Organizing: It's Complicated

 Have you promised yourself that 2023 is the year you'll get organized? Congratulations! That's a great start! 

But what is organizing, exactly? What does it look like? 

Let's start with what it isn't. Organizing isn’t purging your possessions. And minimalism, whether for spiritual purposes or something else entirely, isn't organizing either. While both of these can be tools in the organizing process because they reduce the sheer quantity of what we need to organize, neither is an organizational solution in and of itself. 

To decide what organizing is, let’s jump to our desired conclusion. What does "organized" look like? Why does it matter to you? When you picture your perfectly organized life, what do you see?

To me, being organized has two parts: being able to find what I need when I need it and living in a home that's (mostly) free of clutter because I have found a logical home for all of my possessions. 

I used to think being organized meant existing in a showplace -- somewhere where nothing was ever out of place. But, over time, I've discovered that it's hard to relax in a place where things need to be perfect all the time, just as it's hard to concentrate in a place where there's so much clutter that it's distracting. Organizing should be a source of peace, not a source of stress and frustration. 

I also discovered that those showplace spaces may not be organized in a functional way. Anyone can bundle up clutter, put it in a pretty box and put it on a shelf, but that's not a sustainable organizational plan. While it makes things look nice in the moment, it makes it hard to find what we need on a day-to-day basis, let alone when we're rushing out the door and need to grab the paper that was on the counter on Saturday before we stuck everything in a box and put a lid on it because company was coming.

Why am I not just giving you a definition and a list of helpful hints? Because organizing is personal. Sure, the basic concepts are the same, but which tools we choose to achieve organizational success (and how we use those tools) is determined by our answers to the questions I posed earlier: 

• what does "organized" look like to you?
• why does it matter?
• when you picture your perfectly organized life, what do you see?

I've shared my answers, but yours may be different. If we went shopping together, we might pick out completely different tools. Or, we might choose the same ones and use them in entirely different ways. How we organize is dictated by our answers to the questions above, how we think, how we organize naturally, and what season of life we are in. 

Right now, your decision to get organized might mean that you need a complete overhaul of a space, a room, or your whole house. And, regardless of which of those is true, which tools you decide on, and what you do with them, some days, the clutter will win. But, if you develop systems that work for you, its victory will be short-lived, and you'll always know which tools you need to win the war on clutter.

All it takes is some patience, and a little style. 

8 Things to do On or About December 26

 Is your to-do list maxed out? Has your Christmas spirit evaporated? Has your ho, ho, ho turned to ho, ho, hum?

As lists grow longer, tempers grow shorter, and the reason for the season recedes behind a pile of gifts to be wrapped and cookies to be baked, it's nice to think about taking time for ourselves. Consequently, it's no accident that I'm sharing this re-vamped re-post (from December 26, 2019) before Christmas while we still have time to plan a few things that contribute to celebrating and/or enjoying the season.

Meet a friend for coffee. Not only does this provide a relaxing opportunity to get caught up and spend time just chatting, but it can also get your day off to an enjoyable start, initiating warm feelings that can influence the rest of the day.

Sleep in. This is usually at the top of my vacation list which, unfortunately, starts the cycle of get up too late/go to bed too late that I have to break when the real world comes calling. But, after weeks of  holiday preparations (or jobs in retail), this might be an even better option than coffee.

Put away some decorations. We used to joke that my mom had the Christmas decorations taken down and put away by the time we got home from their house on the day after Christmas. While I'm not ready to undeck the halls yet, I did decide that we could dispense with the emptied out stockings. I might pull out a snowman or two to fill in the gaps, but I'm not in any hurry.

Score some bargains. I'm not a Black Friday shopper, but I used to love going shopping the day after Christmas. As I accumulated a collection of "just right" decorations (along with some surplus) and retailers started slashing prices before Christmas, I did less of this. But, each year, I take stock of staples like wrapping paper and greeting cards and use December 26 to fill in the gaps with all the stuff that's on sale. As an added bonus, I feel more prepared when it comes time to get ready for next year's holidays. These days, I check out the online sales first. 

