It's all in your head!

Organizing starts in your mind. It doesn't matter if it's home or work, a room in your space or cabinet on a wall. Deciding to organize is more than just moving things around and hoping the existing space will miraculously get bigger, the organizing will be better and those in the family or at work will abide by the new setup.

Organizing is being will to let go.

Let me say that again, "Organizing is being will to let go."

Let go of that cherished item or what you did in the past, the pile of items that you have not touch in months/years but are saving for that one time, preconceived notions or what you saw on TV. Letting go not because you were told to or because you think you should but because it will increase the value of your life with space and time. It will lighten the responsibility load that we all carry around.

TV programs show organizing as a pretty thing, color coordinated, pantries with clear bins, or white furniture for a bright and pretty room. It looks great! I want that!

...and then your brain kicks in and says, "Wait a minute. My kids will turn that white furniture to grey a matter of days and what about my dog(s)/cat(s) and those bins... do I really want to spend time filling those every time I shop? Where are all the book piles I currently have and where do they go? What about the piles of laundry? It doesn't look like there is any room to sort six loads in that laundry space that was just designed. My husband or kids will not bend that far and how do I do this and keep them happy? I have serious collections and I'm expected to give them up? If you put that in a drawer I will never find it again!"

Your brain then sputters to a final, "You want to touch my space? Rearrange my stuff?"

I don't know about you but my brain just shut down.

So when people say to me, "I want to get organized!" I believe they meant it without exploring the specific details of what getting organized really means to them.

Next time: Organizing versus Sorting and what it means to you.