The Three Organizing Questions You Have to Ask

It doesn't take a weekend retreat or months of therapy to get organized. And contrary to popular belief, being organized is not a genetic trait that you may or may not have inherited. Anyone and everyone can be organized. But all great organization begins with three big questions.

1. What ACTIVITY goes on here?

If you manage a busy family, you already know that many activities take place in your home. And if you are striving for organization, there should be a designated zone for each one. But, listen up. Here's the bit of wisdom that will spare you lots of organizational heartache--DO NOT try to create a space for each activity. Instead, organize around where the activity is already taking place. When you organize around how you are already living, then you don't have to bother teaching your family a new routine. Just apply some structure to your current patterns. For example, if your kids already kick their shoes off by the back door, don't try to get them to stick them in the coat closet. Instead, just put a bucket right there where they are already landing. If your husband likes to read in bed, then put a shelf or a basket for books close to the bed, not across the room where he will never, and I mean never, put the books. See how easy it is when you organize around the activity?

2. What SUPPLIES are needed for this activity?

Once you decide what activities take place in each zone, you can figure out what supplies are needed. For example, if you are organizing the garage and one of the activities is to house sports equipment, then the next step is to decide what supplies are needed for that activity. For my family, that would be bikes, a unicycle, skateboards, basketballs, and the list goes on and on. It's important you list out all supplies because you want a place for every single thing. Don't skip the details. If you are organizing your books and magazines, don't just have a place to put them, make sure you have adequate lighting and a comfortable place to sit as well. This is part of good organization, planning around the natural living process and remembering all the details that are part of it.

3. What CONTAINER can hold these supplies?

This is where it all comes together. After you come up with all the supplies that are needed for that activity, sort them in categories, figure out the size and type of container you need, and then go get the containers. Do not go buy a bunch of containers before you go through this three-question process or else ou run the risk of getting the wrong size, too many, or too few. Do it right the first time. For example, when I organized our first aid closet, I first sorted all the stuff into four categories--internal meds, external meds, medical supplies, and natural meds. I sized up all the stuff and then made a trip to the store to get four containers that not only held the first aid stuff, but also fit into the space I had allotted for them. There! All organized! It's like a puzzle that all comes together and makes life that much more manageable.

Organization can do wonders for you. One day, your home seems to be a chaotic mess. But if you just take a moment to clear out the clutter and structure it around how you live your life, then you find that you have more time, more productive energy, and a peace of mind that you had not experienced before.