Archive for Declutter

tablet showing an empty email inbox

How to Organize Your Out of Control Email Inbox

Posted by Carolyn on
 January 31, 2025
  ·  2 Comments

tablet showing an empty email inbox

Is your email inbox out of control? Are you trying to stay organized and feeling overwhelmed when the next batch of email arrives? There is no doubt that staying on top of inbox digital clutter is a challenge with the ease that email can be sent and received.  As Brendon Burchard reminds us in The Charge your email inbox is NOT your To Do list. In fact, your email inbox is usually someone else’s to do list and if you have receive their email their to do is done and they think your’s is just begun.

Here is a strategy to organize your email inbox on an ongoing basis as well as getting on top of the out of control inbox.

Control the Email When it Arrives 

As a professional organizer I am frequently asked how I recommend people stay on top of their email.  There are a variety of strategies to organize and email inbox, and manage the email when you first open it. 

  1. Use folders to file by topic or person – there is no right answer it depends on how you think. I think by time frame so I use sender and time for my folders
  2. Flag action items right away. If you can accomplish the action in under 15 minutes then take the time to do it. If it needs to be scheduled into your calendar, right it down and flag the emailing action items for example. 

desk owner is trying to get things done, pink notebook, pink flowers on white desk,When the Email Inbox is Out of Control

When it comes to the emails that have been left in your Inbox too long here is a process I call the 10 percent solution.

  1. Pick a time of day to commit 10 minutes to email management.  Stick to this commitment until that Inbox is under control.
  2. Change the sorting order of the Inbox.  If you normally sort by date, try sorting by sender or subject.  This has the impact of immediately changing the context of the emails.  With a different context sorting is easier.
  3. Check the total number of emails and then identify what 10% would be.  This is your target; the number of emails you are going to file or delete in your designated 10 minutes.  For example, if you have 1000 emails sitting in your Inbox, try and remove 100 at the first sitting.
  4. Quickly scroll through the list and try and delete as many as possible i.e. the easy ones you know are no longer needed.  If you get stuck or bogged down, switch the sort again and keep going.  Try sorting by email topic.  This will sometimes allow you to delete the backlog of emails on one particularly topic and then the last one, with all the accompanying conversation, will be the email to file.You will be surprised how easy it is to remove 100 emails when you have changed the context.

Practice these strategies regularly to organize your email inbox and keep it organized.

Business Organizing Declutter Office Organizing Organizing Strategies Strategy
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desk owner is trying to get things done, pink notebook, pink flowers on white desk,

Simplify: More than Minimalism and Shedding

Posted by Carolyn on
 August 7, 2024
  ·  No Comments

Recently, I had an opportunity to simplify a few things in my own life. With a volunteer term completed, I transitioned responsibilities over to my successor. Although still in a related volunteer role, I was relieved of a handful of duties. My calendar was emptier and my time freer. That’s when I realized that to simplify is more than simply shedding or trying to minimize the stuff in our lives. It is also a key step in getting and staying organized.

The Difference: Simplifying vs Sheddinglarge male deer with a 10 point rack of antlers

In the world of professional organizers, shedding usually means releasing or letting go. Just like male deer shed their antlers before the winter, and make room for a stronger rack to replace it, so do we shed items that no longer serve us. We let go of things we don’t use, like or need. Or sometimes to make room for something better.

Simplifying on the other hand, is more about making things easier. Processes get simplified to with less steps to make them easier, more manageable or shorter.

I once had a client who needed support decluttering and setting up an office after a move. In that process we also simplified the space and workflow so that everything the client needed to work with on a day-to-day basis was within arms reach, or certainly a short swivel chair swing (technical, organizer term “chair swing”) of her work space.

What About Minimalism?

Minimalism on the other hand, is about shedding a lot of things. It really answers the questions “how much can I do without?” or “how can I so more with as little as possible?”. Not everyone is happy to even attempt minimalist thinking or living.

Behind the Scenes

While it is true, having completed my volunteer position term, I was shedding duties and handing them to my successor. And that felt like simplifying things.

