Shift Your Status Quo

Organizing is an inside job.

It starts with you. You are a compilation of thoughts, ideas, words, values, actions, relationships, and scenarios. Some are recent; some are not.

Today, in this moment, you are uncomfortable with a situation, pattern or reality. You’ve wanted things to be different for a while. You’ve tried a variety of methods, plans and tools. The results weren’t what you hoped for, but they were fine. And then, during a rare quiet moment, you realized that “fine” isn’t what you want.

So here you are.

Once a person has reached the Moment of Change, the next question is “what’s next?”

After reading hundreds of books and testing various formulas, I’ve realized each person has to figure out what works for her. We are from different cultures, unique family systems, various geographies, life experiences and vastly varied current circumstances.

Watching clients craft their own formulas to organize their homes, offices, barns, storage sheds, studios and garages, revealed three steps.

After working as an organizer for several decades and reading hundreds of books, I realized early this year that I was over-thinking “the” formula for organizing.

All my thinking was creating clutter.

I surrendered to the organizing process and let go of all of the reasons I’d manufactured about what it meant to be organized.

And then Life gave me a chance to test out my new non-theory.

Texting saves time and increases productivity, right?

I resisted it, in spite of it being a popular method of communication. I preferred talking with people on the phone or sending email. Articles about tech and social media trends kept telling us how to multi-task and get more done.

So I started texting. It’s useful when attempting to communicate with people who never answer their phones and keep their voicemail boxes full. I try a few times and then send an email telling them why I tried calling them. And send a text to tell then to read their email.