A Few Tips for Getting Organized – TPW381

Getting organized brings big productivity benefits. This week we consider some tips for getting our space and stuff organized. Getting organized brings big productivity benefits At the beginning of the year we often think about getting organized. It’s been on my mind in part because between surgery in December, a very busy year-end for my law practice, and then getting sick, I feel like things have gotten out of control--my home, my office, my routines. So these days I’ve felt the urge to get organized, and I thought I’d share a few thoughts with you about the benefits of--and some tips for--getting organized. (Note: This week we're specifically looking at getting our space organized. In a later episode this month we’ll talk about getting our time and commitments organized.) What does it mean to get organized? Merriam-Webster online dictionary: “to arrange one's things or one's affairs so they can be dealt with effectively”  From one blog post on the Blue Key World website, “Genuine organization is taking control of disorder, getting a grip on the chaos and the mess and doing something about it. Arranging disorder into something coherent and logical is what it means to organize.”  From Cindy Rushton’s blog: “Being organized means that you are overcoming the hindrances that keep you from doing all you need to do.”  Clean and neat is not the same thing as organized. As Neena of the Almost Practical website has said, “Any good cleaning service can create a neat and tidy space. But what you need to do to “get organized” is to create a system that you will come to rely upon.” What are the benefits of being organized? You save time--There is less time lost looking for things you can’t find and you can work more efficiently in organized space. Reduced stress--again, the stress of not being able to put your hands on something you need, but also well-organized space fosters a sense of calm because things are under control, especially if you’ve also decluttered.  Your space feels more spacious and welcoming when it’s not cluttered with disorganized piles.  You can be more productive, in the sense of accomplishing more of the things that matter to you (again because of less lost time and more focus due to reduced stress).  You boost your confidence. From the previously mentioned Blue Key World blog post:  “On the inside, when it comes to your mental health, keeping an organized lifestyle gives you the motivation and momentum to continue being productive and put forward the effort to get the rest of your life in gear. Once you establish that structure to your life, you reduce the stress of feeling like you don't have things under control, and this lets you become a more confident version of yourself.”  The writer of the Blue Key World post sums it up well: “Reducing that feeling of being overwhelmed by the mess allows you to be more productive. An organized environment is a calmer environment and one that promotes the energy to take tasks he...