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Did you know that organizing your life is one of the kindest acts of self-care there is?

Think about it. When things are organized, we spend less time looking for things, reduce overwhelm, do more with less time, make better use of our talents and skills, increase our self-confidence, set a good example for your children, feel more in control and in balance with what matters to you.

When we are organized, our homes, offices and schedules reflect and encourage who we are, what we want and where we are going.

Imagine this situation, where someone on the phone wants to go over the contract they sent you. This is THE call you’ve been waiting for! However, looking at your cluttered desk and the bags full of paperwork waiting to be filed, you have no idea where the document might be. 

You bluff your way out of the conversation (“Can I call you right back? I was on the other line when you called.”) and spend 30 minutes hunting for the paper. When you finally find it, you notice the stickie reminding you of action you were to have taken on the document last week. Yikes. 

Now, where is her phone number? It’s on the back of this envelope, right? Maybe it was on the back of today’s lunch receipt…

Pretty scary! The wasted time and energy. The harsh self-criticism. The stress and embarrassment. The lost opportunities. 

This office nightmare comes to life countless times every day by women who miss or ignore the direct connection between organization and success. It’s not just that organization allows you to move more easily around the office. Organizing your office and life helps you fulfill your own potential and that of your company or business. 

Organizing is the process by which we create environments that enable us to live, work and relax exactly as we want to. When we are organized, our homes, offices and schedules reflect and encourage who we are, what we want and where we are going.

For most women, the three biggest obstacles to an organized office and life are: clutter (paper and email), planning and follow-through, the latter two being more an issue of time management. And while a disorganized office can be much like a disorganized schedule—overly packed, haphazard, limited in space or hours—it makes sense to organize space and paper first. 

Here are some of my favorite coaching tips for tackling office clutter.

If you’re starting from scratch—organizing the entire office and creating a new system—it’s best to first analyze the situation, taking an overall look at space, furnishings, equipment, supplies and types of paperwork. Then ask yourself these five questions:

1. What’s working? It’s helpful to know what’s not “broken” so that you don’t spend time fixing it. Also, a little “good news” is nice to hear. 

2. What’s not working? Take a big picture approach here. It takes forever to get things done, because I can’t easily find what I need, so I work a lot of overtime. 

3. What items are most essential to you? What do you need to have at hand? What papers represent the crux of your work or business? 

4. Why do you want to get organized? These are the benefits you’ll derive from an organized office/desk. Less anxiety, more productive for work,  more energy for work and play,  . 

5. What’s causing the problems? Some of the most common sources of office clutter: inconvenient or insufficient storage, no designated “home” for things, perception of not enough time to get or stay organized. 

The next step is to strategize how to approach the things that are not working and their underlying problems. There are multiple of organization methods and systems; one might be just right for you, or you may be best served by mixing and matching ideas.  This is one of my favorite coaching programs I offer when working with clients.

For many, the biggest problem lies in maintaining an organization system. One of the best approaches is to have a relentless, laser-focused approach to processing paperwork—and even electronic communication—so that it doesn’t build up:

•  Toss it. (Delete, if electronic.)
•  Refer it. (Forward.)
•  Act on it personally.
•  File it. (Archive.)

To arrive at any kind of a sustaining system, it’s important to understand and work with or around psychological obstacles to a clutter-free environment. These may include:

Unclear goals and priorities. Organizing is about defining what’s important and setting up a system to reflect that. 

Fear of success/fear of failure. Disorganization may be a convenient way to hold back. 

Need to retreat. Clutter can be a protective shield to keep others at a safe distance.  

Fear of losing creativity. A common myth is that creative, “right-brained” people need to work in chaos to produce high-quality work. Balderdash!

Need for distraction. Clutter can provide a convenient excuse to avoid uncomfortable issues or unwanted tasks.  

Need for perfection. Often, people won’t deal with clutter until it can be done perfectly. Translation: It will never get done. 

Identifying these obstacles to an organized office and  life can go a long way toward creating an effective, lasting solution to clutter and disorganization. Miraculous or not, clearing away physical clutter often has the unexpected effect of clearing away emotional clutter, too, that may be holding us back from our heart’s desire. Along the way, you might just find yourself fulfilling your potential, too!

I invite you to check out how a VIP Day Program could support you with keeping yourself organized for success.

Find out more here >>> VIP Day Program

I would love to hear about what works for you to keep organized . Please post below.

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