The Organized Life archives
FEBRUARY 2008
Volume 5, Issue #2
WHY GET ORGANIZED?
Dear Subscriber,
What causes us suddenly to decide one day that it’s time to get organized? It’s as if a switch gets thrown – we go from being able to tolerate our own personal level of chaos to having an urgent need to straighten things out, let things go, and create a new environment for ourselves.
For as many people as there are in the world, there are that many reasons to make a change. But after working with hundreds of clients I’ve begun to see a pattern of motivations, ranging from the concrete to the intangible. Knowing what inspires you to get organized may help you get moving on your next project. Dealing with it successfully will change your life. So let’s take a look at some of these motivating "A-ha! moments".
Total Frustration
We’ll begin with the most obvious motivation -- Total Frustration. If you can’t find something important when you need it, it may suddenly dawn on you (A-ha!) that you’d better get organized before your life falls apart.
Step off the Total Frustration treadmill by setting up Zones for the things you own. When your things live in Zones, there’s one place and one place only that a particular item can possibly be when you’re looking for it. Find out how to create Zones for your things, right here.
Pattern Disorganization
On the other hand, if you find yourself moving the same things out of the way over and over again just so you can work at your desk or eat at the table, you’re experiencing Pattern Disorganization. The “A-ha!” moment occurs when you have to move that item one too many times and you finally say to yourself, “I’m moving this again?”
It’s more common than you might think. It happened to me recently with a few random items – an old wallet of my Mom’s that I don’t want to throw away, an Ipod cover that I use only occasionally, a small stack of old music CDs that I don’t want to transfer to my computer… . I moved these things repeatedly until one day I realized A-ha! They needed a home!
But where could they possibly live? Getting creative, I stowed my Mom’s wallet in the drawer of an antique table that used to belong to my aunt -- her sister. For me, their sisterhood made that spot a fitting home for the wallet. The Ipod cover went into my Travel Zone because I only use it when I travel (even if that’s just across town). And the old CDs went into a storage box with the holiday music – maybe next year when I haul that out, I’ll be ready to make a decision about the old rock & roll:).
The way to recognize Pattern Disorganization is to observe yourself. Organizing manuals talk about not touching a piece of paper more than once if at all possible – well, this applies to your belongings, too. When you observe yourself moving (as opposed to using!) your things repeatedly, it’s time to get creative and break the pattern.
Relationship Cultivation
Here we reach a more intangible level of motivation – you’re feeling ready to bring people into your home, but the fact is that it’s not ready for company. Maybe you’d like to have a friend over for dinner, or host a movie-watching night, or maybe you’re hoping to start a serious relationship.
The A-ha! moment occurs when you start planning to entertain and you realize – wow, I have got to get this place together!
Your home needs to represent the best of you, or better, what you aspire to be, to make the way you relate to people as successful as possible. You want to make a good impression, you want them to know who you are, you want these important relationships to grow and prosper.
Here are a few pointers on preparing to do just that, starting with your entryway and moving on to your living areas. Even though it may be out of sight, your bedroom is critically important too, because it needs to energize you in the morning and soothe you at night. Proceed however it feels best to you, until that wonderful day when you open the door and welcome your guests!
Welcoming In The New
Finally we arrive at the least concrete of motivational moments, but it’s no less important for that. At this transcendental level the A-ha! moment occurs when you realize that you are stuck, plain and simple. You suddenly realize that it’s time to make space in your life so that new and better things can come in.
When this is the case we look for change to occur but we’re not sure what it should look like. All we know is that we can’t “make it happen”. This is where Feng Shui has the biggest impact, because its power is to examine the underlying dynamics of our lives through what is happening in our space. It helps us apply the power of Intention to every aspect of our lives and brings new realities into being.
When you’re feeling stuck, try using some basic Feng Shui principles to get yourself moving. You’ll feel all the better for it, and I guarantee you’ll soon find new things beginning to occur in your life. I’ve seen happen again and again.
Until next month, Happy Organizing!
Sincerely,
Ann Bingley Gallops
The Organized Life
DISCOVERY OF THE MONTH
Do you have a set of heirloom china that you can’t bear to part with, but that you’re sad to see go unused? When our parents pass their good dishware on to us – along with the dishes their parents passed on to them! – we can easily end up overloaded with china that we may or may not even like.
Rather than keeping, selling, or donating each set in its entirety, here’s another thought: sort out a few pieces from each set you like, and use them on special occasions.
For example, you might like the dessert dishes from one set: why not use them to serve the cake at your next dinner party? With this “elegant solution” you’ll end up with dishes you truly like, and you'll feel fine about either putting the rest into deep storage or letting them go altogether.
ABOUT Ann Bingley Gallops
Ann is a Feng Shui and Decluttering Consultant in New York City, specializing in improving the energy flow and organization of homes and businesses. She is the President of the New York chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO-NY).
GETTING IN TOUCH
Call or write to schedule a Feng Shui or Decluttering consultation for your home or office in the New York City area.
And please drop me a line with comments, questions, or suggestions for future newsletters.
Ann Bingley Gallops
The Organized Life
646-382-3878
ann@theorganizedlife.net
www.theorganizedlife.net
