The” Deadly Too Combo”

Earlier, I mentioned the combo that causes folks to become overwhelmed by chaos in their home or business:
Too much stuff
Too little available space
Too little time

It is tough enough to handle one of these problems without help but, when the three converge, it is a challenge that can be ranked right up there with the labors of Hercules. Unlike Hercules, most of us cannot count on our great physical prowess or intervention from the gods to get us out of the mess we are in. There are however a few considerations that can help tackle the problems.

Too Much Stuff

No matter how hard you try, you cannot get a quart of liquid into a pint jar without the jar overflowing. The same is true with any physical space. You can carefully pile stuff up to the ceiling over every available square inch of floor space until you can only stand in the doorway and admire your carefully constructed obstacle, but after that you cannot get anything else in the room. It is a finite space in spite of your infinite capacity to accumulate.

The only solution is to redistribute the stuff. The headline of an article on cluttering in a local newspaper recently read, “If it is not beautiful, useful or loved, get rid of it” I don’t know about you, but I consider everything I choose to keep useful. It may not always pass the beautiful test, but I always think I know exactly how I will use it when I decide to keep it. Then I put it away and never get around to the project. A good example of this is the iron on patches I purchased on sale for my son’s jeans that I finally discarded five years later, unopened and unused. (He outgrew the “popping knees out of your pants” phase and that culprit “too little time” got in the way-but I will get to that later).

I would amend that headline to read “If it is not immediately useful, immensely beautiful or passionately loved, get rid of it. Otherwise I, and thousands of others, would make no headway in purging closets and attics and spare rooms of our wonderful possessions.

When it is time to tackle the too much stuff problem, get ready.
Set a goal for the day and the week. Example: I am going to clean out a drawer in the tool chest today and complete the chest by the end of the week.

Designate a box or bag (or tarp if you like those TV shows) for keep, trash, give away, relocate. I like to use a trash bag for trash so I don’t have to handle it once I have made the decision. I tie it up and throw it out. I like an area for relocate because I always find things that belong somewhere else. If they are in a convenient tote, I can put them where they belong before I consider the task completed.

Give yourself enough time to complete the goal without becoming tired or discouraged. In our experience, most people tire after about three hours of a purge task.

Now simply apply the S Steps
Simple Goals
Systems for Getting it Done
Schedule to Complete the Task
Self Discipline to Keep Gooing Until the Task is Complete.

Some folks can get rid of stuff without assistance from an outside source. Others benefit from having an objective person act as a guide and sounding board during the process. An honest friend or a professional organizer can ask tough questions and help you make good decisions about what to hold on to. They can help you stick to your plan and achieve your goals for a more organized life.

Safety

This week the consultants at Key Transitions have been helping a young mother organize a room for a six year old girl. The mother has tried using plastic boxes to corral the crayons and has a beautiful bookcase for the library of books. She has a multilevel wheeled cart in the closet for all of the craft items and a system for all the miniature parts that go to the multitude of toys scattered around the room. She has shelves full of stuffed animals crowded so thickly that it is impossible to count the number of critters in the rainbow zoo. She has sorted through clothes and has separate drawers for her daughter’s play clothes, her underwear, and her hair accessories.

So why did this smart lady need help with organizing? She is a victim of the “deadly too combo”:

Too much stuff
Too little available space
Too little time

One of these three conditions is hard to handle, but when they shake hands and agree to gang up on a person, it is just overwhelming. We will tell you how we address these issues in future installments, but today we want to talk about the additional "S" that we always address when organizing.

I say additional because we have already talked about the four principles that make projects successful:
Simplicity
Systems
Schedules
Self Discipline

But when we are organizing physical space for any age group, we always add Safety to the list. While it is a principle we adhere to in every project, it is especially important when dealing with the very young, the very old, the disabled and the frail. So it has been in the forefront of our assessment and planning for the room of a six year old child. The safety issue is complicated by the fact that she has an eight month old sibling crawling around the home who will eventually find clandestine ways to invade his sister’s space.

Safety issues are different for every space and every age group, but there are some common principles that extend across all categories. Here are a few of them:

Minimize exposed cords. They are tripping hazards and interesting items for exploration by children and pets. Use covers, clamps, coils and channels to roll them up or cover them up.

Dispose of broken items. Plastic and glass can cut you and improperly working electrical appliances can do worse damage. Half a toy, no matter how well-loved can hurt with sharp edges or loose parts.

Place frequently used items in easily accessible places. Falls are a major cause of accidental injury, so don’t climb if you don’t have to.

Keep frequently traveled pathways free of clutter. We have all laughed at the comedic antics of someone tripping over a skateboard or slipping on a banana peel. It is not so funny when you are the one landing on your backside.

These are just a few of the Safety concerns when organizing spaces. It sounds simple, but when you don’t have the time, the space or any idea of how to begin, consider calling a professional organizer to give you fresh perspective and a plan of action.

Beverly and Kristen

www.KeyTransitions.net

Simplicity, Systems, Schedules, Self Discipline

It's a new year. Time to decide what we want 2007 to be for us. Some folks make resolutions-not me. I am averse to feeling like I have failed before the first month of the year is through. Instead I make promises to myself that I feel pretty confident I can keep. This year I have promised myself to drink more water. I think somewhere in my remote past there was a nomad who rationed the precious liquid so well that her descendants do not experience thirst as acutely as the average population. So I have a drinking schedule -no, not the alcoholic stuff, just water- and it seems to be going well.

Last year, I promised myself to keep better records of household repairs. My new year began with a tree down in the yard that took out part of my fence and part of my neighbor's fence. Fortunately, my kept promise allowed me to quickly put my hand on the receipt for the tree company I paid six weeks ago to assess that tree and remove all limbs that posed a hazard. Hopefully they will make things right.

What does all of this have to do with fashioning 2007 for ourselves? Glad you asked. Because whether we make resolutions or promises to ourselves, there are four organizational principles that allow us to be successful:

Simplicity
Systems
Schedules
Self discipline

Simplicity: The simpler, the better. I am going to drink more water.

Systems: I am going to buy an extra case of water every week and evaluate my progress prior to going to the grocery store for my next supply. I could get it from the faucet, but I would lose track and I am prone to err in my favor when estimating.

Schedule: In addition, to regular beverages, I am going to drink a bottle of water at 10 AM, 2PM, 4PM and 7PM.

Self Discipline: I just have to maintain the system and the schedule. I could call on a friend or family member to help me monitor and remind me, but I am pretty good at doing it myself and nobody kicks me harder than I do.

Using these principles with any project helps get it done. Try it and I bet next year you will look back and be glad you kept that promise to yourself.

Beverly and Kristen

www.KeyTransitions.net