Make a list. Another one? Actually, I look forward to the after-Christmas lists. Now that all of the "getting ready for Christmas" things have been done (or ditched), I can get to the other things that have been competing for my attention. I can't do them all in one day, though, so I'm choosing three(ish) items from my master list to add to each day so I can feel accomplished.

Organize something. Not surprisingly, every after-Christmas list includes at least one organizing project at my house. These days, it's less about mitigating chaos than tweaking existing systems, but I always feel so accomplished afterward. 

pinwhalestock via Pixabay

Chill. This is vacation, after all. Yes, I want to do all of these things (along with tackling those writing projects that have been unceremoniously pushed aside by other, time-sensitive stuff), but I also want to make time to read, do crossword puzzles, engage in creative pursuits just for fun, and spend time with my family. This time off goes way too fast, and striking that balance between enjoyable work (the stuff that makes my "want to do" list) and play (the other stuff that makes my "want to do" list) is the key to a vacation that leaves me feeling both relaxed and accomplished.

That, to me, is the best of both worlds.

Merry Christmas.

3 Keys Thursday: Making Christmas Merry

 Today, I closed the book on fall semester, which means it's time to get serious about my Christmas to-do lists. I have ten days...plenty of time, right?

Keeping Christmas prep stress at bay can be challenging. Since I no longer enjoy shopping until I drop, I've been chipping away at my shopping online and that part of Christmas preparation is nearly done. This is a huge help because anything that allows me to stay in the house and away from the traffic and panic going on "out there" makes it easier to keep the season (and myself) jolly.

Warring styles can definitely rear their heads at this time of year, making it challenging to deck the halls in a harmonious fashion. Here are three tips for simply having a wonderful Christmas time.

Pixabay

Don't be afraid to do it your way. My husband is ready to start Christmas preparations while still have Thanksgiving leftovers in the fridge, which is just when my end-of-semester tasks are ramping up. Consequently, I've declared November off-limits for any Christmas preparations that involve me, unless we're trying to get something done while my daughter is home. He likes to dedicate whole days to big projects; I like to add decorations a little at a time so the house looks more festive the closer we get to Christmas. Together, we get it done.

Don't take on other people's stress. I'm perfectly capable of stressing myself out without any outside assistance, so I prefer not to outsource. My husband's lists often look different from my own, making it all too easy to get sucked into tasks that are low priority for me, or to make a simple task into a big production. If I'm following my first key, it's easy to remind myself what my priorities are. If they don't line up with someone else's, not only is that okay, but I also don't have to accept that person's stress as my own.

Don't forget to have fun. Aside from family and friends, a sense of humor is probably the most important thing to keep close by in the days leading up to Christmas. As time ticks away, so do patience and energy, and it's easy to take the merry out of Christmas. Nurture that sense of humor by remembering to sit down and take a break occasionally, even if you can only squeeze in a few minutes of downtime. There's no thing so important that it's worth all of your time and energy.

Christmas doesn't have to be a production worthy of a spread in a glossy magazine in order to be merry. In my opinion, the best celebrations are those that are, as my mom would say, understated. Less fuss and more festivity can yield not only a happy holiday today, but one that everyone looks back on fondly after the last gift has been unwrapped and the last morsel has been eaten. And, to make that happen, perhaps our peace on earth should start with a little peace at home.

Even if that means we don't bake enough cookies to feed the entire free world.

'Tis the Season to Organize...My Brain?

 As someone with an I need to see it personal style, I'm a big fan of lists. And, having found the perfect (for me) planner, I'm usually pretty good at keeping all my lists corralled in that planner. In fact, I usually try to write all of my things to do in my planner so I don't end up with a veritable snowstorm of lists covering surfaces all over my house.

Usually.

But lately, the collision of Christmas preparations, writing promotions and projects, and the end of the semester have added a blizzard of notes to the forecast. 

