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January 2010
Index of all
past
Affiliate Corner columns
Organize your space for fun and profit
By Connie Ellefson
Clear the Space
Why organize? For fun.
Remember when the Cat in the Hat comes back at the end of the story with the big machine that cleans up all his mess in about thirty seconds as Mom walks up the block?
Wouldn’t it be nice if your house or office were always that organized, with that little effort? Being organized is actually that much fun, especially when you get a call from one of your VIPs wanting to stop by in ten minutes—and your space is not only streamlined enough to tidy up in time, but also shows your real style underneath the chaos!
Even better is having space to keep your creative ideas flowing, not getting tripped up on stagnant stuff that catches your eye constantly and bogs you down with reminders of unmade decisions. That’s what clutter really boils down to: not-sure-what-to-do-with-it on top of a lot of haven’t-decided-where-to-put-it-yet.
Why organize? For profit.
We live with it day after day and even get used to it, but clutter and disorganization can really cut into our bottom line.
Organizing superstar Peter Walsh estimates that the average American executive wastes about six weeks a year looking for lost or misfiled info. At a $70,000 per year salary, that translates to $8,400 annually in lost revenue to you or your company. The $100,000 earner loses about $12,000 per year.
Then there are all those other monetary considerations such as replacing items you forgot you had, working to pay for excess stuff, missing your bills and paying late fees, etc.
How to organize? Strategize…
1. All organizing projects basically boil down to three steps:
Sorting to see how many of each item you own.
Purging duplicates or unwanted/unused items.
Organizing what’s left.
2. Start with a vision of what you want the space to look like, i.e., style of décor (minimalist to extra-decorated), and how you want to spend time there – what activities will occur in which rooms.
3. Strive to clear off horizontal surfaces, such as dining tables (meant for congenial meals, not years of unfinished projects, magazines and tax info).
4. This goes for the floor, too! Feng shui (which is not a religion, only a philosophy) suggests that energy and ideas flow much better when there’s lots of room for it between furniture and other items.
5. With every item you hesitate to give away, sell or toss, ask yourself, “Does this item contribute to the life I want to lead?” Or: If a natural disaster loomed and you had only one hour to get out with your most
valued possessions, what would you take?
Conversely, if you won the lottery and had to stay in your current house, would you keep everything?
6. Per feng shui, leave at least one-third of the space in closets, cupboards, and bookshelves, etc. open, for new good things to come into your life. They may be different stuff, or they may be intangible, but they will be good!
7. Get help when you need it. Trade with an organized, non-judgmental friend or hire assistance when the job seems too overwhelming to even start. Talking over the mounds of mementos with an objective outsider will help in parting with some.
8. Think vertical. Get everything you can up off the floor and stored vertically to take up less visual and actual space. This is the theory behind file cabinets – and, by the way, creating an excellent, easy-to-use filing system in your home or office will make a HUGE improvement in your paper clutter problems.
9. Make sure that everything you use on a daily basis in your office is within arm’s reach. Move seldom-used manuals or other info into the company library or filing system.
10. Pare down other office décor to one or two family photos, maybe a plant or two, and definitely something that makes you laugh! You will be able to be far more productive and remember loved ones without other visual clutter distracting you.
Most of all, live in the present instead of the past (too many mementos keep you stuck there) or the future (“I might need it some day”). The energy you free up by living for today will help make you more successful in every area of your life and could increase your fun quotient as well!
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