Real Life Solutions

Let’s face it; it’s often easier to give up our efforts to get organized than it is to jump over the hurdles. But the hurdles don’t have to defeat us. We can overcome each and every one and succeed in this journey to getting organized. The hurdles can be conquered. Join us as we tackle a few of the hurdles to organizing that we all face.

1. Procrastination: Let’s face it, it’s easier to put off an unpleasant or overwhelming task than it is to do it. So, what do you do to accomplish something you’ve been procrastinating on? You schedule it! Just like scheduling appointments for any other thing, put time on your calendar specifically for organizing. It doesn’t have to be a lot of time, just put it on the schedule. If it’s an appointment on your schedule, you are much more likely to follow through.

2. Lack of Motivation: You know it needs to be done, but you just can’t make yourself get up and do it. So, here are a few ways to help you motivate yourself. 1) Put on some peppy music. It is true that when there is upbeat music playing, our mood perks up and we move a bit faster. 2) Visualize the finished product or end result. When you can picture in your mind what your end result will be, it’s easier to get it accomplished.

3. Where do I start?: This one can sometimes be quite a stumbling block as we look at the whole picture. When we look at the whole, we can easily become overwhelmed. So, pick the room that bothers you the most. Then, break that room down into quadrants and work one quadrant at a time. As you begin to see progress, it gets easier to continue. And, by breaking it down into manageable bites, it is a lot easier to swallow.

4. Lack of family cooperation: This hurdle can sometimes be pretty difficult to work around, but it’s not impossible. Start out by scheduling a family meeting. Give yourself time to plan what you are going to say and how you are going to approach your family. Enlist your husband’s support ahead of time. You might share with him how much less stressed you will be if you have some help. This will help the two of you present a united front when you have the discussion with the kids. For the kids, go over the rules and the consequences for ignoring or breaking the rules. Be sure you and your husband are in agreement and be consistent about following through with the consequences. When the kids see you mean business, they’ll quickly fall in line.

5. It has to be done today: Chances are this is one of the hurdles you are subject to. To overcome this one, you need to change the way you think. You know that this physically can’t be done in one day. Even those television organizing shows take several days to declutter and organize only a few rooms, AND they have a team of people to help. A helpful way to change the way you think is to remember that your home didn’t become disorganized and cluttered in one day, and it won’t be reversed in one day. Reasonable amounts of time every day will be what wins this battle.

Finally Organized – Finally Free -  An amazing collection of 2,175 ideas, tips and techniques for organizing your home, your clutter, your time, your schedule, your money, your paper, your family and much more!