How do you get/stay organized?

I did a lot of research on organizational techniques years ago. A few of the good resources were:

http://www.getorganizednow.com/

http://ineedmoretime.com/

http://www.flylady.net/

Organization is a pretty personal thing. You have to find what works best for you.

Lists. I love lists.

Plus, I set aside a day for tidying each section of my flat. Monday for hall, bathroom and kitchen. Wednesday for living room, Friday for bedroom. The spare room? Well let's not talk about that.

It sounds anal and regimented, but after a few weeks it takes less and less time to maintain the status quo. I spend less than an hour on those weekdays at my chores. Three hours a week (plus laundry and dishwashing time) to keep a house clean isn't bad.

Check out my blog post on "You can do it all" http://lmpreston.blogspot.com/

defyalllogic said:

I'll admit that I'm not very organized. not at work or at home. but I don't feel very comfortable or confident in my disorganization. I'm constantly trying and failing to make up some system or another.

i keep too many thing is don't need. i eat and drink at my desk. and i on;y have a vague idea of how filing works... mail might be my arch enemy.

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Are you... my mommy?

Consistency...

... Have a place (storage) for everything, and always put everything in its place

Purge...

...If I haven't used it or needed it in 6 months to a year, out it goes.

As someone else said, once you get your *system* down, it becomes second nature.

It takes less time to store, file, hang, sort, etc. items than it does to search all over the house or office for them.

I find that the best time to clean closets, drawers, my desk, etc. is when I'm angry or frustrated. Something about having a head of steam makes it easier to purge a space. When I'm on a roll, I sort into 3 categories: keep, donate/give away and trash.

I am also a BIG fan of clear containers. Everything in storage from Christmas decorations to camping gear is in clear storage bins. I print out 4 copies of 8.5 X 11 piece of paper with the contents (keep it simple - for example SLEEPING BAGS or CAMP STOVE & LANTERN) and tape it to the inside of the container on each end and both sides so no matter the way it goes in storage you can read the contents.

I also use a hand-free headset for the phone at home so i can do things like clean out the silverware drawer while talking with my friends.

I also approach it the same way I approach my life - I call it chipping away at the iceberg. Because of my disability, I can't go on a cleaning binge and work 3 or 4 days (or weeks) solid. All I can do is tiny bits of time so I break the job down to tiny bits. For example: when I clean kitchen cabinets/drawers, I do it one cabinet per day until it gets done. And, the all important reward for myself at the end (something small - a new hardback book, a new kitchen gadget, a lunch out with a girlfriend, etc.)

defyalllogic said:

How do you get/stay organized?

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I have no idea. I'm a disorganized, procrastinating packrat and happy with that.

I keep nothing that's of no use to me. I always have a box ready to go to Goodwill.

The book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen. He has a website too. But the book is a nice manageable read. You can get lost on a website.

organ-ized? I know it's means something, I just can't remember what.

I have a natural ability to turn my home into a total mess in less than five minutes. I've given up fighting this gift and have no systems or organization - I know where everything is and if I don't then it can't be important. Family and friends are now used to my sluttish ways and give me gifts that acknowledge my gift. My favourite is a little plaque that says "you are welcome to admire the dust but please do not write in it". I think that everyone should follow their own inclination - if a system works for you follow it. Mine works for me - though I know there are some who would say if is chaos.

brainstorm77 said:

I keep nothing that's of no use to me. I always have a box ready to go to Goodwill.

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That's the difference, I don't know when something is of no use to me. One day, that widget, might come in handy, might actually save my life. So I throw nothing out.

And I'm always going to Goodwill to buy the stuff people thought they didn't need any more.

I love what Shadow Ferret said.

I am not very organized at all, but I'm trying to improve. I hate throwing things out because my logic is: "But I might need that someday."

I agree with the making lists idea. I do have to write things down since I can't remember anything anymore.

A rule of thumb that I have followed over the last 15 years is that if I haven't used something for 2 years, it's highly unlikely I will again. I had things boxed up for two years preparing to move and when I unpacked, I found so much stuff that I'd forgotten I have. I'm going to be having one heck of a garage sale.

Shadow_Ferret said:

That's the difference, I don't know when something is of no use to me. One day, that widget, might come in handy, might actually save my life. So I throw nothing out.

And I'm always going to Goodwill to buy the stuff people thought they didn't need any more.

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Clothing, if it has not been worn in a year, it's gone. If a book is terrible or I tried to read and lost interest, gone. The same goes with everything I guess... If I buy a new set of dishes for example, the old set is off to Goodwill. It's funny that I'm like this cause my mom keeps everything.

almonds and tube socks.

Organisation is for chumps. Embrace the chaos!