Go Organize: Conquer Clutter in 3 Simple Steps (2 page)

I wrote this book as a friend. My intention is to encourage you each step of the way in your organizing journey. This book is for those who want to be organized, and for those who want to be more organized.

Everyone I know and have worked with wants to be organized. When people don't live up to what they think “being organized” means, they can become discouraged and depressed. Being organized means something different to everyone. There is no right or wrong way to be organized. What counts is that it works for you.

People I work with often feel embarrassed because their homes and offices are cluttered and disorganized. But, you know, it is nothing to feel embarrassed or bad about! Being organized is a skill that can be learned. No one is disorganized because they want to be. Many people have busy schedules and can feel overwhelmed by all there is to do, constantly being bombarded with different projects, errands, and “to do” lists. I have never met anyone who needs help organizing because they are lazy.

Go Organize!
helps you conquer clutter in three simple steps. In it, I will guide you through the entire organizing process using my Lights On Organizing System. You'll learn how to use the Searchlight, Spotlight, and Green Light to transform your surroundings and increase the wattage in your home. Each chapter has been developed to specifically help you organize your kitchen, bedroom, closet, home office, storage areas, and other rooms in your home. You'll also find useful advice on organizing inherited items and memorabilia and learn how to downsize for a smaller living space. This book is filled with tips, stories, and creative ideas on how to organize.

Everything in our lives either moves us toward our goals or farther away from them. Do you feel it is time to start clearing out clutter so you can move toward a better, peaceful, brighter, and happier life? Do you want to spend more time doing more of the things you like to do? The Lights On Organizing System will help you reach these goals.

Lights On Organizing is a powerful, electrifying, and simple three-step process to getting and staying organized. It is measured on a wattage scale of 1 to 10. A 1 is the lowest wattage where your energy is low. It is like living in a dim, dark environment. Feelings of depression, anger, frustration, and dissatisfaction happen at this low wattage. A 10 is the highest wattage where the feeling is one of light, brightness, and increased energy. It feels peaceful, happy, relaxed, and welcoming.

There are three simple steps to Lights On Organizing:

Step 1 is Searchlight. The Searchlight is the process of evaluating what your home currently looks like and feels like to you. Also, take a look at how you are using the space in your home. It is a process of identifying problems and determining both what is and is not working. The benefits of using the Searchlight step is that you will assess and determine the problem areas in your home and the places you want to declutter so you can reclaim your home and your life. As you walk through your house, check where you are on the wattage scale in the sidebar on page 15.

Step 2 is Spotlight. After identifying the problem areas, this is the step where you write your goals, create your vision and develop a plan. This process will be a snap by using the goal-setting worksheet found on pages 233–235. Setting goals that can be broken down into easy and manageable steps gives you direction, courage, an I-can–do-this attitude, and peace of mind.

Step 3 is Green Light. This is where the rubber meets the road and changes are made. You roll up your sleeves and get down to work following easy-to-understand instructions. I will help you every step of the way. You will learn all you need to know to be organized, but more than that, you will be able to take action.

We will be using these three steps in every room. I will be with you all the way, explaining and showing you how to reach your goals. You'll also find Paula's Stories throughout the book. Her stories illustrate real-life situations. She uses the Searchlight to evaluate the rooms in her home, the Spotlight to set goals, and the Green Light to make changes. My hope is that you can relate to Paula's experiences as you read her stories. Her stories are designed to show you how to use the Lights On Organizing System in a real-life setting. Let's explore the Lights On Organizing System a little more.

Wattage Scale

SEARCHLIGHT

Before we can increase the wattage in our homes and make positive changes, we need to find out what changes are needed. Use your mind, eyes, and heart as a “searchlight.” Take the time to search the rooms and spaces in your home and see what needs to change. This is the time when you honestly assess the condition of your home and identify the problem areas that you want to change and organize. If you need some fortification as you start, grab a treat and a drink (I'm thinking of chocolate and water, not a margarita).

Start with the positives. Look for what is working and for things that light you up. You will find there is a lot that is already working for you. Be objective. I know emotions can get in the way of making an honest assessment. Don't beat yourself up! This is the time to think about how you want things to function and to look as well as about what changes are needed.