However, I had also been reviewing digital files and moving some to our shared online filing cabinet. While shedding the files in one part of the digital world, I was streamlining in another part.

The great part about shedding is it leaves space of new things. I now had time and space in my calendar and business life to refocus back to this blog, my newsletter and having some fun on social media.

Shedding, Simplifying and Organizing

It takes all three to get and stay organized. Try these tips to get you started:hat, coat and straw bag hanging on wall hooks

  1. Start with shedding. Be the deer in late fall and shed what no longer serves you, what will hinder your progress in your goals or what you no longer use.
  2. Once the shedding is done, how can your work flow or processes be simplified? How can steps be reduced to accomplish the same goal. For one client, I simply mounted 2 removable hooks on the wall beside the outside door of the kitchen. One was for her daughter’s lunch bag the other was for the coat.  These hooks completely simplified the “what to do with the lunch box/coat” after school. She would simply move the hook up as her daughter grew.
  3. Finally, ensure that each item has a home. This home needs to be easy to access (retrieval) to easy to put the item back (storage). When storage and retrieval are easy, you’ve likely simplified and will be able to stay organized.
Declutter Office Organizing Organizing Strategies Organizing Time Productivity Uncategorized
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brown daytimer binder with 1997 on spine beside several spiral notebooks on shelf

POV: The Hidden Cupboard of History to Declutter

Posted by Carolyn on
 July 24, 2024
  ·  No Comments

As a dual-certified professional organizer, I’m often expected to have it all together. But the truth is, I’m human, just like my clients. I struggle with the same emotional attachments to stuff that make it hard for others to let go. As a result, I have stuff and history to declutter.

We All Struggle to Declutter brown daytimer binder with 1997 on spine beside several spiral notebooks on shelf

This past week on Instagram, I have been sharing some of the areas of clutter where I struggle. Today I shared a sneak peek into my own desk cupboard, where I store old Day-Timers and notebooks. It was a moment of vulnerability, and I was surprised by how many of you resonated with it! It seems we all have our own secret stashes, struggles and yes, some history to declutter. Like many of you, I find it hard to part with these items, each holding a piece of my personal and professional life.

One of the key messages I want to convey in my POV series is that as organizers, we are human too. We face the same challenges as our clients. But here’s the thing: as a professional organizer, I have the strategies and skills to tackle these challenges. However, the question is – do we use them?

Take Action

After posting today’s reel, I felt inspired to tackle this project head-on. Action is forward movement and progress can’t occur without it.  Armed with determination and my trusty organizing strategies, I dove into the decluttering process. I filmed the process and tomorrow I’ll share a follow-up reel to show you the result.

Set a Time Limit

This was not a scheduled project, and I already had a full list of To Do’s for the day. So, I set a time limit: I would see how much I could do in 30 minutes. This had an added benefit; I knew based on the timeframe of the day-timers that there were emotionally charged items.  The time limit gave me permission to slide past anything that might be too emotionally charged to tackle in the time I had available.

The Decluttering Processred sand draining through clear hour glass

Here’s how I approached the decluttering of my cupboard:

  1. Assess the Contents: I took everything out of the cupboard to see exactly what I was dealing with. This step is crucial in understanding the scope of the project.
  2. Sort and Categorize: Next, I immediately put back anything I knew was an emotional rabbit hole. Let me tell you – it was a journey! I glanced through years of appointments, and schedules. I relived memories, cringed at outdated goals, and even found some treasures I thought were lost forever. As I worked through the stack, I realized that some things were truly worth keeping – like notes about the start of my business. But most of it? Well, let’s just say I won’t be needing those old voice mail notes from 1997 anytime soon.

The Aftermath

Afterward, I’m left with a decluttered cupboard, a huge stack of paper that’s destined for the burn pile (more therapeutic than shredding), and a few treasures to pass along to new homes. Three binders and a portfolio are looking for a new owner – anyone interested?

