ARE YOU A PERFECTIONIST-PLUS? Learn Your Organizing Style Series Time #2

Do you seem to lack the time to do all the things you want to do, as well as you think they should be done? If so, you’re a Perfectionist-Plus.

Do you have a difficult time acknowledging that your compulsively high standards are unrealistic and that doing everything perfectly isn’t necessary for every task?

Want to be sure? Take this Quiz:

As you answer Never (N), Occasionally (O) or Frequently (F), rate yourself according to the following scale.

Never 0 points     Occasionally 1 point          Frequently 2 points__N__O_  F      

1-      Few things bother me more than working with a person who is disorganized.

2-      I rewrite letters and reports numerous times to get them just right.

3-      I get so involved with details; I often don’t get projects done on time.

4-      When making a presentation, I feel it’s essential to mention every detail to support a point.

5-      I feel frustrated when I don’t get to every item on my To Do List.

6-      I rarely skim when I read because I don’t want to overlook any critical details or nuances.

7-      After completing a job, I’m seldom really satisfied with the results.

8-      I work a lot of overtime to complete things I can’t accomplish during normal work hours.

9-      I become upset when people don’t maintain a schedule we establish.

10-   When I assign work to someone, I like to map out my expectations and specify frequent checkpoints so I can be sure the person is handling the assignment the way I would.

                          TOTALS

0-6 points           You’re not really a Perfectionist-Plus.

7-13 points         You have strong Perfectionist-Plus tendencies.

14-20 points       You’re a full-fledged Perfectionist-Plus.

WHY PEOPLE HAVE A PERFECTIONIST-PLUS STYLE:

1-      You have a hard time distinguishing between high standards and superhuman expectations.

2-      You’re trying to please someone from your past.

3-      You believe you should be able to do everything yourself and do it all well.

WHEN PEOPLE HAVE A PERFECTIONIST-PLUS STYLE:

At certain times everyone is more likely to adopt a Perfectionist-Plus style when they’re nervous about the outcome of a project.

If you’re a Perfectionist-Plus you have difficulty acknowledging that your high expectations of yourself may be unrealistic or unnecessary. You may never accept that all of your standards should be lowered, you can learn to identify the ones that deserve your utmost effort.

Now I have offered you a basic outline of this organizing style but if it resonates with you and you want to learn strategies and ways to make this organizing tendency to work for you can find it all in the book:

HOW TO BE ORGANIZED IN SPITE OF YOURSELF   

At certain times everyone is likely to adopt a Perfectionist-Plus style, such as when you’re nervous or anxious about the outcome of a project. I would love to hear your thoughts as you read through the series.

ARE YOU A HOPPER? Learn Your Organizing Style Series Time #1

Do you often jump from task to task to task without completing anything? If so, you’re a Hopper.

Hopping is the most common organizing style. Hoppers switch from one task to another – like playing in a leapfrog game. In the age of digital and video everything, people’s attention spans have become shorter.

Want to be sure? Take this Quiz:

As you answer Never (N), Occasionally (O) or Frequently (F), rate yourself according to the following scale.

Never 0 points              Occasionally 1 point                 Frequently 2 points___N__O_  F   

1-      Do you enjoy having many irons in the fire?                                                   

2-      Do you mind working on several tasks simultaneously?

3-      Do you interrupt what you’re working on to do something you just remembered?

4-      Do you leave tasks unfinished?

5-      Do you find yourself moving in fits and starts?

6-      Do you have trouble remembering where you replaced items?

7-      Are you easily distracted?

8-      Do people complain that they can’t follow your train of thought?

9-      Do you tend to run around faster when you feel confused or anxious about your work?

10-   Do you ever start to work in one room and wind up in another without knowing how you got there?

                          TOTALS

0-6 points           You’re not really a Hopper.

7-13 points         You have strong Hopper tendencies.

14-20 points       You’re a full-fledged Hopper.

WHY YOU HOP:

1-      You’re easily distracted.

2-      You enjoy variety and a change of pace.

3-      You desire immediate gratification.

4-      You like to feel busy.

WHEN YOU HOP: (even if you’re not a Hopper)

1-      You’re bored.

2-      You’re frustrated.

3-      You’re anxious.

4-      You accept too many unnecessary interruptions.

Planning your next steps and knowing where you’re going to land is what separates the successful Hopper from the unsuccessful ones. Hopping works well only when you’re comfortable and in control.

Now I have offered you a basic outline of this organizing style but if it resonates with you and you want to learn strategies and ways to make this organizing tendency to work for you can find it all in the book:

HOW TO BE ORGANIZED IN SPITE OF YOURSELF   

We all fit into at least one (if not more) category, and I would love to hear your thoughts as you read through the series.

Do You Want to Learn Your Organizing Style?

When I first moved to Sedona I often heard the expression “a Sedona moment”. Here, it means that it’s fate, kismet, meant to be….the vortex made it happen!

