When organization comes to mind, some people think of it as a simple and natural aspect to their daily lives, but many cannot fathom the word without cringing as they think of the dirty clothes scattered across their rooms or the stacks of papers spilling out of their desk drawers.
Organization can appear to be an unattainable goal, requiring too much time, effort and thought, but Ann Marie Moore, professional organizer and productivity consultant with the Birmingham-based company, Moore Organization LLC, reminds us attaining a desired level of organization takes committed dedication and hard work like any other goal people strive to achieve.
Beginning the process of becoming more organized requires you to decide if you are really ready and want to start the journey, according to Moore.
“You can’t force someone to be a certain way or to be more organized if they don’t want to be,” Moore said. “Someone that doesn’t want to be organized … [is] not going to appreciate it.”
However, striving for organization does not mean you have to be a perfectionist.
“Especially [for] people that are perfectionists, it’s really hard to admit to themselves that something is good enough to do or die,” Moore said. “So I strive to have my clients realize that finding that kind of balance in the middle of something being good enough as opposed to being perfect.”
It is also important to understand everybody thinks of organization differently.
“What I’ve learned over 10 years of working with clients is that getting organized can mean different things to different people, … so it’s really important to figure out what you want, set goals and then take steps toward accomplishing that, and that can include getting help from a professional organizer or asking friends and family to help you,” Moore said.
Once you admit to yourself you are ready to become more organized, the next steps include prioritizing and setting goals.
“A key to getting organized is just to pick a space and to start, and just start anywhere,” Moore said. “Any progress is good.”
If organizing last semester’s papers are high on your list of priorities, then begin there.
“Really try to pare down to those few pieces of paper that are important, and most likely a lot of those don’t have to be physically retained,” Moore said. “They can be scanned and saved electronically. So, if you can start at the beginning of the every semester with an empty folder, you’re going to feel more organized, and you’re going to feel less overwhelmed.”
If you are continuing to struggle with organization, reach out to your peers to form a support system.
Moore said to meet up with three organized friends and ask them how they stay organized.
“If you ask three people and they give you three different answers, that’s maybe nine different ideas, and maybe two of those will work for you that you can incorporate,” Moore said. “That’s success.”
Time management is an important component of organization, and Moore said other ways to maximize productivity is waking up five minutes earlier every day.
“Anything you can do to cut down on time and the more that you think about it, the more your mind starts thinking in that way, [and] the easier it’s going to become for you and more natural it’s going to become,” Moore said.
“College is the prime time for organization practices to become standard in students' minds because in the following years students will be graduating and moving into their own homes with their own families.
“You’re going to be buying a lot more things and bringing them into your life, so if you can develop these good habits now when you have a lot less things and you can try to prevent yourself from getting to the point where you over accumulate, you’re going to be so farther ahead of generations before you,” Moore said.
One good habit is to start asking yourself questions when you are considering purchasing an item. Moore said ask yourself if the item is useful, if it will improve your life, if it will help you achieve your goals and if it will make you happier.
If you cannot say yes to all those questions, then do not get the item, according to Moore.
Organization is an ongoing process. It is not something you can just do once and then be finished with.
“You’re constantly striving toward becoming more organized and doing little things, and every day that you do it, you build on it,” Moore said. “Slow progress is key to lasting change.”
For further inquiry, go to mooreorganization.com.
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