Get Organized!

The environment one is in greatly affects our focus, sense of safety, stress level, and overall mental well being. People may feel like being organized is pointless. Things NEVER stay organized and as long as something is clean, it should be okay-right?

Get Organized!

One distinction I would like to make is that just because an area is “clean” does not mean that it is “organized” (or organized well). For example, you may have put your clothes away in your closet, but are the pants put up together? Can you find that article of clothing you wanted to wear with ease?

Cleanliness deals with grime, but being organized is a systematic way of life that makes everyday tasks easier. Both are needed for a welcoming environment.

One benefit of organizing one’s room is that it encourages being more organized. For example, if your chair is already piling up with clothes, adding another jacket doesn’t seem that much of a difference, right? But if the chair wasn’t used to hold clothes, anything added to it would stick out like a sore thumb. This would encourage you to keep organized. Additionally, by having to organize/clean as you go along, you won’t have to dedicate a whole day(s) to dealing with the mess you’ve built up.

Like I mentioned earlier, being organized is to make every day life easier. The placement of your items should be helpful and current. Perhaps one mode of organization helped when you were a teen, but not as a young adult. If you need to make adjustments to your place, think about it in the long run. Does this need to be a semi permanent fixture? For example, do you need to drill holes for hooks or would a coat rack be better?

If your are struggling with getting organized, I have some tips.

Firstly, group items into categories. For example, clothes, stationary, media, etc. Make piles of them so you can get the big picture. Now look through the piles. How can you make them into subcategories? For instance, you would want to gather up the writing utensils together from the journals. Then you can break them down further by separating the writing utensils into pens, pencils, and markers.

Another thing to keep on the back of your mind is, “Where is the most effective place to put these items?” If you tend to draw, find a way to keep them in a more visible place like in a container on your desk. Understand that you have to optimize your space. You may not be able to add EVERY pencil that you have on your desk, but choose your favorites or those you want to try out.

Containers are a great way to organize the subcategories together. And you don’t even have to spend much to buy them. Simply, look into containers you already have or go to the Dollar store.

If you have a lot of items to go through (and I’ve been there) then go through your items and ask yourself, Do I really need this? Is this so important to me to take up space? Would I need it soon? Can I sell this? Can I give it away?

This can all get very frustrating. Especially the more items you have. Here in America, we are overwhelmed with consumerism. If you are struggling with hoarding, make a few rules for yourself. If you add something to your place, you have to take another out. Along with that, limit your purchases you make in a week/month that isn’t necessary so you don’t collect too much. Overall, be mindful of why you are buying items. Was it out of compulsion or need? In the end, being organized can help you recognize what you really need.

Don’t feel like you MUST have everything organized right away. Start in manageable chunks. I really encourage this. You may not completely know what is the best way to organized. You may need to change your organization after a week if it wasn’t helpful the first time around. Or maybe, one system of organization may not work with another.

It is okay to be “wrong.” You will gain the problem solving skills needed to get through or make things better!

When you are surrounded by the great progress you’ve made, not only will you’ll be organized but you’ll feel proud that you’ve created order from chaos! To be in a constant state of disorder will cause discomfort or frustration that would undoubtedly manifest itself outwardly (like agitation). We often forget that people have a natural tendency to want order and we thrive in it.

Conqueror the area around you. After that, tackling the world seems more possible.☺