The Lesson

Decluttering and organizing aren’t about being perfect; they are about being intentional. Recognize what’s truly important, let go of the rest, and create systems that support your goals. Create space for what truly matters. It’s a constant process, and even I need a constant reminder.

Moving Forward

As a professional organizer, I know the strategies. But as a human, I need to apply them just like everyone else and remember to have self-compassion when things get tough. And that’s okay.

I hope this inspires you if you also have some history to declutter in your own space. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s reel, where I’ll share the decluttering process and more tips for tackling your own paper clutter.

And remember – progress, not perfection.

Action Declutter Office Organizing Organizing Challenges
jumbled collection of many dishes on table

Backlog vs Day-to-Day: What’s the declutter difference?

Posted by Carolyn on
 July 17, 2024
  ·  No Comments

Jumbled collection of dishes waiting to be decluttered.Many people don’t realize there is a declutter difference between backlog and day to day. Not all clutter is created equally. This will help.

The Declutter Dilemma

Touch it once. Deal with it now. Don’t put it down put it away.

These are all great organizing principles. EXCEPT they only apply to day-to-day decluttering.

If you are dealing with a backlog these strategies will have you frustrated, overwhelmed and a victim of decision fatigue in no time. UGH!

There is a declutter difference between the two type of organizing. One, clearing a backlog, is all about managing large amounts of material as quickly. On the other hand, managing paper, clothes, dishes or documents on a day-to-day basis is quite a separate process.

Here are some strategies that will help you manage the declutter difference and get your space organized to feel calmer and back in control.

Declutter the Backlogwhite coffee mug with "begin" sitting on wood grain table. Sometimes just beginning is hard with a backlog to declutter.

You have a large amount of material to be reviewed, sorted, purged and then organized. Welcome to the backlog. Perhaps you are preparing for a house or condo sale, or maybe a move. Or, you simply have decided you need more space and less stuff so it’s time to take action.

  1. Key Decision: The key decision for backlog is Discard or Keep. Make this decision as quickly as possible. Simply decide what is shed vs what is keep.
  2. Make it Easy: If it’s paper you are sorting, have a recycling and shredding bag or box right beside you. Anything to keep is divided into FILE or ACTION.
  3. Next Steps: Once this first sort has been done, you will likely find only 10-25% of the original pile is actually left with ACTION to be taken. Take out the recycling. Set up your shredder or find a local shredding company and pick a time to get the shredding out of the house.
  4. Last Step: Take the necessary action and then FIND A HOME for the items to be kept. If you are moving, that might mean packing. Having decluttered already, you will be packing and moving much less.

Managing  Day-to-DayDesktop with keyboard, book, magazine and a sign that says To Do. If your day-to-day decluttering has to do's of less than 15 minutes, try and do them right away.

The decluttering difference with day-to-day organizing is to make sure the backlog never happens. The trick is to avoid an accumulation of belongings or paper, so that you don’t have to take the time or energy to ever clear the backlog.

  1. Key Decision: The key decision for day-to-day organizing is “What action needs to be taken?”
  2. Make it Easy: If the action to be taken requires less than 15 minutes, try and do it right away. Although this is not always possible, getting into the “do it now” attitude for those quick tasks will keep the clutter at bay. This is where “touch it once” makes sense.
  3. Next Steps: Once the action is taken, the following question is “Where does this need to live?”. Every item needs to have a home where it can be easily stored and retrieved.  Remember, however, once the action is taken, where it needs to live might be the recycling, shredding or garbage.
  4. Last Steps: Put the item in its home. This is where “don’t put it down, put it away” comes in.  You are done.

There is a decluttering difference between clearing a backlog versus maintaining a clutter free home or office on a day-to-day basis. Not all clutter is created equal. A different strategy is needed whether you are clearing the backlog to downsize or managing today’s mail. Have fun and keep going.

 

Declutter Habits Move Organizing Organizing Challenges Productivity
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weathered wooden platform with colourful block spelling Thank You.

Get Organized with Gratitude

Posted by Carolyn on
 October 16, 2023
  ·  No Comments

weathered wooden platform with colourful block spelling Thank You. Use gratitude to help get organized.

