Take small steps for big success
If you are disorganized or unorganized, chances are the idea of getting yourself organized is overwhelming. Those stacks of papers, books, toys or other stuff can be pretty imposing can’t they? I encourage you to take some of the pressure off yourself and commit to taking some small steps to get organized. True, you would rather get it all done today, but you need to determine whether that is realistic. If it is not realistic or seems too overwhelming, take a short time today to identify small steps that you can take to overcome at least some of your disorganization.
Set Organization Goals
Before you begin, think about what goals you have regarding organization. What goals do you have? What can you accomplish once you achieve your goals? How can you break your goals into smaller goals? How can you utilize the suggestions below to get started?
Small Steps to Implement
If you are disorganized or unorganized, pick a couple of the steps below to implement and start moving toward organization success. Add your own suggestions in the comments!
- With email, color code to prioritize email by the sender. This way, you can see emails from your priority customers, family members and bosses first. Taking care of priority emails will help keep your email organized.
- Use the automation features of your email program to automatically move incoming emails to mailbox folders. Some of my clients use this feature to move low priority items to a “Read Someday” folder. Saves a lot of time!
- Set timers to sound 10 minutes before you need to move to your next assignment. Use these 10 minutes to clean up your current activity or project so that everything can get put away.
- Make an appointment with yourself to organize. Spend 30 minutes or less at first. Any more time can get overwhelming. If you have ADHD and can make hyperfocus work to your advantage, you might want to plan ahead and schedule a block of a few hours in one day. Check in with yourself – how much time works best for you?
- Systematize: Set up a simple system for yourself when going through mail whether at home or the office. Give yourself a few options such as File, Toss, Do and Delegate. If you have trouble setting up a system for yourself, hire a coach or partner with a friend to figure out a system that works for YOU.
- Motivate: Identify a reward for yourself when you accomplish a small goal. Anything that will keep you going and that is affordable for you is a good idea.
- Limit distractions when you are getting organized. For example, turn off your computer and don’t answer the phone. It will take a significant amount of time to refocus on the organizing which makes the overall process take longer.
- Set up simple file folders that work for you. Label them in bright colors and use them!
Share your ideas in the comments. What else can your fellow readers do to get organized? Looking forward to your feedback!
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