I want to tell you about one of my “Sedona Moments”.   

I came to town with a brand-new business and had to make all my connections from scratch. I joined the Chamber of Commerce, Women’s Groups, Business Groups and any other I thought would help me move forward. But something happened that I never expected. 

One day I got a call out of the blue from a woman named Sunny Schlenger. She heard from a mutual acquaintance that I was starting a new Professional Organizing business in town and wanted to meet me. She explained that she was once also a Professional Organizer and wanted to offer advice, guidance, really, anything she could do to help me move forward. I couldn’t believe my luck. We agreed to have lunch and of course, before I went, I Googled her.

I nearly fell over.

She was not just a Professional Organizer, she was probably The Original in the business! She had been on many talk shows and written many books. She was doing “the thing” before it was a thing!

She shared a lot of wisdom with me, and I will be forever grateful for that.

Now, I would like to share some of her wisdom with you.

Sunny wrote a book called How To Be Organized In Spite Of Yourself     

Here’s how she describes it: “In my first book, How To Be Organized In Spite Of Yourself, I identified 10 different styles of managing time and space that determine which organizational products and systems are best for each individual. I don’t believe that getting organized is simply a matter of solving a series of problems, but rather learning how to make personal, individual choices that will bring you close to who you are, and who you’d like to be.”

I just picked up this book again and with Sunny’s permission, decided to create my next series of blogs by sharing this information with you.

What’s Your Organizing Style? Stay tuned and find out.

TIME:
Hopper
Perfectionist Plus
Allergic to Detail
Fence Sitter
Cliff Hanger

SPACE:
Everything Out
Nothing Out
Right Angler
Pack Rat
Total Slob
 

Buckle Up! It’s going to be fun, and you will probably learn a little about yourself. 

Random Organizing Tips

Ideas are always popping into my head, and I write them down as I go. The last time I looked at my list I realized that it was long enough and worth sharing.

So here you go. My list of random organizing tips:

1-      Don’t automatically just buy bins and baskets to store stuff in.  Before storing anything take the time to go through the process of deciding if you really need to keep it. Just because you can hide something and make it look pretty, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get rid of it.

2-      Always put things back in the same place. This is especially important when it comes to smaller items like keys, watches, jewelry, phones, mail and remotes. When you start this habit, you will spend a lot less time stressing and searching.

3-      Take the time to organize your fridge and pantry. Searching for food when you’re hungry is no fun! Neither is buying food you don’t need.

4-      Invest in gadgets for kitchen cabinets. I’m not usually a big fan of gadgets but organizers for pots and their lids are wonderful space savers.

5-      Make the most of your free space. When space is used properly, you can gain a lot of storage. High shelves are often neglected because we don’t want to go find a stool. Also, don’t forget about the space under the bed.

6-      Keep visible spaces looking neat. Keep open spaces clear of clutter, surfaces clean and make your bed!

7-      Go through belongings frequently. Our needs, likes and style can change frequently. Take the time to cull through your clothes, toys etc. as time goes by.       

8-      Keep your garage organized. Think of your garage as an extension of the house. Try not to automatically use it as a dumping ground for things you’re not using.

9-      Make the best use of your drawers. Pay attention to what you’re putting into drawers vs on shelves. If it can be folded, put it on a shelf. Save the drawers/containers for things you need to dump.

10-   Organize as you go. When you organize things a little at a time, the task seems much less overwhelming.  

We Have a Shoe Problem!

We have a shoe problem in my house. Let’s just say there are MANY more pairs owned than worn.

I’ll bet that sounds familiar to a lot of you.

But the real problem is not owning them – it’s storing them!

Some of you may be counted among those lucky people who have custom closets with space specifically allocated for shoes…but, sadly, many of us aren’t. So, what do we do with the growing number of pairs?

Right now, in my house, since we are settling into a new living situation there are shoes at the front and back doors, shoes in both closets and shoes in bins.

Of course, as an organizer, I bought racks to store the shoes neatly in the closets…but as of now they stand empty.

I’ve been struggling because I know some of the shoes will be given away (once we have time to really sort through them), but in the meantime what should we do?

I struggle at least once a week looking at them all!

Do we:

1.      Take all the shoes out of the bins and put them on the racks? If we do that, I’m afraid we will see them as taken care of and it will take even longer to sort through and donate.

2.      Leave them in the bins and stare at them guiltily until we sort them and put away only what we will use

.

What would you do?

It’s funny, we all know the shoes in those bins could probably ALL be donated. If they’ve been sitting there for months, they haven’t been worn and they haven’t been missed. RIGHT?

See…organizer or not, the psychology is still the same. It’s just hard to let go of things. 

Living Together in a Small Space Can Be Hard!

Relationships are hard.

Living with someone that has a different organizing style than you can make it much harder.

Living in a very small space with different organizing styles may just be a form of hell.

I know this from experience.

Recently my husband and I have had to share a small apartment. Not only is there very little storage space, but we store things in very different ways.

