Are you maintaining or waiting to overhaul?

Yesterday I had a yard sale. My husband of course had some great comment about how interesting it was that given my profession, one would think that we wouldn't have enough items around to have a garage sale. But, as I kindly reminded him, every family has items coming in and the key is to also have items going out. What he doesn't know is how many items I take to the second hand store, school, pass on to friends etc. throughout the year. I would have enough items to have a 4 day garage sale if I kept everything around, and there wouldn't be any parking in the garage since those items would enf up temporarily living there. Never the less, he sees what he sees and I admit that I cause some clutter myself collecting items into piles until I have enough to get the donations to the individual places instead of just taking it all to one spot.

It felt so great after the sale though to have a cleared out house and garage for awhile. Yes, I said awhile. Organizing is one of those crazy little ideas that has so many different meanings. There is this huge spectrum of what "becoming organized" really is. For some it's labeling spices, for others it's being able to find their keys in under 20 minutes.
 
There are several studies and professional groups that are continuously trying to find the best way to deal with disorganization and our company is no exception. Everyone wants to live calmly with less stress and less things. Unfortunately, time, family members and the ease of purchasing items tend to continuously create disorganization. Some of these factors are controllable others are not. So, can we truly ever "become organized"? We think so. The one component that generally gets overlooked in this equation though is maintenance.
 
Sometimes clients call us because they need help with one problem area or they had a life altering (baby, divorce, moved) that has put them behind and they just can't seem to get caught back up. That's easy organizing--it's situational organizing. We come in to the person's space, listen to their needs, re-purpose items to work better for them and wham bam they are clutter free with a funtional space. Once they are "caught back up" and on top of their items they are then able to continue maintaining it on their own because the systems are in place.
 
Often times though, we are called in because of chronic disorganization. No systems are in place, clutter is overwhelming and the emotions have taken over--guilt, frustration, anger, and shame. We start the process, get the most troubling of the areas under control, the emotions start to ease up and life is feeling pretty good. This is where the wheels fall off though and most people make the mistake of thinking they are now organized and finished with the process. They treat becoming organized as a single project instead of a continual process.
 
My boss used this analogy for organizing the other day and I think it is pretty fitting. Organizing is like a handyman service vs. a remodeling company (maintenance vs. project). Handyman services are called in every so often to take care of all those little nuisances that continually creep up needing attention. The door handle breaks, the railing becomes wobbly, the kids run through the screen door, etc. The service isn't terribly expensive but it is an added expense that just needs to happen or your house soon looks like a tornado hit it and the neighbors are beginning to wonder if the Clampetts moved in next door.
 
Remodeling experts on the other hand come in to do a major overhaul. New flooring, new kitchen countertops, new addition to the house. These are all high end items that require some serious saving or loans. When finished though, the space is in great shape, exactly the way that you want it and good to go for several years or in preparation to be sold.
 
Both services achieve the same end--a functional house that you love and feel comfortable living in. But, you never use either service just once if you live in that house for very long. There will always be more projects and always be continual maintenance to perform. Becoming organized isn't any different. Large projects pop up like putting storage in the garage or shelving in the closets and pantry, kids move out and rooms change their function. And maintenance continues- the kids grow out of clothes and toys, hobbies change, and of course the ever present paper piles are always around to sort.
 
Organization is an ever-changing, dynamic endeavor not a static one-time shot. If you can remember that, then "becoming organized" will be a thing of the past. There are many ways to tackle maintenance. So, stay tuned for more tips and ideas.