Organizing for Life Space

Last week I attended a talk by Laura Leist, author of Organizing Chaos (isn’t that a cool name for a company?). Three principles seem to make special sense for organizing self as well as space. (1) Learn to let go of what you don’t need. This one is hard! When moving to Seattle, I have to admit that I, the Moving Lady herself, packed way too much stuff. Somehow, I didn’t stop to think that Seattle might have libraries, bookstores, and even a drugstore or two. Once delivered and unpacked, every possession became harder to discard. But I’m working on it. As we organize time for the forthcoming fall system, we can ask ourselves, “What can we get rid of – now? Books? Clothes? Possessions? Even subscriptions for magazines we no longer have time to read?” We can also get rid of wet blankets, commitments that no longer make sense and activities that used to be fun a long time ago. I was attending meetings of a social group...until I realized I felt bored during the meetings and drained afterward. Still, it was hard to stop going. They were so nice. (2) Decide whose purpose you are serving (and whether it’s real or imaginary). During the Q&A of Laura’s talk, one mother asked, “My parents think I should keep all my children’s possessions...their drawings from school, crafts and toys. She kept all mine and I couldn’t care less! In fact, I don’t even like most of them.” Obviously we keep some space, possessions and activities in our lives because we are responsible citizens. But how many times do we keep doing things because “someone” might be disappointed? Often we find out that “someone” doesn’t even notice. Some of my career change clients can’t find time to investigate new directions because they’re enmeshed in someone else’s real or imagined agenda. They’re carrying out time-consuming efforts because their boss wanted them to...but that boss has now retired and the new boss doesn’t notice. Or they think the family wants to celebrate every holiday with an elaborate feast...and half the family has gone on diets and would just as soon dine on carrots and celery with ice water. As I get older and more ornery, of course, I hear fewer suggestions for what I “ought” to do. Or maybe I just don’t “hear” them because I’ve gotten better at tuning them out. (3) Get creative. Living in a small space? Think “up” and use the very top part of your walls. Visual person? Some people can’t handle file folders. They prefer an open basket where they can see their bills and “to do” items. I myself tend to live with organized clutter, especially in my office. I can find anything. When I clean up for visitors, I spend days looking for what I’ve tidily tucked away. You can also get creative with time. These days, I have a lot of things delivered: super-size bags of dog food, bottled water, anything heavy. I’m a great believer in finding ways to make one hour do the work of three. But some things can’t be delegated and after all, we organize our lives to get time and space for the fun stuff...like a beautiful afternoon in the dog park, a symphony concert or a basketball game. You can order Laura Leist’s book through my amazon account: Click here to order. And I recommend my own Time Management System: Start saving time today! My ebooks are listed at http://www.cathygoodwin.com/books.html