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FAQ's...
Professional Organizers are often asked certain questions about getting organized. Here you will find some answers to those "frequently asked questions."
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What's the best way to organize your kitchen for more efficiency?
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How do you "prioritize" when everything has to be done yesterday?
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I have a two bi-fold door closet in a bedroom that is full of misc. stuff...
ANSWER: First, you have to treat the project as a project. Often times, when a person has many things to do and can never seem to do them all, is in that condition because of some area of their life that is not organized. Maybe their time is not managed which includes time for projects that help them reach their goals. By organizing your time to include project tasks (even if only certain days and hours of the week), you will eventually complete the activity and accomplish your goal.
Secondly, you will need to view the organizing project as a productive activity, not something that is an unimportant nuisance. Getting organized is a way to help a person be more efficient and, with greater efficiency, one can get more things done. Sorting through a stack of papers, for example, may be difficult to face, but will accomplish completed tasks. By picking up one piece of paper in the stack and making a decision as to whether to save it, read it, do some action on it, or throw it away, you will be spending productive time that helps you become better focused on your goals.
Lastly, you should decide that getting organized will help you get where you want to be. By continually coping with disorganization, you will often find that it takes longer to get where you're going. That is why organization is as important as your normal "operations" and other responsibilities.
Overall, making time for organization is saving time on all your other activities. You just need to consider its true value!
QUESTION: I've bought several books on getting organized, attended workshops to learn how to get organized, talked to friends for advice on getting organized, and I just can't seem to do it. What is my problem?!
ANSWER: Often times, when a person makes the effort to change conditions, they don't always follow through with doing it because they either 1) don't have the self-discipline to do it, or 2) they are too overwhelmed to tackle the project on their own, or 3) they don't know how or where to begin. In any of these cases, it may be best to have another person work with you to assist you in doing the project. It can be a friend, a family member, or a Professional Organizer.
Most people work better when working with others. This kind of "team" activity can provide the support and guidance you need. By working with another person, they can help you make decisions and be your "mentor" in helping you accomplish your tasks and reach your goals.
QUESTION: I know someone who keeps everything. Why is this and how do I get them to let go?
ANSWER: I have found that people hold on to things they feel might have or has some value. A box or area of "stuff" can sit around for years because the person thinks that there is probably something of value in it and that some day they will go through it (which doesn't usually happen).
When they actually begin to sort through the "stuff," often times they can be coached to let go of it if a decision can be ascertained that they really don't need it anymore and that it really doesn't hold any value, nor will it.
QUESTION: I need to organize a bedroom that is shared by 3 young girls. 2 are in a bunk-bed and 1 in a toddler bed. I have tried to think of ideas to give each of them their own space. I need help.
ANSWER: The first thing that comes to mind is having partitions that divide their areas and give them their own space. This may or may not be workable, as I don't know the room configurations, but the idea is to delineate their space using whatever tools you can use -- aesthetically and functionally. Maybe even bookshelves that divide the space and give a sort of "enclosure" to their area, as well as privacy and a sense of "my space".
QUESTION: What is the best way to organize my bills, bank receipts, credit card receipts...work receipts etc.
ANSWER: This depends and varies, based on what the individual is faced with. There are many "tools" that organize papers, such as accordion files to file bills and receipts, and if you look through an office supply catalogue (or go to a store), you'll probably find a system that will work best for you. Maybe file cabinets folders will work better for you?
One way of filing bills would be to set up file folders for each account (each vendor). Some people just prefer to file bills in alpha file tabs (under vendor's alpha section). The rest of your filing system should be set up in a subject classification (category) system. Check out (download) our filing system subject categories.
QUESTION: My office has paper, paper, paper...I try to throw away as much as possible, but seem to have more paper. What would you suggest? I don't have enough room for papers in my filing cabinet, the area in which I work is cramped and not enough room to place anything to confine the papers, so...what do you suggest for me to do?
