, ask yourself two questions:

·       How long have I had this?

·       Do I really need this?

Build it in. I go to my gym because it is in my schedule (every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in the morning). I don’t have to make a decision. You can do the same for getting organized. Create patterns. I clean up the yard in the spring. We do the shopping on Saturday. We clean the house on Wednesdays. (Okay, Emlyn cleans our house on Wednesdays.) Create a routine that frees you from having to make decisions. You do it automatically. You do it because your calendar says so.

Delegate. You may not have to do all of this alone. Don’t be bashful about getting others (your partner, your kids, your guests) to pitch in with the program.

Buying less

One of the reasons your life becomes more stressful is that you probably have too many “things.” Fewer possessions mean a less complicated life. You can really live happily without many of the things you buy. So before you pull out your wallet at the cash register or pick up the phone or computer mouse to order something, ask yourself the following questions:

·       Do I really need this item?

·       Would the quality of my life be seriously compromised if I passed this up?

·       How many of these do I already have?

If you’re like most people, I suspect that your answers to these questions are no, no, and enough.

Here are some other buying suggestions that you may want to consider:

·       Don’t buy stuff just because it’s on sale. It’s not a good deal if you don’t use it.

·       Don’t buy in bulk unless you’re sure that you’ll use all of it.

·       Don’t buy anything without considering where you’re going to put it.

CCopyright © Allen Elkin Phd – Originally appeared in Stress Management for Dummies 2nd edition by Allen Elkin