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Organization...the key to life...in the workplace
and in our home.
By Sharon Merhalski
About three months ago I was asked by a local Career Center to
come and teach three lessons on clutter...specifically, "organizing
our home as we would organize an office." My assistant director
took the call and she called me laughing.
God has such a sense of humor! Of all of the people to be asked
to teach on this subject! I almost called and declined the invitation...but
God got hold of my heart and told me to "Go!"
My home was not dirty and horribly messy. But...I had too much
STUFF in closets, drawers and storage bins...and too much furniture
in a small home. More importantly, we had recently moved our Titus
2 administrative office to my home...and with my schedule my office
was NOT the picture of organization. And I was supposed to teach
on de-cluttering to be organized?
Well...I hoped...surely the Internet would have a web site with
a plan. So, I went to the Internet and looked for a 'program'...suggestions...a
'battle-plan' of action. I actually found several "attack" plans
for organization on several websites. As I studied these plans
I got convicted about teaching something I had not set in order
and made a routine in my life. So...I began to de-clutter my home...starting
with our rarely used upstairs spare bedroom.
As I proceeded I experienced a calm and a rest that had not been
present...and so did my husband. As I cleared space and organized
cupboards tranquility and peace was able to fill it. As my home
and office area became a picture of neatness...I could work better...think
better and have a better outlook on life. Several web sites said
it often..."clutter causes stress."
And the writer and teacher in me began to ponder...so it is with
our personal lives...we must clear away the internal clutter and
impurities/sin before God can fill His house/temple with the tranquility
of abiding HOPE and give us His peace that passes all understanding.
Truly, in our homes or in our personal lives... clutter and disorganization
cause a lot of stress.
The following I gleaned from several organized friends and many
web sites. I have spent the last two months implementing the ideas
and rules and I can tell you they do work...and my stress level
is much better.
Operation Organization:
The president of a metal fabricating company decided that the
5-S process could effectively impact the way his company did business.
And it works!
1.) Sort-eliminate all unnecessary items from the workplace.
Sorting is an excellent way to free up space and eliminate such
things as broken, unused and outdated items. The Sort process
also helps prevent the "just in case" mentality. Bottom line if
you haven't used it or worn it in a year...eliminate it. (I will
give you a fool-proof way to sort and eliminate items later in
the article.)
2.) Set In Order focuses on efficient and effective storage
methods.
You must ask yourself these questions:
1. What do I need to do my job?
2. Where should I locate this item?
3. How many of this item do I really need?
The strategies for effective Set In Order are making a place for
everything you need to use. "A place for everything and everything
in its place." Imagine how much time is wasted every day looking
for a broom or other misplaced item. The broom should have a specific
location where every one can find it.
3) Shine: Once you have de-cluttered your work areas and
identified and located the items that are necessary to keep, the
next step is to thoroughly clean the work areas. It is easy to
take pride in a clean and clutter-free work area and the Shine
step will help you want to keep it clean and organized.
4.) Standardize: Get your family involved in developing
standards for keeping things organized. The main one should be
to put everything back where it belongs when you are done using
it.
5.) Sustain: This is by far the most difficult S to put
in practice and keep in practice. Human nature is to resist change
and more than a few organizations and families have found themselves
with a dirty cluttered environment a few months after they de-cluttered
and organized. We tend to return to the way things used to be...the
comfort zone. You must focus on maintaining all you have accomplished
in this process.
Once you get to this point you will find you are experiencing
less stress and the morale of your home will be vastly improved.
Overcoming Clutter
Find 3 boxes and label them with the 3 categories.
Trash
Give Away/Sell
Storage
When trying to decide what you should put in which box, ask yourself
these important questions.
· Do I really love this item
· Do I really need this item
· Is it too nice to use
· Is it too ugly to use
· Will I benefit from keeping it
· Will I benefit from tossing it
· When is the last time I used this item
Set a time limit...2-3 weeks to do the whole house.
If you feel like this is going be a task you will never finish,
start off with something small like one drawer, one shelf, or
one cupboard. Once you start to see some progress you will get
motivated to keep going until the project is finished. Ending
clutter takes drastic action and a die-hard determination that
we will conquer clutter!
Trash- This should include any item that you do not need,
is broken or damaged or ones you have not used or worn in a year,
but are not good enough to give away or sell.
Donate or Sell- Be generous. Think about the need of others
to be able to acquire good used items vs. the use they will have
buried in your closets or cabinets. Consider the financial benefits
of selling your stuff at a garage sale. Also consider the time
and work involved in having a garage sale.
Storage- Put items in storage that you cannot part with but
do not need on a regular basis. Make an inventory of the items
as you box them. Group similar items together. Remember one good
way to clean out closets is to store out of season clothing.
Work room-by-room and sort items into the appropriate boxes. Handle
one item at a time deciding how it will fit into your newly organized
life. Don't forget to go through closets, cabinets, and storage
spaces.
When you need to stop for the day immediately throw out the trash
so you don't go back and second guess yourself. Box up the storage
box. Place the donate/sell box in the garage, or out of site.
And remember: Don't rescue the clutter!
Things To Remember
(sent to me by a friend...I don't know the name of the author.)
"Items are not equivalent to memories of the person who gave them
to you. Pruning items with an emotional attachment can be very
difficult. Consider carefully if you need the item to have the
memory or emotionally attachment. If you're not sure, consider
storing items on a trial basis, or giving them to another family
member for safekeeping. Think about taking photos of the item
that will store more readily, but give you tangible proof of the
memory. If you really feel the need to keep items of this nature,
don't fight it. Instead try to incorporate these memories into
decorative displays or organized storage.
Get rid of old clothing even if it is the size you used to be
and hope to return to. It's tempting to keep them for when you
reach your goal. Think about instead rewarding yourself with a
new wardrobe when you get to the new you.
Don't force yourself to keep sets if you only use part of the
set. If you cannot break up a set, at least store the portions
you do not use.
Keeping things just because you might need them someday may seem
like a good reason for clogging your closets. Remind yourself
that what you really need is space and organization."
So...when my trash was gone, my storage was packed away, I had
donated or sold some items, and everything I had decided to keep
was in its place, I took a walk through my house and admired what
I had labored to accomplish! Now, I enjoy the lack of stress and
the results...one of which was misdiagnosed writer's block.
Again, God has a sense of humor. When I was almost finished with
the labor-intensive project of de-cluttering my home and office
the local career center called to cancel the classes. Why? There
was little interest in this subject matter. I wasn't disappointed
or upset for God had taught me a valuable lesson about being a
"keeper at home" and about the benefits of de-cluttering my space...and
my personal life.
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