October - November 2002 Edition 

Get Organized Week By Stacey Agin Murray, Professional Organizer   October 6-12, 2002 is Get Organized Week, an annual event founded and sponsored by the National Association of Professional Organizers.  Get Organized Week was launched in 1992 and was created to educate and inform the public about the benefits of being organized as well as the availability of organizing products and services.   Get Organized Week’s theme this year is: ‘Organize to Make a Difference.’ This week is a perfect opportunity for you to start thinking about how you can streamline your life, create more time for yourself and loved ones, lower your stress level, and increase your profits. How can you organize to make a difference? What are the tools and techniques necessary to achieve your organizing goals? Here are a few ideas to spark your interest…   Your Home   Go through your closets, basement, home office, and any other room in your home that has become a ‘stuff’ magnet. Pick up an item, examine it closely and ask yourself:  Is this something I…   • need?   • love for sentimental or other reasons? • use regularly?  • can make money with?   If the answer to these questions is YES, then keep it. If the answer to these questions is NO, then it is time to make a decision…   Do I…   • throw it away? • donate it? • repair it? • store it in an out-of-the-way place for six months and make a decision then?       Make definitive choices and say them out loud. This helps to solidify your decisions.   Example: - “I choose to throw this magazine away because I haven’t looked at it in two years.” - “I have decided to donate this shirt because it no longer reflects my style.”   Your Time   Take a moment to think about your schedule. Is it hectic? Are you making time for what’s most important to you? Or are you giving your time to certain activities due to guilt or what you believe is expected of you? Try this:   • Write out a list of what in life is most important to you (quality time with family, investigating a new career, cultivating hobbies, travel, etc.)   • Look at your daily/weekly/monthly to-do list and compare it with the first list. Does your to-do list reflect what is most important to you or is it filled with tasks/activities you or someone else thinks you should be engaging in?   • Determine what tasks can be delegated and eliminated from your list.   • When creating a schedule, block off time first for what’s important to you. Doing so will guarantee time in your schedule for the activities YOU want to participate in.      Helping Others   Maybe you are organized but know someone who isn’t. Here are a few suggestions for helping them get organized:   • Offer your assistance and support to your neighbor/friend/relative’s organizing endeavors without being judgmental.   • Have a ‘family meeting’ to discuss how being more organized could make the household and everyone’s lives calmer and more functional.   • Make product recommendations based on your organizing successes to those who acknowledge their disorganization.     Tools   Many stores located in Fair Lawn’s own ‘backyard’ offer products that can help you attain an organized life. A partial list includes:      For an Organized Home: The Container Store, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Linens & Things,  K-Mart, Target, and Wal-Mart.   For an Organized Home Office: Staples, Office Depot, CompUSA   For Organized Travel: Campmor, Ramsey Outdoor, the Automobile Association of America office on Broadway in Fair Lawn (otherwise known as ‘AAA’)   ---------------------   In celebration of Get Organized Week, I will be offering answers and ideas to your organizing questions and dilemmas via the Internet. Please feel free to e-mail me your organizing question at stacey@organizedartistry.com     See Stacey Agin Murray's Previous Columns Organizing Your Photos (August 2002)