Six Step Organizing System

Posted By Elaine ~ 13th April 2012

Eating the Elephant-One Bite at a time

This Six Step Organizing System will help you break down the large and often overwhelming task of taking on a new organizing project and approach it in smaller manageable steps. This system is taken from the Organizing Connection Home Organizing Videos.

These Six Steps are the steps that most Organizing Professional use every day with their clients: 

1. The Dream –

Take a few minutes or longer if need be and DREAM about what you want your space to look and function like. If it is the garage that is the trouble spot, imagine what it would look like, smell like, feel like….you get it now. Sometimes finding pictures of what you want helps to inspire you. So get some magazine or flyers and dream.

2. The Plan –

What steps will you take to make the dream come true?
I call this breaking the elephant into bite sized pieces. Think of five actions you can take to reach this Dream or Vision. An action won’t happen if it doesn’t have a deadline or if no one is responsible for getting it done. Even if you’re working on this alone create a realistic action plan with dates for completion. Book an appointment with yourself and “get er done”.

3. The Sort –

Sort through everything, putting like with like, into categories.
For things, some people think in terms of size, some by function, and even some by color. The most common sorting scheme, and the one most used is by function. Activities can also be sorted. For example, the sports gear that is taking over the whole home needs to find its way to a common area so it can be contained.

4. The Purge –

Deciding what to keep and what to let go of.
This is the hardest part for most people. To make the decision easier ask yourself when you are stuck on an item. Ask yourself if you love this item and if you still use it. Perhaps someone else still uses it. If that still does not help, thinking of others who are less fortunate may help you to let go.

Wow, look what you have accomplishment so far!

• You’ve created a dream or vision of what you want.
• You have a plan on how to make the dream a reality.
• You have broken it down into categories with the sort.
• And in the purge you let go of the unwanted/unloved items.

5. The Re-Organization –

Put what you are keeping back, making sure everything has a home.
How you re-organize everything is incredibly personal. No matter how individualized you make the reorganization, however, if you keep these questions in mind while working, you shouldn’t have any problems. How do I want this space to function? Does it make sense to have this item here?

6. Maintenance –

Organizing is a journey not a destination.
Organizing isn’t a one time project. It’s an evolving journey, one destination leading to
the next. Yes, this means that staying organized involves maintenance. I will share one of my favorite tricks for staying organized. If you take it out…put it back.

Well, what are you waiting for? Time to do the Spring Fling.

For some Video Inspiration here is a sample of what our videos share to help you get better organized!