A New Year to be Organized

By Lisa Cuseo-Ott, Ph.D., December 2011 

A new year is upon us and we are once again encouraged to make resolutions and goals for our lives. "Out with the old and in with the new" seems to epitomize the act of shedding old habits and creating new and healthy lifestyles. One of these healthy habits is to take control of our lives by becoming more organized. In this article, I will discuss the psychological importance of being organized and provide specific suggestions to help you achieve this goal in 2012.

What does it mean to be "organized"? On the one hand, this adjective refers to an orderly, physical presence exemplified by a clean desk or a neat household. It also refers to someone who is able to multitask successfully by organizing his/her time. While there is an extreme version of this in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder, as these individuals are compelled to put things in order for the purpose of managing their anxiety, the quality of being organized is highly valued in our society. It is easier to be in relationships with individuals who are organized, because they tend to be on time for appointments and follow through on their commitments.

Although some people are naturally organized and able to manage their time effectively, all of us have the capacity to live a more organized life; it may just require extra effort. Attention to our physical surroundings is a good place to start in fostering organization. It is difficult to achieve any of our goals if our physical space is disorderly. We end up spending an inordinate amount of time trying to find important papers on our desk or locating phone numbers. Furthermore, there is a psychological benefit to purging and cleaning out our lives. In some respects, organization of our possessions is like a review and inventory of our lives.

One of the problems that many people face when they begin the task of organizing their lives is that they become overwhelmed, which oftentimes leads to doing nothing. Katherine Lawrence, a personal organizer in Richmond and owner of Space Matters, suggests that we set very small, manageable goals as we go through each area of our lives. For example, when organizing the kitchen or the bedroom, tackle one shelf or one drawer per week. When organizing our desk or home office, sort papers into the following categories: items that need action, filing, read for later and mail. Additionally, Katherine remarked, "Do not set lofty expectations like organizing your entire house in one weekend. You will be so frustrated that you may never organize again!"

The National Organization of Professional Organizers suggests that individuals get organized in 15 minute increments per day. You may be surprised at what you can accomplish in just one quarter of an hour. An important part of organizing is to be able to sort and purge unnecessary clutter and possessions. If the thought of becoming a hoarder is anxiety-provoking, then it may be time to let go of unused items. What makes this difficult is that our possessions are sometimes attached to significant people or events in our lives. It is important to remember that your memories of a relative will not disappear if you donate the unused item to the Goodwill or Salvation Army. Pick and choose a few cherished keepsakes and purge the rest.

The following is a list of Katherine Lawrence's "Top Five Organizing Mistakes to Avoid," which summarizes the key strategies for creating an organized life:

  1. "You can organize your home in a weekend." Remember, it took many years to accumulate the clutter. Focus on smaller, more manageable goals.
  2. "You can keep it all and still be organized." It is easier to get rid of unnecessary items first and then organize what remains.
  3. "Buying the right container is the first place to start." Assess what your storage needs are before purchasing a container. Be sure to leave some room to grow so that an additional item does not ruin your whole system.
  4. "You should keep things just in case." Focus on eliminating things you have not used in over a year, leftovers from old projects and broken items.
  5. "If I had more space, I would be organized." More space means more places to hide clutter and may even decrease efficiency. Reduce clutter and maximize current space before considering a larger home or renting a storage unit.

 

Remember to have fun while getting your life organized. It may seem like a chore, but it will help you to be more productive and less stressed out in the long run. It will also facilitate meeting your other New Year's resolutions. Happy 2012!

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