We are in Thanksgiving season; this is a great time to get organized with gratitude. Canadian Thanksgiving has just passed. American Thanksgiving is just around the corner. But how does gratitude help someone get organized?

It all started when…

I read Marie Kondo’s book, The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up.  One of the strategies that Kondo recommends is thanking the objects that one is purging to recognized your appreciation for the role they played in your life.  Even if their usefulness had come to an end. This seemed like an interesting strategy so I tried it out with a couple of clients. They found the idea quite humorous. But they tried it anyways. And sure enough is has proven to be a most useful strategy.

How does getting organized work with gratitude?

The process is simple. One simply says thank you to the object or objects that you are intending to declutter or shed. Thank them for their service, their usefulness and their contribution to your life. And then wish them well in their new life “beyond your front door”.

Why does this work?

Not being a psychologist, I’m not equipped to go into the science of how this might work. What I can tell you is that using this strategy definitely helps clients shed objects, especially ones they may be conflicted about. Saying thank you to the objects in question seems to break the emotional attachment the client has to the object. When clients acknowledge the usefulness of the object, they no longer seem as attached to it, or keeping it around, potentially forever.

The simple act of saying “thank you for your service”, helps the client anchor in the understanding that this item no longer serves their highest good. Clients report that once they have said thank you and spoken out loud about the service they have received from the object, they no longer feel as sad or conflicted about sending the item away. They can move on to reduce the accumulation of objects they are no longer using.

How can you use it?Puppet figure playing violin in briefcase with thank you, written in several languages, on a paper behind him. Getting organized can be easier using gratitude.

Getting organized with gratitude is easy once you get over the idea of talking to inanimate objects. Since some of us do it anyway, and you may well be alone when you declutter, no one will know the difference. Give it a try and see if it helps you with your shedding.

Get started by simply hold the object that you are perhaps struggling to part with. Think of the service the object has given you. Maybe it’s a dress that comes with great party memories but is no longer in style or reflects your current personal style. Thank the dress for the fun and memories. Perhaps even take a picture to remember. Then tell the dress it is time it found someone who will wear it and make new memories. Focus on the moving forward part of this exchange rather than the looking back part. The dress now needs a life beyond your front door in order to find that person with whom it can make new memories. Say good bye and wish it well then put it in the donation bag.

This strategy has been very helpful for many of my clients over the years. Let me know how it works for you.

And in the meantime, I am grateful you took the time to stop by and read.

 

Declutter Home Organizing Organizing Challenges Organizing Strategies
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Many pieces of paper with "Alternative" written on them in different colours and fonts.

Decision Fatigue: What it is and how to manage it

Posted by Carolyn on
 July 20, 2023
  ·  No Comments

Decision fatigue is more common than one might think. As an organizing professional I see it a lot. But what is it really, how does it show up and what can be done about it? This blog article takes a look at the idea from an organizers perspective.

Definition
many white tabs with "Option" writing on them in different styles and colours.

According to Wikipedia, decision fatigue refers to the impact of having to make too many decisions, or too difficult decisions, in a short space of time. In other words, it is the impact of that experience that is the fatigue referred to by psychologists.

Decision fatigue is “the idea that after making many decisions, your ability to make more and more decisions over the course of a day becomes worse,” said Dr. MacLean, a psychiatrist. “The more decisions you have to make, the more fatigue you develop and the more difficult it can become.”

What it looks like when organizing.

As I mentioned this is a common experience for me as an organizing professional. Because I work with individuals affected by chronic disorganization, I specifically designed the hands on portion of my business to be face to face with clients for only 3 hr sessions at a time. (Sessions for packing and unpacking associated with move management are longer). The reason is specifically due to decision fatigue.

It did not take me very long as a newcomer to the industry to recognize that clients would literally stop making decisions at about 150 minutes, or 2.5 hrs into our session. I had already been introduced to decision fatigue while taking a Masters in Health Services Administration degree. So, I knew this could be an issue.

