If you resolved to get organized this year, you’ve come to the right spot. The Housekeeping Channel offers lots of advice on how-to do specific tasks, such as tackle that child’s room or your linen closet. But before you head off to find tips like those, you’ve got to organize your organizing.

 

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Organize my organizing, you ask?

 

Exactly.

 

The person successful in finally “getting organized” has mastered breaking down this broad topic into a checklist that is actually doable. Here’s how you can do the same.

 

• Begin with a pad of paper and pen. Walk around your house and make a list of areas that need attention. Focus on the big picture. We will get to the details soon enough. List big things like: the den, my own clothes closet, scrapbooking supplies, the messy pantry, the foyer, heaps of paperwork and so on.

• Next, sit down and really think about which one to begin with. It can be hard to choose if you have now created a list of numerous rooms or projects. If you are not sure where to begin, start first with anything that has a deadline attached. For example, if tax season is approaching, then there is a deadline to getting those stacks of papers in order. Or, if you are expecting guests, the guestroom might come first.

• Let’s say that you feel pressed to do it all but there isn’t a particular deadline. Now how do you choose? Pick an area that will have a ripple effect on your life so that you get double the good results from your organizing. For example, clearing the kitchen counter makes it easier to prepare a homemade dinner which will help you stick to your healthy eating plan - so double the results. Or, clearing the clutter from surfaces in your bedroom and the result is you’ll feel peaceful and less stressed so you will sleep better, which is good for so many things in your life, again double the results.

• Once you have chosen your spot, stick your list to the fridge so you can find it once you’ve finished job one. Grab a new piece of paper and head to your “spot.” Within that area, list everything that needs to be doing. In that bedroom, it might include hanging up clothing, doing laundry, mending, gathering papers and taking them to the desk, dumping old books and magazines, sorting and organizing your dresser drawers, finding a way to organize your jewelry and so on. Now you are on a roll!

• Grab your calendar or even your phone. Set up appointments with yourself for each of the items listed. Choose days or times that you can really spend an hour at your task. Don’t feel like you need to overhaul that space. It works well to do it one bit at a time and it is something you can actually manage.

 

Now you’ve organized your organizing!

 

As you declutter an area, take the trash out, put the donations in your car and dust or vacuum the area you finished. This finished, clean look will help you keep it clean.

 

About Lea Schneider

Professional Organizer Lea Schneider’s organizing advice has appeared in Woman’s Day, Natural Health and Better Homes and Gardens Kids’ Rooms magazines. She is the Grand Prize Winner of the Rolodex Office Makeover Challenge. Her team of professional organizers, at Organize Right Now, provides organizing assistance through her Organize Online program. She is the author of Growing Up Organized: A Mom-to-Mom Guide. Learn more at www.organizerightnow.com.