I was talking to a good friend of mine last week and told her that I was going to spend time over the weekend organizing my garage. She was surprised that my garage wasn’t already organized. I explained that EVERYONE hits a brick wall at some point in their life or in some place in their life when it comes to organizing. For me (and my husband), it’s the garage.
Because our home is relatively small, we use our garage for storage. After we take the time to organize the garage which is usually about once a year, we try our best to keep it that way. Unfortunately, as time goes on, things slowly but surely get out of hand. So, while not the perfect scenario, especially for someone as organized as I am, sometimes things just can’t be perfectly organized. Perfection is hard to maintain so, as I tell all of my clients, getting organized isn’t about perfection. Getting organized is about:
1. Being able to find things when you need them (quickly)
2. Getting rid of things you don’t need (regularly)
3. Making sure that things are accessible (especially the items you need frequently)
4. Making sure that things are where they make sense. For example, plates should be in the kitchen. You’re probably thinking… duh, where else would I put plates. Well, you’d be surprised at the crazy places where I find things when organizing for other people.
5. Having a place for everything that you want to keep. If it (whatever “it” is) doesn’t have a place it is considered clutter. If you don’t have room perhaps its time to get rid of something else to make room.
BTW, true to my organizing principles, everything does have a place (even in the garage), it’s just that sometimes things don’t find their way back to that place when it comes to the garage.
One more thing… because I have to share my space with my husband, it helps to get him involved in the process. Neither of us enjoy spending a day organizing the garage when we can be doing something else (or nothing else as the case may be). So, if he’s involved in the process, he’s more inclined to TRY to maintain the space, at least for awhile.
So, my point is that things don’t have to be perfect to be organized. They just have to work for you and whoever else lives with you.
If you or your loved ones need help getting things organized or better organized and don’t know where to start, give us a call. WE’D LOVE TO HELP!