I get asked the question, “How can I stop being disorganized?” quite a bit as a Professional Organizer. The answer isn’t an easy one. There is no magic pill to make anyone organized. But, if you feel you are a disorganized person, here are a few steps I recommend you do.

1. Decide what you want to achieve.

Do you want to be able to find things faster? Or do you want to be able to manage your time better? This is a common one for those who are always running late.

Let me use an example. A client of mine, Patricia, feels disorganized because of her home paper clutter. She receives receipts, statements and other papers and piles them on a desk or her kitchen counter. When she needs to reference an item, she struggles to find it. What does she want to achieve to make her feel less disorganized? “I want to be able to find any document I need in seconds.”

So, number one, decide on your goal.

2. Figure out what is in your way.

So what is holding you back from what you want to achieve? If you can’t find things, a messy closet or garage might be the culprit. If you’re always late, maybe you have overscheduled your day. Or perhaps you have not scheduled enough planning time.

In Patricia’s case, she admits, “My desk and counters are disasters. I can’t find anything quickly. I waste my time searching for things, and I often forget to pay my credit card bill because it’s not top of mind.”

Number two, figure out your roadblock.

3. Find a solution and change your behaviour.

Once you know what you want to achieve and what’s in your way, figure out how you will overcome it. People overwhelmed with “stuff” take the time to edit down and organize only what they need. If you’re constantly late, take the time to plan out your day. Be sure to do this ahead of time and include preparation and travel time. You might not be able to see it right away, but here is a remedy to your disorganization.

For Patricia, she realized, “I need to organize my paper flow and filing system, so everything has a place.” Instead of randomly dropping paper on her desk or kitchen counter, she deals with it right away. Paper to be recycled goes into recycling, bank statements go into a file labelled “TO BE FILED,” income tax papers will go into a file labelled “TAXES,” and so on. Nothing needs to be stacked!

So, number three, adjust the way you do things to achieve what you want.

When it comes to finding the right solution, you might be able to do this stage on your own or with a Professional Organizer’s help. You likely already have bad habits, so this can be difficult. And unfortunately, it’s always easy to fall back on bad habits once you come up with a good system. You must be diligent. Try these steps. Believe me; there’s an organized person under there after all!

You can stop being disorganized. If you want to learn more about organizing solutions, Out of Chaos can help you. Contact us through our website, by email at info@outofchaos.ca or by phone at 604-813-8189.

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