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f you are an introvert who hates business networking, this blog post is for you!
I recently attended my annual National Association of Professional Organizers conference, NAPO2017, in Pittsburgh, PA, where I presented a session called Networking for Introverts. It was inspired by Susan Cain’s 2012 TED Talk, The Power of Introverts.
When faced with a pile of papers, or a closet full of clothes, do you struggle with how to organize them? Do you sometimes procrastinate because you are afraid of doing it wrong?
In this context I am using “organize” synonymously with “categorize”. The process of creating more space in your life also includes purging the things you no longer use, need, or value.
Let me give you some examples. I will suggest a few ways to organize and let you guess the right way.
Insurance Papers: File by Home, Auto, and Health? Or, by Farmers, AAA, and Blue Cross? Or, lump together under “Insurance”, as suggested in How to Create Your Own Simple Filing System?
Clothing: Hang together by function (i.e. dresses, tops, and bottoms)? By color? By style? How about by outfit, or casual versus dressy?
Photos: Sort by date? By subject? By event? The standard digital photo renaming format is Year-Month-Day-Who-What-Where, but you may not need, or want, to use that level of detail.
Professional organizers sometimes lead an exercise in which individuals or small groups organize an identical selection of items such as LEGO bricks. Some organize them by piece type, some by color, and some by size.
Q: What is the right way to organize?
A: There is no right way! The only way that matters is the way that works for you. In all cases it depends on your goals, how much stuff and space you have, and how your brain works. That’s why in Six Organizing Systems Everyone Needs I don’t tell you how to do it. I ask a series of questions designed to help you figure out how you want to do it. That’s because you won’t keep the system up if it doesn’t make sense to you!
If there IS a wrong way, it would be the way that is so complicated that you don’t use it. The more categories you have, the harder it will become, not easier, to find what you are looking for. It depends, of course, on what it is, and how much you have of it. Sometimes you do need more categories.
The right way for you might not be the way I do it, either. How organized am I? I’m organized enough, and not one bit more. My job, as a professional organizer, is to help you create the right organizing system for YOU!
Do you worry about doing it wrong?
Have you found the right way for you? Do you need help?
Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Copyright 2017 by Hazel Thornton, Organized For Life.
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How is it possible to keep the inside of your car clutter-free at all times with almost no effort? Introducing… the organized car caddy!
It’s not a special gadget with lots of pockets. And it doesn’t live full-time in your car, either.
It’s a bin, or bag, or box, or basket that you take out to the car with you every day when you leave home, and bring back in from the car with you every day when you return home.
Ready for some more Hits & Misses? (12 more things I’ve tried so you don’t have to.)
If you read just one, make it the first one, OK?
Did you know that March 31 is World Back Up Day? I didn’t either, until now. But…really, shouldn’t every day be Back Up Day?
Don’t be an April Fool – Take the Pledge!
(Click to view video “What Would You Do if You Lost Everything?”)
Great Egret
People ask me why I have a stork for my business logo. Is it my fault that not everyone knows an egret from a stork? Granted, New Mexico is not exactly known for egrets, but I do see them sometimes down by the Rio Grande.
Anyway, the egret that inspired my logo lived in Minnesota. Here’s the story:
Do you have trouble saying no? How about trouble saying yes? I just read The Year of Yes, by Shonda Rhimes, creator of Gray’s Anatomy and Scandal, among other popular TV shows. I found it to be both entertaining and inspiring. The basic story is that Shonda realized she was saying NO to most invitations and opportunities that came her way, and missing out on a lot that life has to offer. So, she started saying YES, which, as with many worthwhile endeavors, is easier said than done.
This little book is a gem! The Basic Genealogy Checklist: 101 Tips & Tactics to Find Your Family History, by Henrietta M. Christmas and Paul F. Rhetts.
Henrietta and Paul are longtime friends (of each other). She is the President of the New Mexico Genealogical Society, and a recent acquaintance of mine; he has written over two dozen nonfiction and history books. As a longtime genealogy researcher who has started providing family history research services to others, I was curious enough about this new book to attend their signing, at Bookworks Albuquerque, and to buy a copy for myself. Just so you know, this review was my idea, not theirs.
Are you the organized one in your family? Does it seem pointless to try to stay organized, with your family making messes right behind you as you go around the house tidying up? Here are some sneaky ways to get them onboard with your organizing systems:
Before we get into how to declutter your news feed, let’s talk about why you might need to. If there’s anything we can all agree on these days, perhaps it’s the necessity — and the difficulty — of staying informed in this ever-changing political climate. Many people find the glut of news — real and fake — to be very stressful. News of current events can make one feel informed or misled; hopeful or fearful; vindicated or betrayed.
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