Developing an Organisational Mindset
With simple key techniques you can apply to your home organisation
`Let’s spring clean.’ Argh, it conjures images of slogging through gigantic mounds of unmarked stuff and defeated time frames. Not to mention the endless bags for charity left in your car boot for months, and the `to get to’ pile that is still there come summer – just relocated to the spare room or garage. We have all been there; we can all associate with that feeling of guilt. What you and so many others are missing is the key piece of the puzzle: an organisational mindset. `But I am so organised at work!’ Don’t feel bad, so are we! So then why does it feel like men are from Mars, women are from Venus, and a home organisation mindset is from Mercury!
Implementing even one of the below key behaviours will save you time and agony. You’ll be clinking a glass to a successful day rather than falling onto the couch filled with tomorrow’s dread.
Be Prepared
We can’t stress this enough. Know your `why’ for organising your home. Maybe it’s as simple as you haven’t done it forever. Maybe the state of your home makes you feel stressed or overwhelmed. Possibly you have been bequeathed homewares that you need to find room for. Whatever your reason, write it down. You need to be able to go back to this when your motivation ebbs.
Make a plan - what day/date will you tackle each room. Rank your rooms from 1-5 in terms of clutter/mess. This will help you decide when to attack each room. For example, the garage might be a 5 on your messy scale, so it will take all day; therefore, a Sunday when you have no other commitments is best to complete this space.
Collect boxes throughout the week and label those babies:
Consideration/undecided - review this at break time or the next day.
Donate - have an idea of where you want to donate the items.
Sell - using Facebook Marketplace or Trade Me. Put someone in charge of this job.
Gift - name the items so you know where they are going.
Rubbish - ultimately, you want to be minimising this if possible.
You can also have boxes for `fix/mend’ or `put away’ – although, we feel it’s best to do the latter immediately.
Have cleaning products at the ready. Clean shelves or drawers while they are empty. Have a notebook and pen at your side so you can write down any maintenance jobs that need to be done while you are sorting.
Have snacks, and make them ones you love! A cheeky spritzer at lunch to keep morale up is always a good idea. Talking of lunch, make sure it’s delicious and easy to prepare as you don’t want one of the team MIA because they are `making lunch.’
And lastly, put on an epic playlist to dance to while you clean and sort.
Be Systematic
So, you are as prepared as you can be. Now it’s time to commence! As touched on earlier, we suggest only working in one room at a time. This helps remove organisational fatigue and keeps the mind clear. Decisions can be reached faster and motivation remains high. Start from the left of the room and work your way around. Work from top to bottom. Do not deviate! Take a before and after photo to document your success. Give each item some honest thought but don’t spend too long on it; you can put it in the `consideration’ box and bathe in the nostalgia. Channel Marie Kondo and answer these questions for each item:
Does it spark joy?
Are you holding on to it for the right reason?
Does it give you value right now?
Does it support your lifestyle right now?
With multiple items of the same genre, choose your favourites and graciously let go of the rest. Most importantly, be grateful for each item whatever you decide to do with it.
Be on the same page
If you’re involving the flatmates or family, make sure they know what is happening. Work through the plan. Talk about why you’re doing it and keep the treats and incentives coming. Include their music requests to keep enthusiasm high. Maybe you’re `involving’ the family by removing them from the house for the day. If so, the same principles apply – let them know the plan and the reasons.
It is also important to all be on the same page about what you consider valuable items. Maybe bequeathed teacups are looked upon as a display item, or perhaps it’s time to remove the other cups and start using these beauties. These discussions are important to have and can immediately reduce clutter. The same goes for something as simple as towels – how many ‘old’ towels do you really need? Making decisions together can make the process much simpler.
Be expectation savvy
Organising your home is not a one-day project. Take your time. Set a timeframe and reschedule for a different day if necessary.
Your family or flatmates may be not as cut-throat as you, or maybe they are more ruthless than you initially realised – discuss your expectations.
Discarding items of value can be tough. Stick to the above questions, and understand that from an economics point of view, selling an item is much better than keeping it and not using it. Always look forward and try to avoid getting weighed down on what it originally cost – we call these hard learning moments!
Be considerate
Can bank statements be scanned and saved online? Maybe you only actually use three recipes out of a book; can you scan the recipes and donate or sell the book.
Consider repurposing bags or baskets to hold like-things.
Write your required storage solutions in the notebook. Be sure to include measurements of the space you have and the storage solution you need.
Follow the 80/20 rule: 80% of the time you only use 20% of the items you have. Think of when you last used the item. Do you really love it or need it? Would you miss it? Consider why you’re holding on to it.
Are some historical documents, photos, or treasures better off elsewhere, in a museum or the Hocken Library, for instance, safeguarded for future generations?
Consideration is key.