I prefer to have all my paperwork filed. He likes his in piles.

I enjoy having home décor exhibited. He likes most surfaces clear.

I love seeing shelves full of books. He would prefer them hidden behind doors.

I could go on and on…but I won’t.

There is no right or wrong in this scenario. The reality is that in this small area, we just must make do with what the space will allow. We grit our teeth, ignore the differences, and move on. It’s only temporary after all.

Not to mention, relationships are all about compromise…aren’t they?

I’d love to hear what you think!

Getting it All Done.

Many people ask me how do you juggle it all? or how do you get everything done?

I have my own business. I do work for a local TV station. I run my home and I manage to make time for myself and my loved ones.

I had never really stopped to think about it … I just DO.  That’s not to say I just do things willy-nilly. The key is to PRIORITIZE!  I have a process that I go through when deciding what needs to be done first and I’m going to share it with you.

Whether you’re a paper or digital person it is KEY to have a planner. When you write down your tasks you can then decide what order you should do them in. Really, write down everything – including the “me time” stuff like taking a bath, or exercising.

The first thing I do when I start my day with a cup of tea, is sit down and look through my daily “To Do” list. I look through my appointments and anything else I want to do that day to my schedule (ie back to exercising).  With that done, I can start prioritizing my tasks.

Here’s how I do it (I learned from Stephen Covey):

I number my tasks based on their importance.

1-      Whatever can make me some revenue that day (contacting clients, placing ads, doing PR)

2-      Whatever MUST be done that day.  Meaning there is a deadline to that task.

3-      Whatever I can complete from previous days (finish a blog or follow up on a quote)

4-      Whatever I can start new like scheduling social media posts.

Once I have completed that task, I put a check mark next to it.  MAN is that satisfying!

If the task has been started but not completed, I will put a dot next to it. If it is not completed by the end of the day, I move the task to the next day.

If I must move the task for whatever reason, I will put an arrow next to it and move it where it needs to go.

It may seem like a lot of work but it’s not. Once you get the hang of it, it’s fast and easy.

This way works for me…I’d love to know what works for you!

Is It So Hard?

I apologize in advance because this is a bit of a rant. I’ve been having negative experiences with businesses lately, so this topic has been on my mind.

I promise to make it short!

I have a question for all business owners out there: What do you pride yourself on?

Is it how much money you make? The best quality product? The lowest price?

How about the customer experience? Isn’t the overall experience what will get you referrals?

What I pride myself on is Doing what I say I’m going to do. PERIOD.

If I say I will call. I call.  If I don’t have an answer for you, I call anyway to let you know that.

If I say you’ll have something by a specific date. You will.    

If I say I will be there at a certain time.  I will be there.

How hard is that to do???

In the small town I live in you’re lucky if a small business even answers the phone. And if they do, and you make an appointment, will they show upon time? And because we’re so limited with our choices, you’re stuck with whom you’ve got, or you must source out of town.

In the past month I’ve had people drop the ball repeatedly. I’m not sure how these companies stay in business.

I’m just putting the thought out there. Keeping your word is a simple thing to do. It’s what I pride myself on.

I have clients often thank me…just for showing up! Imagine that?!

I’d love to hear what you pride yourself on!

Home Organizing Before Selling

This is a topic I truly believe in. It makes no sense to me to just pack everything and move it. It wastes time, money and manpower. When you organize before you move, you take only what you need, love and will use.

Apparently many other organizers agree with me.

I (and many other Professional Organizers) were recently interviewed about this topic, by the people at Inspection Support.

ENJOY THE ARTICLE HERE

Small Projects - Fourth Quarter

WOW! Here we are in the final quarter of the year. Have you completed all your small projects so far?

Here’s the final batch. Keep up the good work!

EMAILS

- Go through your contact list and update email addresses
- Go into Junk Folder to make sure nothing ended up there that shouldn’t have
- Report any Junk Mail that seems like “Phishing” (ie: anything asking for you to click to update your information)
- Go into other emails and unsubscribe from anything you can

LINEN CLOSET

- Remove everything and clean the shelves
- Check for any torn or stained items – If you don’t need them turn them into rags or discard
- Play with how you fold the items so you can use the maximum amount of space
- Use stackable bins to contain smaller items and make efficient use of higher space between shelves

TOYS & GAMES

- Go through all games to see if they are still age appropriate
- Discard any toys/games that have broken or missing pieces
- Donate any toys/games that sit unused
- Decide how to organize the toys/games so they can be properly and cleanly put away after use (bins, baskets, shelves)

MUD ROOM/ENTRANCE WAY

- Keep only items that fit and are being worn – donate what is just taking up space
- If possible, only keep one season at hands reach at a time
- Find ways to contain smaller items and shoes/boots (ie: bins, baskets, racks, hooks)
- Make sure each family member has the same amount of allocated space  

 Well, the list is complete. If you found some others along the way…please share.

Let’s start it all again next year!