Do you keep putting off organizing your home/work space? Is there a solution?

     How many articles have you read about how to deal with your paper clutter? I typed the word "Organize" in the Google search bar; 65,600,000 results popped up. Next I tried the phrase "Organizing your home" and 6,520,000 results were available. Another phrase "Organize your office" yielded 3,200,000 results, and "Organizing your home office" showed an additional 2,740,000 results. Have you also become sidetracked, distracted, fascinated by the wealth of available information on the internet?

     What you need is an Action Plan breaking up the project so it won't overwhelm you. Allocate a time frame for each segment, such as two hours, and then take a break. Which area will you tackle first?

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      Let's start now. It doesn't matter what area of your space you choose to organize, the process is the same. I call the system I use TUSK, and I describe it below. Remember; tackle one area at a time so you'll see progress as you proceed.

     You should always begin by TOSSING out obvious junk, items that are broken, old magazines you've read, clothes that are damaged and no longer being worn. This is a general sorting process. As you pick up an item try to decide what to do with it. If you are truly UNSURE whether to toss or keep something, set it aside as you continue sorting. You'll come back to those items later. Continue to sort and you'll soon have a pile of things to discard. If you're dealing with paper, SHRED documents that have personal identifying information. Make it difficult for dumpster divers to compromise your credit. Consider donating to a charity other household items or clothes that you no longer need. Does your church collect old clothes to distribute in the community? Items you decide to KEEP must be put away in the appropriate space.  Do you have files set up for paper documents and receipts? Did you ever have a system that you followed to control paper clutter? Did you stop using the system because life got hectic? Now is a good time to review that system and make changes if needed. Consider going green, using less paper. Before you can do a victory dance you must go back to the UNSURE pile. Everything has to be returned to the appropriate space. That space may be the garbage. Examine each item in the pile and make a definite decision. Apply my TUSK method to each piece, and when the pile is totally sorted reward yourself. It doesn't matter how small an area you tackled, Rome was not built in one day, and you won't be organized in one session either.

      If you're still not sure how to get started, here is an alternate solution. Call a Professional Organizer and pay to have an assessment done outlining a suggested Action Plan. There is a cost for the service provided but the time you save is priceless! The point is to get started –NOW.