Organizing, Redesign & Staging

Monday, May 5, 2008

Organizing Questions

I was looking at the National Assn of Professional Organizers' website tonight and saw some FAQs and answers I wanted to share...feel free to email your 'burning questions' about organizing!


  • How long does it take to get organized? Organization is a process, not a state achieved in one day. Think about it as “being organized” or “staying organized,” not “getting organized.” An organizing system can be set up in a few days. After that, the challenge is to continuously maintain it and work on it one day at a time. The good news is, once you learn good systems, habits, and tools, change becomes easier, as does bouncing back from an unexpected detour or period of feeling overwhelmed.

  • How can I make better use of my time? Time management is a misleading term, since we cannot manage time. We can only manage ourselves. The best we can do is make decisions about the priorities in our lives, have our own personal and professional goals, and align our activities to reach these goals. Review how you are spending your time and make adjustments according to your goals and priorities.

  • How can I cut down on paper in my life? Sincerely question whether you need to keep each piece of paper that comes into your life. Make a habit of tossing unnecessary papers (shredding those that contain personal or financial information); scanning documents and storing them electronically when possible; canceling subscriptions to unread publications; and getting yourself removed from mailing lists. One effective way to reduce paper is to create a records retention schedule that specifies how long documents such as tax forms, bills, and financial statements should be kept.

Source: NAPO website