There are six ways decision fatigue shows up. Avoiding decisions, or glazing over, is just one of them.Many pieces of paper with "Alternative" written on them in different colours and fonts.

  1. Reduced ability to make a trade off: in this impact, my clients can’t decide between choice A and choice B. If we agree that they will only keep one of two items, they can’t decide which one to choose.
  2. Decision avoidance: this second impact shows up as the client not wanting to make any decisions at all. Clients will sometimes show distraction from our task, ask me to make the decision or, for those who have more self-awareness, simply throw up their hands and state “I can’t decide”. For the record, no, I don’t make those decisions for my client.
  3. Impulsive activity: this is especially true for purchases at the cash register for shoppers. In organizing however, this impact of decision fatigue often show up as “throw it all out”. Clients impulsively decide to get rid of everything because they simply don’t have the mental energy left to decide.
  4. Impaired self-regulation: this is when the client doesn’t hold themselves to their usual standard of behaviour. Clients tend to get irritable and may be short or “snippy” with me or someone else in the family.
  5. Susceptibility to decision making biases: in this impact, the client tends towards an easier decision vs a correct or wise decision. It may be easier to simply not discard anything from a “I don’t like this” clothes pile than to be able to determine if any could hold any more value in the client’s future.
  6. Decision conflict and regret: In this impact the client becomes more and more worried about making a wrong decision. Eventually they just stop making decision altogether.

What do to about Decision Fatigue?hand with pole balanced on it show signs in opposite directions each saying "I don't know"

There are several ways to manage decision fatigue. When working with clients, I use whichever one works. I recommend you use whatever works for you.

  1. Take a break from the project you are working on. If possible physically remove yourself from the location and go to somewhere else even if it is just another room in the house or another office. Spend enough time in this other location doing something else until you feel at least a little bit refreshed.
  2. Change the task. If you are organizing clothes, try switching to working on a work project or making a meal. If possible, try switching to an entirely different task, however, even making decisions about a different set of items will help. If you are sorting clothes, try moving over to books.
  3. Go for a walk in nature. Walking in the woods, in a park or even just down the street will help to refresh your mind and your decision making muscles.
  4. Ensure you are adequately hydrated and have eaten enough to that point in the day. Many times while working, clients forgot to eat and drink. Hydration is most important however, being adequately nourished is also important.

Have you ever experienced decision fatigue? What was your experience? Drop me a note in the comments.

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shelf in desk unit half empty

Micro Tasks

Posted by Carolyn on
 June 26, 2023
  ·  No Comments

Micro Tasks Challenge the 15 Minute Declutter Routine

Could it be that micro tasks could be even more successful than a daily 15 minute declutter routine? I say yes; I think they can and that we ought to all jump on this bandwagon. Micro tasks could possibly even replace the 15 minute declutter routine.

How it Startedshelf in desk unit half empty

Mindlessly, I was stared at the shelf beside my desk. I had done so countless times before, while thinking through yet another online tech challenge. I have no recollection of sorting out the tech issue. It was clear there were things on the shelf I had not used in years and was never likely to use. In a split second, I decided to clear the shelf, wipe it off and remove to a donation pile those things I would not use. Like the audio CD for learning Spanish. I no longer have a CD player on my computer or portable device to play it.

In less than 5 minutes I had a clean shelf that was now half empty, a small bag of denotable items and a few items in recycling and garbage. The result of my micro task was a very satisfying declutter. The shelf is half empty, clean and can be used more effectively.

Micro TasksPiles of paper and filed on a desk top.

I soon determined that micro tasks could be done almost anywhere, almost any time. I’ve made a game of it. Just this morning, while waiting on the front door step for my son to load the car before leaving, I clipped back the trailing plants in the planter. The micro task took 5 minutes. Later while waiting for a video clip to upload, I wiped the windows sill, rinsed the stained-glass ornaments, took away the ones I no longer wanted and put everything back. Another 5 minutes.

