Recession Proof Your Life - 7 Secrets from the Pros

Believe it or not, when you are physically organized and good at managing your schedule, you make the most of your time, energy – and money! And in these challenging economic times, you want to maximize your resources in all 3 of those areas.
Professional organizers know that the secret to organization isn’t neatness or rigidity. It’s function. We know that once we help the client identify his/her unique organizational system and custom design it to fit their natural habits and the way they think – it brings out their absolute BEST self. And optimizes their resources, passions, interests, and abilities.
While getting organized doesn’t come naturally to a lot of people, it can be learned. Remember the key here is to think FUNCTION – not NEATNESS.

Here are a few tips from the pros:

1. Design your own system. Like exercise and fitness programs – cookie cutter, one size fits all solutions don’t work. So don’t copy someone else’s system or something you read in an organizing book. A good PO recognizes that you have a unique way of managing your lifestyle – so why try to adopt an organizing system created for somebody else’s life? Consider your own goals and habits and design your system accordingly.

2. Think zones. Or as Julie Morgenstern (Professional Organizer, seen on Oprah show) calls it – The Kindergarten Model. There are clearly defined zones for each activity – arts and crafts, building blocks, books, etc. Once you’ve identified the proper zone for your stuff and activities, it’s a no brainer to retrieve and put away items.

3. Start with the basics. Organize the most frequently used areas of your home first. Generally they take the least amount of time and will give you a big boost of confidence and sense of control. Examples? The entry way to your home that’s overflowing with coats, shoes, umbrellas and boots. Your bathroom, your dresser drawers. Your purse or briefcase. Your reward will come in the form of inspiration and motivation to take on the bigger projects later.

4. Know thyself. Professional organizers learn to know themselves and their clients really well. They know how to track a person’s energy cycles – noting when they have the most energy and when motivation and energy start to fade. They learn which activities will serve as natural energy boosters – like exercising, taking a healthy snack break, or a 15 minute snooze. Determining what conditions need to be in place for your personal peak performance insures you have the inner resources to complete tasks with less frustration.

5. How long can you focus? Do you know how long you can focus on any given task? Maybe you can write for hours, but getting through a 45 minute work out feels almost insurmountable. Once you know how long you’re able to focus on a particular task or activity, you will get results every time. The trick is to plan tasks that won’t be either too much or too little for the time you have available.

6. Buddy up or hire a pro. Getting organized can be difficult. Period. It’s emotional and sometimes draining. If you get caught up questioning what it is you need or how to go about it, you’ll never get to setting up a system. An outside perspective can be just the thing to keep you on track. Professional organizers or friends will take your particular needs at face value and help you build a system around them. My recession proof your life – one project at a time is a great way to get started!

7. Picture success. In 3D if possible. Imagine you are exactly where you wish to be. In detail. Where are you, what do you look like, what is your day like? Your environment? Visualization is an important element that will radically improve your success rate. See what it is you want and act as if you already have it. Write it down. If you’re shy about stating your goals, or act as if you don’t care whether you achieve them or not – it’s like shooting yourself in the foot. Remember – you’ll see it when you believe it!