Declutter: Organize Your Spaces for Success

Organization. It’s easy for some and extremely difficult for others. One thing is for certain, however: disorganized spaces can cost you time and success.

Imagine all the time that is lost because of, let’s say, a horribly disorganized office or a closet that looks like it’s been ravaged by a fight between Tom and Jerry. It should get you thinking about how this clutter and chaos in both your personal and work space can prevent you from being…well, you.

When we often try to deal with the mess, we may end up failing because of how overwhelming it really is. The key to making this organizational puzzle work is to not try and do everything at once. Take it one piece (or project) at a time. Remember, solving this problem ultimately makes you better all around and I sincerely mean that.

Office Space

The office is your bread and butter, the place where you get “ish” done. You can’t afford to have it be a mess. When organizing your office, place an emphasis on functional furniture, equipment, and drawers. I can’t even begin to tell you how much of a difference it makes in making one “feel” more productive. It needs to be a place that is both quiet AND inspiring. Fill it with things that you love! Zebra wallpaper, a fur rug, photos of your family, a pink leather chair…Go crazy! Make it yours. Please, just make it yours!

Got files in your office? Color code your files into two, your work files and private files. Go a step further and add sub categories! Another crucial thing is to have your office supplies prepared before you start this cleanup. This will all be very satisfying and get those work juices flowing.

If you’re one of those people who give random things a home in a drawer, stop right away. Empty out those drawers and only put things like pens, clips, staples, paper clips, and white out. Nothing else should go inside.

Personal Space

Your office isn’t the only thing that connects you with success; your personal space is a huge 50 percent of what helps you do well in what you do. When cleaning out your room, remember these five things:

• Do you want this?
• Do you need this?
• Can you throw it away?
• Can you give it away?
• Can you live without it?

First, all the items in the “give away” and throw away” sections should be removed from the area. Next, put the “live without” items in a box or bag and keep it to the side to review later.

When the closet and room are cleaned out, put the “want” and “need” items in their respectful areas. However, as I mentioned before, do not do all of this at once. The best way to go about this space transformation is to do it piece by piece. For example, work your magic on one drawer a day for one hour each day. Do NOT exhaust yourself during this process.

When your spaces are a mess, your production is affected negatively due to worry and confusion. Start slow and your effectiveness and productivity will surely increase as well.