I’ve defined micro task as a 5-10 minute task that can be completed with little or no additional equipment and contributes to clutter free living. Two days ago I took the ski jackets out of the front hall cupboard, inspected for rips and tears and transported to our off-season storage rack in the basement. I’ve got my eye on a shoe rack with 5 pairs of flip flops that haven’t left the rack in awhile – maybe 2 years. While waiting for the kettle to boil, I can scoop up the flip flops, inspect for integrity and bag for donation. This last task makes use of the concept of time layering along with micro tasks.

The Gamebrightly coloured flip flops in a circle all touching toes.

Try it.

  1. Look for 5 minutes either between other projects or activities or while waiting for something else to happen (standing in line)
  2. Look around for a 5 minute task that is super easy to accomplish. For example, while waiting for the pasta water to boil, take the cutlery out of the cutlery tray, wash the tray and replace the cutlery.
  3. Make a game out of finding a micro task that doesn’t require any extra equipment (except maybe a cleaning cloth).
  4. Make sure that the task contributes to either decluttering or getting something done. For example, I filed the top few items on my paper filing pile waiting for yet another video to upload,.
  5. See how many of these you can do in one day.

The Benefit

Five minutes may not seem like alot of time. Those 5 minute tasks, however, all add up. The paper requires filing. The shelf requires decluttering and the flip flops require a new home.  Add all those micro tasks together, all those 5 minute games, and eventually, you have a clutter free house.

Try it, and let me know how it goes.

Declutter Organizing Strategies Productivity
woman biting pencil staring at computer looking worried and frantic.

Top 5 Series – Indicators you’re Disorganized

Posted by Carolyn on
 May 1, 2023
  ·  No Comments

woman biting pencil staring at computer looking worried and frantic.Think your office might be seriously disorganized?

Not sure if you are disorganized enough to need help?

You have your own business which you love.  It does ok.  Clients are happy – most of the time.  But you admit to yourself when no one else is looking that things aren’t as good as you think they should be. You are really afraid someone besides your accountant and CRA, or IRS is you are south of the 49th parallel, will find out your taxes were late last year….again. The assistant you hired reminded you that the last 10 client orders were late.  Meanwhile, you find yourself running from home to office to home to office, always late and always rushing.

You, and your office or business, may be disorganized and not be aware. Here are the top five indicators I find when clients call me for help.

1 Targets are missed.

This is the indicator that keeps you awake at night. As the fiscal year goes by, and performance targets get missed, you are already sweating. You didn’t meet your sales targets for last year and you don’t even know if you are on track for first quarter.  If fact, you are pretty sure your records aren’t up to date. Do you and your employees have a clear, strategic plan to accomplish those targets? Creating a step by step plan for everyone to follow will help keep everyone on the same page and the business on track.

2 Priorities are confused.

You know your ideal client.  You know your business mission and you have an awesome vision.  Should be enough right?  Then why is it you can’t meet performance goals. Employees don’t understand the mission and/or strategic goals.You have the mission memorized. You’ve agonized over your strategic goals. Every word is perfect. You’ve done the retreat and handed out copies. Why is it then, that no one remembers? Why don’t your employees remember what the company is trying to accomplish this year?

Maybe because words on a page don’t translate into happy customers. A perfect mission, vision and values statement is only helpful if there is an action plan to translate that into the satisfied client. How does you mission statement turn into sales? How does your mission statement become a product or service that removes your client pain point? Turn your attention to providing value to clients and your mission will come alive with sales.

3 Employees are unhappy.

You have a sense that there are just too many good bye lunch parties. Meanwhile you’re soaking up your training and development budget with new hire orientation rather than development of your existing and loyal employees. At the same time, you’ve hearing complaint after complaint from employees about this, that and the other thing. They never bring it up to the team meetings, (do you have them?) they just grumble.

Disorganization in an employer or boss can quickly lead to disgruntled employees. With clear expectations, timely projects and constructive feedback, employees will more likely enjoy making a contribution to your goals.

4 Offices, work spaces are cluttered and disorganized.clutter-free office shows what is possible with organizing support.

