Summary: This weeks all about the concept of ‘busy’ - but not as you know it! Being balanced is an important part of our new definition of BUSY because B = Balanced. Today we’re looking at the next part of the definition where U = Uncluttered as well as the two traits of an Organised Mum that make up the Uncluttered part of the equation. I wouldn’t be a Professional Organiser if I didn’t believe that being Uncluttered can help you reduce your busy-ness. How often have you lost your keys, misplaced an important document, or had to pay late fees on a bill because of clutter? As we had in yesterday’s post with B = Balanced, U = Uncluttered also has two traits of an Organised Mum. The same policy applies here – if you make the decision to focus on these you will see a change toward a less busy life. Traits of an Organised Mum #3 – Organised There are two key areas to being Organised. The first is in your Space. The second is in your Time. Organise these two areas and you’re likely to be more organised in your mind as well. If I was to work with you I would say let’s organise your Space first – because you would see a physical difference and enjoy the benefits of being there. But how do you know where to start? No you don’t go out and buy lots of organising products and bring them home in the hope of making them work for you. This is like putting the cart before the horse! We use two key concepts when organising any space. I was lucky enough to be trained by Julie Morgenstern, a Professional Organiser in New York who has been in the industry for over 25 years and has appeared on Oprah and Dr Oz to name a few. Julie is brilliant – and a lovely lady to boot – so I am honoured to be one of the few Australian Professional Organisers to be trained by her. “So what are these concepts that are so amazing?” you ask! Analyse – Strategise – Attack. This is the concept non-Professional Oganisers don’t know about and one of the most important strategies to use when organising any space. This is why buying organising products when you don’t know the problem you’re solving is fantastic for marketers – but not for you or your bank balance! The key is to Analyse what’s going on in the space and work out what the organising problem is, come up with a Strategy to solve this specific problem and then get in and organise it – or Attack. If you follow this process you can’t go wrong. SPACE. This stands for Sort, Purge, Arrange, Containerise, Equalise. This is the process you go through at the Attack stage above. No matter what you’re organising – paperwork, toys, clothes, tools – if you follow this process you can’t go wrong. For more information on this process, and how to organise in a way that will work for you, I recommend reading Julie Morgenstern’s book Organising From The Inside Out. Traits of an Organised Mum #4 – On Time If you were to ask organised people one of the benefits of being organised they would undoubtedly say it saves them time. Time finding what they’re looking for, time to add other fun things to their day, time to get out of the door and to their appointment on time. There are three concepts to consider here: Respect for others. I’m a big believer that if I run late I am being completely disrespectful to the person I am meeting. Some of this may have to do with being brought up by a mother who would rather be 30 minutes early than 10 minute late; some of it may have to do with what I ‘do’ for a living. But I firmly believe that if we respect others the world will be a better place. And by being on time for our appointments that’s a good start. You need a scheduling system that works for you. Whether you use a physical diary, an electronic software package, or a calendar on your fridge, you need a[...]