ANSWER: For one thing, you might consider purchasing a sheet-fed scanner to scan in paper into your system. These papers can be categorized and you can find them electronically using the software's search facility.
If you haven't removed papers from your filing cabinet that are old and dated from any previous year (archiving and/or tossing out), then you'll end up with over-flowing file cabinets. Try to spend some time to sort through your files and put old files you want to keep in archive boxes and put away in a storage area.
To keep up with your flow of paper and manage it regularly, read my article on Paper Management.
QUESTION: What's the best way to organize your kitchen for more efficiency?
ANSWER: I recommend the following layout:
1. Use cabinets that are closest to the sink area for dishes so that they can be put away from the wash basin or dishwasher easily.
2. Food should be stored together, avoiding being placed in multiple places around the kitchen (even if it requires more than one cabinet, try keeping next to one another). That way, when you go for a food item, you won't find yourself looking here, there, and everywhere.
3. Lower cabinets can usually be used to store cooking pots/pans, large bowls, and plastic containers.
4. Entertainment ware and items not used frequently (small appliances) can be stored in a cabinet that is more "out of the way" -- it doesn't have to be a convenient spot, because you want to save that for your "frequent" kitchen wares.
QUESTION: I have a two bi-fold door closet in a bedroom that is full of misc. stuff - some clothes, wrapping paper, suitcases, holiday decorations (not Christmas). There is a pole in the close and two shelves on on top of pole and one underneath - this closet looks messy no matter what I do - what can I do to make it look neater.
ANSWER: Maybe it would help you to look at some closet design ideas - in magazines, on closet storage products at stores, or catalogues. I would try to remove any items that don't belong with your clothes and try to find another location for them (like your holiday decorations) to free up some space for you in the closet for clothes and make it less cluttered. Sometimes, by taking the time to take things out and rearrange them (and getting rid of what you don't use or need) makes a big difference.
QUESTION: My home and office is pretty well organized, except for one very annoying thing. I have a basket that sits on my dining room table that is supposed to be there for decoration. It seems that everything from my daughters small toys to my husbands guitar picks end up in it until it is overflowing. I've tried telling them about it--and removing the basket, but then everything just end up in a pile somewhere else! Any suggestions?
ANSWER: First of all, when you put an empty basket on your dining room table, it speaks out, "Put something in me!" So, I would put some decorative thing in it, like dried flowers or maybe fruit. Then I would designate a special (decorative) holder for your husband's guitar picks. For the kids small toys, use a bin container (like a nice straw laundry basket) and show them their OWN new (temporary) place to keep their toys during the day when not using.
At the end of the day, they'll see how easy it is to put those toys away in their room because they won't be scattered all around the house to gather up and put away later. If they continue to put their things in places not designated for them, you could threaten them that you'll take away their special toy place for a day, which means toys cannot be taken out of their rooms during that time. Eventually, due to the inconvenience of this, they'll start putting things where they belong.
QUESTION: How do you "prioritize" when everything has to be done yesterday?
ANSWER: This is a common aliment and the remedy is to improve the way in which you manage your time. When things fall behind, where it becomes difficult to catch up, this is a result of poor time management and one has to then put an order of importance on the priorities (which task is screaming the loudest gets done first, for example).
In my Time Management article, there are methods that will give you direction on how to conquer time and get things done. It talks about breaking up your day to handle certain "hats" and tasks, as well as how to prioritize tasks.
You want to ensure that you give yourself goals each day on what you want to accomplish. Just pick something up, look at it, and see if it will agree to sit in line with the rest of the impatient tasks, all waiting to be dealt with. As I said, the loudest, most impatient ones should be removed from your area first!
If, on the other hand, your tasks that needed handling "yesterday" are caused by poor project management, it might be a good move to implement a system that will help you stay on top of and even ahead of project tasks. Make a plan to get yourself out of cope where you are continually putting out fires, into normal operation. Eventually, after some hard work and devotion to the cause, you will find yourself in a work environment that is much easier to manage.