Starting with yours; do you, or your staff, keep asking for another copy of (name of latest report on the file share system) because they can’t find it? Do you, or your employees, spend too much time looking for things and not enough time acting on goals? Sure, you know exactly where that proposal is, right? If I said you had 10 seconds to find it, could you? What is under, behind or beside your desk? Your employees desks? Check it out.

Keeping a clutter free work space contribute to higher productivity and happier staff. Try putting aside a Friday afternoon for an office clean up – with everyone responsible for their own work area. Keep common work areas clutter free.

5 Someone is always at the office or online trying to work late – very late.

Someone, or ones, is (are) working longer hours than they should. Is there one person, maybe it’s you, that is always working later than everyone else, comes in on weekends, and probably still is not meeting their performance objectives? That extra work time without the work output to show for it, is a common sign of disorganization. That person may need some help to clarify their priorities and deadlines. Or they may need some support to create a more productive work environment.

My goal is to help you develop an awareness of what some of the indicators of disorganization.  With that awareness, you have the power to make changes. Even small changes can make a big difference.  Become a clutter free role model at your office and to your employees. Keep your work area clutter free. Small changes applied consistently over time amount to big results.

Business Organizing Declutter Office Organizing Productivity Top 5 Series
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colourful food bowls stacked on two shelves.

Excuses for Disorganization

Posted by Carolyn on
 April 24, 2023
  ·  No Comments

Have you got Excuses for YOUR Disorganization?

disorganization around woman holding telephone in an office with piles of files and crumpled paper around

Always needing excuses for your disorganization can be exhausting. Maybe this isn’t you, but perhaps someone you know.  Are you chronically disorganized, overwhelmed and frustrated? Realizing that you are forever holding everyone else up.  You know you cause deadlines to be missed and you shrug off offers to help. You work hard to ignore complaints from colleagues but then go home discouraged yet again. Some people suggested you work with a professional organizer .  But this is just too scary. Chronic disorganization in an office is no laughing matter and no one knows it like you.

Whether your work is virtual or you are physically present in an office setting, being on time, on task and on target is key. Here are the most common excuses I’ve heard over the past 18 years and some solutions to help get beyond the chaos. My hope is there is a solution in here that speaks to your most common excuse so you can banish the overwhelm and exhaustion once and for all.

5 Most Common Excuses

1 “I don’t have time to worry about tidy piles of paper“.

Maybe it feels that way but meanwhile you don’t mind asking everyone else to wait while to try and find the report, letter or document that is now past due. In most business environments, and in the personal world, timing is important if not critical. So being on time is essential. 

Solution

In today’s world, most documents are digital. As a result our clutter tends to be on our computers. Computers file either by number of by letter. They don’t know any other way. Try to keep projects together in a file with the project name. It will be easy to find that report when you need it.

2 “I don’t need to be more organized; I can find anything I want in my office“.

Except that it takes you half an hour to find a file while everyone else is left waiting. Can you REALLY find anything in less than 30 seconds? If not, you need to find a solution. 

Solution

If it is digital, try filing by project as identified in #1 above. Another solution is to file by date. People think in different contexts. If you think by date, start each file name with the date you wrote it or the date it is due or the date of the event. If its paper and you need to see your paper out and about, try just labelling your piles.  Some people are pilers, some are filers.

3 “I’m not disorganized, I just like to keep things in case I might need them, someday“.Piles of paper and filed on a desk top.

Meanwhile you keep insisting you need twice as much filing space as everyone else, your office is a stack of boxes covered in dust, untouched in 5 years. Regular purging is an important part of being organized. try spending 15 minutes each day, at the beginning of the day while your mind is fresh, to purge and recycle or share unnecessary documents. Significant progress can be made in just 15 minutes and when done consistently every day for several weeks, magic can happen. Make it a habit and your world will transform. Literally.

Solution

4.”I am actually very organized. I know exactly where everything is“.

Have you noticed you are chronically late for meetings, supper dates, meeting the guys for pickup hockey? Do you find yourself rushing for completion of tasks at the last minute. You think you’re organized? Have you asked your friends and colleagues recently? 

