10 Steps to an Organized Home:
1. Divide your home into zones. Chose one zone to organize each month. Write the zone at the top of your monthly calendar; i.e., January-office, February-spare bedroom, March-living room.
2. Check in with your motivation for wanting to organize that area or zone. What organizational issues in that area are bothering you and why? What do you want to change?
3. Create a vision for the chosen zone. How do you want this area to look and how do you want to feel when you are in this area? Be very specific.
4. Put a date on the calendar for the completion of the project. This will become your “due” date.
5. Brainstorm all that has to happen to make the vision come true. Put down everything you can think of no matter how small or outlandish. This list will be modified later.
6. Write concrete goals for the project. You have a vision and a possible “to do” list. Developing written goals is your commitment. Write your goals so that they are positive, consistent with your vision, specific, measurable, reasonable yet challenging.
7. Revisit your brainstorm list and chose the items that you will implement to complete your vision by your due date. Pick out tasks that make sense and are doable this time around.
8. Organize the tasks on your list in a logical sequence. Put dates by each task. This is your timeline. Write on your calendar when you plan to “do” each task.
9. Develop a maintenance plan to keep this zone organized. You have completed the project and your vision is realized. You want to keep it that way. Next year you can revisit the vision and do reorganization if necessary. In the meantime, put dates on your calendar to maintain what you have accomplished this time around.
10. Your project is complete. Celebrate!
For more details on how to organize your home, purchase my book From Vision to Victory: A Workbook For Finding a Simple Path to an Organized Home. The book is for sale on my website (www.timespaceorg.com).
Jonda S. Beattie Professional Organizer
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