Easy Upkeep

Today's post is the final post in a series 

on using the STYLE process 

to take your organizing to the next level. 

Easy Upkeep is, at its heart, the simplest of the steps. If you've put a system in place -- one that honors your styles -- the upkeep is, indeed, easy.

Notice, though, that the "E" stands for "easy," not effortless. Even when all systems are go, so to speak, striving for ease of upkeep sometimes exposes the flaws in the systems. In other words, if the upkeep isn't so easy, that's a sign that you should, perhaps, go back a few steps.

• Start with successes: Have you set yourself up for success, letting your styles be your guide for locations, containers and systems?
• Take small steps: Have you given a small container a big job? Started an enormous project only to run out of time before finishing?
• Yes, it has a home. Do the locations for your things make sense, or are they too small, too scarce or out of reach?
• Let it go. Is an area overpopulated? Do you need to do some strategic sorting to make it work?

Once all of these pieces are in place (your styles are in charge, your containers reflect both your styles and the task to which they were assigned, your locations are logical and your piles reduced), upkeep can, indeed be easy. If any of these remains problematic, go back and take another look, asking one very simple question:

How can I make this easier?

Sometimes, in our enthusiasm for newer and better, we make things too complicated. If your upkeep isn't so easy, assess the location in question with an eye toward simplifying.

One final caveat: Easy upkeep doesn't mean things will be perfect all of the time. What it does mean is that you have a system in place that works for you and when things begin to feel disorganized, you know what to do to set them right.

And that can make things feel easy indeed.