Solution

You may think you are organized but the reality is that your friends and colleagues may think differently. Ever noticed that the time they give you to be together is half an hour earlier than everyone else? Time can not be managed. However, we can manage ourselves. Try using a timer or time-specific  playlist to keep yourself on task. Give yourself a false deadline – before the REAL deadline – and then play a game to see how close you can get to it.  Reward yourself as you get closer and closer to the deadline you set.

5 “I have my own style of organization. No one else would understand it“.

Keep your small business organized with these 5 key strategies.

You are absolutely correct that everyone has their own organizing personality. However, if you didn’t show up for work tomorrow no one else would be able to find any of your relevant work and your contributions to the company may be dismissed as meaningless. Still, your friends are frustrated waiting for you and partner is tired of the clutter hanging around.

Solution

Check out my blog post on organizing personality and see if you can figure out what your unique personality is.  Matching your organizing personality to specific strategies, tools and processes can make a world of difference.  Your boss and your friends will thank you. When we work for someone else, the work they pay us to do generally belongs to that company: files, paper, reports etc. Show them how important you are by creating organizing systems, processes and strategies that support you and your contributions to the world.

The world needs your unique talents. Find an organizing system that works for you and show us what you can do.  No more need for excuses for disorganization!

Declutter Office Organizing Organizing Challenges Organizing Strategies

Are you managing Chronic Disorganization?

Posted by Carolyn on
 April 18, 2023
  ·  No Comments

 What is Chronic Disorganization?books

You many be managing chronic disorganization if you have been disorganized for awhile, tried to fix things and failed and are frustrated you can’t get stuff done in your life. While the term is not a medical diagnosis, it is a very real experience that many people are trying to manage.

Someone who is chronically disorganized has three defining features as identified by Judith Kolberg in Conquering Chronic Disorganization:

  1. They have been disorganized all or most of their adult life;
  2. Being disorganized negatively effects their quality of life in some way everyday; and
  3. Previous attempts to be organized have not been successful.

A significant amount of knowledge and understanding about chronic disorganization has been gained since Judith Kolberg first identified the concept in the early 1990′. The Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD) was established later that same decade. It’s mission is specifically to “provide education, research and strategies to benefit people affected by chronic disorganization, and the professionals who work with them.”

Why Am I Chronically Disorganized?

There are many factors associated with chronic disorganization.  This  fact sheet from ICD provides a comprehensive chart of all factors. The most common factor associated with my clients’ inability to get and stay organized is a brain based condition, usually Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder.  Most of my clients do not exhibit hyperactivity but do struggle to maintain the correct level of focus for the task at hand. Another common reason is my clients have simply never learned.  Organization may not have been a priority for their parents.  As a result, they have never learned how to organize and don’t have any intuitive skill or talent. In addition, they tend to acquire easily and shed with difficulty.

Is Chronic Disorganization the same as Hoarding?

The simple answer is No, it is not.  Hoarding disorder is a mental health diagnosis.  Individuals with hoarding disorder are a subset of the larger population of individuals managing chronic disorganization. 

What Works?

People managing chronic disorganization do not respond to conventional organizing practices and strategies.  I frequently hear from clients that they have tried all the tricks and tips and still can’t make them work. These individuals think, learn and organize in ways that are unconventional or just more creative.  Their brains don’t think in a typical logical, linear fashion. The solution is to use more creative, innovative organizing solutions that work specifically for the chronically disorganized individual.

Where can I get Help?

purple, orange and green boxes. Institute of challenging disorganization logo.

If this sounds familiar, either to you or someone you know, reach out for help.  ICD has a professional organizer directory which can help you find someone in your area. It is important to work with someone trained in supporting chronic disorganization to ward off further frustration. Some professional organizers such as myself have made a commitment to this area of organizing by achieving the Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization credential.  And since I work almost exclusively virtually, I work with clients all over the world.

There is hope.  There is help.  You don’t have to live and work this way.

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