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 The world from a short person's POV - not Australia or New Zealand. |
Random thoughts, pointed comments, and whatever else crosses my mind 
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| "A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst and it sparks extraordinary results." Wade Boggs It probably goes without saying but I'll make the statement again anyway: In order to reach any goal, you have to begin by clearly defining it in realistic terms. Every person's situation is different; it's unique for each individual and situation at the time. Goals can change over time as we grow and situations change. Nothing wrong with that. But you will find that progress is accomplished when you start clearly defining your goals, even for one project or event in your life. So before you jump in and start decluttering or rearranging try this simple personal needs assessment. Use this tool for each organizing project you take on - whether it is your office, closet, kitchen or the way you live your life. According to Julie Morgenstern, there are five basic needs-assessment questions. What's Working: Believe it or not, the best way to design a custom organizing system is to start by identifying what works. No matter how disorganized and out of control the area you want to change is, there is something that is working for you (maybe not for others). But remember this is just for you. This step can save you time and energy. As the saying goes, "Don't fix it if it ain't broke." Too often when people decide to go on a reorganizing binge, they try to completely redo everything, wasting much of their effort in the wrong area. Rember, success breeds success. If you identify one thing that is working you gain confidence that will drive you to tackle another area. What you will see is what works for you, what you like and what you want to replicate. Your answer here becomes the organizing criteria for each new system you create. Identify natural habits and tendencies. See if you can work with rather than against them. A system built in this way will be easier to maintain. What's Not Working: Answers to this question can identify what needs fixing. List absolutely everything that frustrates you. Be precise and thorough; don't edit yourself. Be sure you have identified all the problems. If only some areas are fixed while others remain disorganized your attempt to organize will in time fail. Here is a list of statements to fill in when trying to identify what's not working: I can never find_________________________________________________________________ I have no place to put___________________________________________________________ There's no room for_____________________________________________________________ I am tired of____________________________________________________________________ I can't____________________________________________________because of the clutter The disorganization makes me feel________________________________________________ When people visit, I_____________________________________________________________ This will keep you focused throughout the process and give you a great tool that can be used to measure your success. What Items are Most Essential to You:It is not so much about getting rid of things as it is identifying what is important to you and finding homes for those items. By thinking about what items are most important to your job or life, you give direction to the sorting and purging phase. It's not always simple to identify what is important to us. We live in a complicated world with so many options and opportunities. We can feel pulled in a million different directions making it hard to set priorities or identify what is most essential with regard to a specific project. When all is said and done, what really matters to you, what brings you the most joy, the greatest feeling of satisfaction and the biggest sense of accomplishment? When you go through your stuff, ask yourself will this item, activity help me further my goals? If "yes", keep it; if "no" let it go. Why do You Want to Get Organized: Your goals should tell you the answer to this question. Because no matter how you look at it, organizing takes time, effort and concentration. As motivated as you may feel at the beginning, somewhere in the middle of the process you're bound to get tired of making decisions. Before you know it, you'll walk away and involve yourself in another activity, especially if it would give you a quicker sense of pleasure. Keep in mind that you must be driven by your own compelling reasons for getting organized. Put your answers on a list that you can keep with you as you go from room to room or project to project and use it to motivate you. If you need more help getting and staying motivated why not enlist a friend or family member to go on this journey with you. Just make sure they "have your back." What is Causing the Problems: Look back at the discussion of psychological obstacles, technical errors and/or external realities so that you identify the right problem. Remember that the issues may vary from room to room, project to project, so you need to ask this question of each space you tackle. Next Blog: Creating a Plan of Action |
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Fire dancers!!! Wow! What fun! You really are in Paradise! So happy you for you! 
But I wish I loved it. That would be SO HANDY! So, I've been working on positive self-talk regarding cleaning. I smile when I say these things and I say them out loud if I'm alone or in my head if I'm not. I say things like, "I love to clean. Cleaning is fun. Cleaning makes me happy. I enjoy a tidy space." Blah, blah, blah...
Sure, it's dumb, but if it works, it doesn't matter. 
). 
I'm the prime example of someone who needed her own advice over 40 years ago. 