So, this afternoon, after loading up my online Target cart and making a quick run to the dollar store (thus eliminating two lists), I gathered up the remaining tidbits of to-dos and laid them atop my planner so I could consolidate everything this evening when I finished working. 

Anybody want to guess how many helpful little notes I ended up with?

Nine. It was eight, but then I started a new one, exclusively for the things I needed to do today when I finished my writing session -- the one that kept getting postponed because of all the things on all the lists.

Oh, wait, not nine. Ten. There's also a sticky note on the front of my planner.

A certain amount of random listing is to be expected, but nine lists? Yikes! What's happening to me?

The same thing that's happening to everyone else. 'Tis the season. 

In addition to our usual to-do lists, we have planning-for-the-holidays lists (yes, that's plural). For those of us who are educators, we have wrapping-up-before-break lists and things-I-want-to-do-over-break lists. And shopping lists. 'Tis the season for plenty of those.

As with any other organizing tool, when lists are working in our service, they're useful. But when they threaten to proliferate so much that they could easily bring us a white Christmas made up of notes to ourselves, we've lost control.

 A combination of age and an I need to see it personal style make lists an essential tool for me but, when my lists overflow(eth), it's time to take a step back, take stock, and take charge. 

Which is why I gathered up my collection of lists this afternoon. I know that the sheer number of things to do popping like so many popcorn kernels in my brain means that grabbing the nearest pen and scrap of paper is going to be my method for at least a few more days. Then, with grades finished and entered and end-of-semester tasks behind me, one whole category of "don't forget to..." items will recede, and I can return to my usual method.

Or a slightly more overwhelming holiday version.

Until then, I need to make gathering those snowflake lists a daily occurrence, and updating my planner with their contents its nightly companion. Otherwise, the sheer volume of lists will be enough to undo me almost as much as trying to hold it all in my head.

And that sort of defeats the purpose.

That's what works for me, especially since my planner is such a great place to store my lists. But that might not be what works for you. You might have a grocery list in the kitchen, a work to-do list in your office, and a miscellaneous list in your purse. Or, you might have a notebook that contains all of your lists, or an app on your phone that keeps everything straight.

What matters isn't what you do. What matters is whether or not it works for you. In this very busy season full of so much to do and (hopefully) so much to celebrate, consider taking a moment to figure out how your own lists can work for you, rather than against you.

Then show them who's boss.

Breaking Bad (Habits)

 This post appeared around this time of year five years ago. Then:  

Like anyone else, I have bad habits when it comes to keeping things neat and running smoothly. As we head into the holiday season and things get hectic, here are a few of the habits I'm trying to break.

#1: Piling. When I get busy, my default organizational style (drop and run) kicks in. I put things down instead of putting them away. I set stacks of things aside, intending to get to them later. This isn't too bad if the stacks are meaningful and this process doesn't go on for too long. But, when this habit continues unchecked, I end up with a major project on my hands.
Solution? Don't put it down, put it away. As often as possible.

#2: Procrastination. More often than not, the most difficult part of a project for me is simply getting started. Once I stop whining and start doing, I generally get wrapped up in the task I was dreading and find it much easier than I expected it to be. And progress is a wonderful motivator.
Solution? Give it five. Knowing I have an out after five minutes helps me get started, and since getting started is half the problem, giving it five gets me halfway there. Often, once I've gotten started, I don't stop after five minutes because I want to keep going.

#3: Not writing things down. This one creates less obvious chaos than the others, but it creates plenty of mental chaos. I have notepads in plenty of locations and designated places for particular lists. When it comes to not writing it down, I really have no excuse.
Solution? Just do it.

Now:

I haven't succeeded in completely breaking these habits (especially the piling), but I've gotten much better. Finding a planner I love has made a huge difference in #3. Though I still write things down on whatever's handy when my planner is out of reach, I make sure to take time to transfer those notes into my planner. Having a central location for my lists makes it easier to assign tasks a time, which makes it far more likely that they'll get done.

How about you? What habits will you break this holiday season?