S-I-M-P-L-E Organising Strategies
Fail to organise the spaces in your life and before long stress and chaos can ensue. But it doesn’t have to be like this. Through the S-I-M-P-L-E strategy outlined in this article, it’s possible to bring order to the chaos and clear the spaces around you, leaving you happier and more relaxed.
By Sheri McConnell
Follow these SIMPLE strategies and organise a space today.
S: Select the Area
Select the area you will organise by deciding which space in your home or office
causes you the most stress. This is the area you should attack first. Select
one space at a time. Breaking goals down makes them easier to accomplish.
I: Implement a Sorting Strategy
After you select the area, you will need to implement a sorting strategy. Use
small multicoloured stickers to sort the items in the area you have selected.
Designate one colour for the items you are keeping, one for those items you
are not sure about and one for those items you will purge. Do not move the items
– just sort.
M: Move Objects to Specified Areas
Now that you have sorted all your items, it is time to move them. This step
of the SIMPLE process takes the longest. If you attack it in three sections,
it is easier. First, move all your purging items to bags/boxes to either throw
away or donate to charity. Act today. Second, go through the items you are not
sure about. Purge as much as possible from this group too. If you decide to
keep it, then move it to the keeper group. Do not keep guilt-related family/friend
items if you don't use them. The last step is to move all the items you are
keeping to assigned spaces. The key to organisational maintenance is everything
must have a place. Some of these items will not have assigned spaces yet. Time
to go to the next step!
P: Pick and Plan the Space
Spaces should be designed based on the needs of the individuals using them.
Based on the specific space (garage, kitchen, home office, closets and so on)
there are a number of techniques you should use.
L: Locate and Select Organising Containers
Containerising is crucial to the organising process. Containers come in all
shapes and sizes. They help you group and separate your belongings with ease.
Retrieval and cleanup are much easier when you use containers. They also limit
the amount you can accumulate.
E: Excavate Continuously
Just like archaeologists, you must excavate continuously to unearth your treasures.
Time will bury your belongings if you don't get a little dirty at least once
a week and throw away all unused items in your home and/or office.
Sheri McConnell is the president of the National Association of Women Writers (NAWW), an American writing organisation. Free reports for writers are available with a subscription to NAWW Weekly. More information can be found at www.NAWW.org.
