3 Keys Thursday: 3 Things to Remember about Organizig by STYLE

Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

Since I started using this process and sharing it in classes and via blog posts, I've become a lot more organized, and a lot more sure of what works and what doesn't -- at least for me.

But there are still days when I look around and wonder if this pile or that stack will ever find a permanent home.

No matter your styles, here are a few things to keep in mind about this philosophy.

Remember that it's a process. Organizing takes time, and complete and total organization is not a realistic goal. There will always be some spot somewhere that's not quite right, and you may always be questing for the just right container that will take you once step closer to that elusive perfect solution. But imperfect is still workable and perfectly capable of instilling some order.

Celebrate successes. There's a reason S is the first letter of the STYLE acronym. Our successes -- the tools we use, the routines we develop -- are the foundations of our organizational systems, and the first step on the road to Easy upkeep. When you find something that works, stick with it and see where else you can duplicate it. Find a container you love? Buy several and use them to solve multiple organizational dilemmas. That's one way to build a habit.

You can't make someone else love your style -- or adopt it. Organizing by STYLE is based on the idea that we each organize best when we work with what comes naturally. While I'd love to make my husband a little less I know I put it somewhere and he'd love to make me a lot less I need to see it, that's not the way it works. The best we can hope for is a better understanding and a healthy respect for one another's default styles.

Meanwhile, enjoy your successes. They're the reminder that order is possible.