After you've listed the positive things that are working, honestly assess the things that aren't working. This handy list will help you in the Searchlight step:

 


1. Choose a room to organize.
   

 


2. Choose a place in that room and start your search from the inside out — meaning start with closets, drawers, or cupboards before you evaluate open spaces.
   

 


3. Identify needs by asking yourself these questions:
   

    
   

   1. Is the space orderly?
      

    
   

   2. Are there things here you can you get rid of?
      

    
   

   3. Is it easy for you to find everything, or do you waste a lot of time looking for things?
      

    
   

   4. Does everything have a home? (Are things contained or scattered around?)
      

    
   

   5. Do you keep only things you use?
      

    
   

   6. Does each item light you up on a scale of 7 or above?
      

    
   

   7. Does this space help you make the best use of your time?
      

    
   

   8. Do you feel like you can't find anything you like or enjoy in your home even though you are surrounded by things?
      

    
   

   9. Do you dread doing housework or put it off indefinitely because of all the clutter?
      

    
   
 


4. Rate your wattage (use the wattage scale on page 15). How do you feel about that particular space in the room? If you don't feel good about it, you are right where you need to be.
   

 


5. Based on your assessment, make a list of the things you need to change in this room. Be sure to write these down. If you have a camera, take a picture in each room. (This is something many professional organizers do.) Later, after you finish organizing the space, take another picture. It is fun and rewarding to look back and see the progress you made and see how great everything looks. (Yes, your house will look great!) When things are organized, we forget how they used to look. It is a great visual reminder to compare before and after photos. If you don't have a camera, don't let this stop you from making your list.
   

The Searchlight checklist is to be used in each room. Don't worry. We'll walk through this process together for every room in your home in the following chapters. The Searchlight worksheet on pages 231–232 will also help you with this important first step. Once your problem areas have been identified, you are ready for the second step in the Lights On Organizing System.

Paula was at her wits end. She felt she lived her life in crisis mode because her home and her life were so disorganized. She was frequently late and often lost important papers. Everywhere she looked, there was clutter. She wasn't happy, and her family wasn't happy either. When she decided to try the Light's On Organizing System, she used the Searchlight and realized her home left her feeling a 2 on the wattage scale. She felt most drained in her bedroom. Working from the inside out, she started evaluating the room by opening her closet. When she opened the closet door, she immediately felt overwhelmed. Shoes were strewn all over the floor along with clothes, belts, and other odds and ends. The wire hangers were sagging and clothes were falling off the hangers. The built-in shelves looked like a tornado had hit; everything was so jumbled. She had no idea what was in the boxes on the shelves. She rated this area a 2 on the wattage scale. There were boxes and built-in shelves, but she wasn't using them in a way that worked for her. She took a picture of the closet and then wrote down what she needed to change: She needed to get the clothes, belts, purses, and accessories off the closet floor; she needed to get new hangers that would properly protect her clothes and keep them from falling; she needed to know what was in each box in the closet; she needed to use the shelf space better so she could store everything she needed to in her closet; she needed to have a plan to organize her shoes so she could find them easily; she needed to get rid of items she no longer wore. Paula felt better after she made her list. She knew there was still a lot of work to be done, but honestly evaluating the closet and knowing what she needed to change filled her with hope.

Let's revisit Paula as she starts the Spotlight process in her bedroom closet. Paula thought about what kind of closet would increase her wattage to a 10. She pictured her shoes neatly organized on the closet floor; a separate box each for belts, scarves, and purses and each box neatly sitting on a shelf; she pictured only clothes she liked to wear hanging on the rod so she could easily put clothes away and find clothes to wear. She wrote this “big picture” vision down and then started breaking down the vision into steps she could take: She would buy a shoe organizing system and use it, donating or throwing away old shoes that she doesn't wear. She would make sure she had containers large enough to hold her belts, purses, and scarves, and she would label each container. She would sort through each clothing item in her closet and donate clothes that don't fit or don't make her feel good. She would then move all out-of-season clothes into storage containers that she could fit under her bed. She would arrange all her clothes by category (blouses, skirts, pants, etc.). She would replace her wire hangers with wooden or padded hangers that would better support her clothing. Paula felt great about her new goals and couldn't wait to get started. She had a lot of clothing in her closet. She decided to break the closet down into zones (e.g., the floor, the closet rod, top shelf and the cube shelves) and organize one zone each week until it was done. She set a target date to have it completed and wrote it on her calendar.