GETTING ORGANIZED – THE 10 MOST COMMON MISTAKES

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GETTING ORGANIZED – THE 10 MOST COMMON MISTAKES

By Gabriele Campbell, A.S.P., C.I.D.                             www.campbellinteriordecorating.ca

Getting organized has never been so chic. The assortment of colourful bins, decorative baskets, and swish containers on the market today can make anyone feel inspired to tackle their clutter. But where do you begin?

I spoke with Shelley Sadownyk, Professional Organizer and owner of Smart Organizing Solutions about the typical mistakes people make when getting themselves and their spaces organized.

“It’s important to understand your own “Organizing Style” - monochronic or polychronic,” Shelley asserts. “This will determine the entire system you establish for yourself. Monochronic people like everything tucked away. Polychronic people like everything visible.”

“Once you figure that out, the approach is the same whether you are organizing a drawer or an entire garage,” says Shelley.  “The next major step, which is often overlooked, is sorting.”

Sorting requires decision making, and to help her clients make decisions about their belongings, she sets up bins. Each bin is labelled using the acronym SORT – Sell & Donate; Oh, I want to keep this; Recycle & Garbage; and This belongs elsewhere.

According to a professional, the most common mistakes people make are:

1.  NOT HAVING A PLAN - You need to have a plan in place, and start small.  Use the following acronym to break it down into manageable steps to guide you through the process: STACK  S – Sort, T – Toss, A – Assign a Home, C – Containerize, K – Keep it Up.

2. BUYING CONTAINERS FIRST - Why buy containers before you sort? You don't know what you are going to put in the container, you don't know the size and you may not necessarily need it after the sort and toss steps are completed. First, sort your items, then assign a home, then buy the necessary storage container in the appropriate size.

3. ZIG ZAG ORGANIZING - Whether you are sorting a cupboard or a basement you will find items in that space that belong somewhere else in your home. DO NOT TAKE THEM TO THAT SPACE immediately. Place them to the side and label them “THIS BELONGS ELSEWHERE”. Once the entire cupboard/basement is sorted then deliver all the items to their appropriate location. By following the steps you will avoid starting 10 areas and not finishing a single one. 

4. CREATING A SYSTEM THAT IS TOO COMPLICATED - If the organizing system is too complicated, trying to maintain it will be almost impossible. Keep it simple. 

5. GOING AGAINST YOUR NATURAL HABITS – If you have 40 pairs of shoes by the door, and your family naturally stores 40 pairs of shoes by the door then design something functional that will neatly hold 40 pairs of shoes. If your storage system requires you to develop too many new habits it will be too difficult to maintain.

6. MISCALCULATING THE TIME REQUIRED TO GET ORGANIZED – People either feel over-confident or overwhelmed when it comes to organizing. Start with a drawer and gain an understanding of how quickly and easily you can make decisions about your belongings. Go through the process on a small scale before taking on the basement.

7.  ATTACKING THE HIDDEN CLUTTER FIRST - Today you have decided to organize your huge walk-in closet, but you cannot get to it because there is so much stuff on the floor blocking the doors. Start with the pile on the floor. Attacking the visible clutter first will produce quick results and motivate you to do more. 

8.  BELIEVING THAT GETTING ORGANIZED MEANS GETTING RID OF THINGS.  – This is not necessarily true. People have a really hard time with the idea that they may have to part with their personal belongings.   They want to hang on to everything “JUST IN CASE”.  What happens is when the sorting process begins and people really see what they have, it makes the purging process that much easier. The purpose of organizing is to make a home for everything so that when you do need a particular item you can find it quickly and easily.

9.  THINKING THAT BEING NEAT AND TIDY MEANS BEING ORGANIZED – Another misconception. I have walked into homes that looked extremely neat and tidy, but when I open a drawer or closet the truth is told. Everything is crammed in – no system, complete chaos! Other people have stuff everywhere, BUT THEY CAN FIND JUST ABOUT ANYTHING. So which person is more organized?

10. GETTING ORGANIZED IS EXPENSIVE – All it costs is time. Following the simple steps will ensure everything essential and important to you has a home, and when everything has a home, it is easy to find. Getting organized is all about easing your life, and creating systems that work for you and your family.

If you have specific questions you would like to ask Shelley, contact her at (780) 975-0479 or check out her website at www.smartorganizingsolutions.ca