Home Organization Resources and Books

This is a post from Productivity @ Home, but I thought you might enjoy it here as well!


simply stated: home & organizing | Blogs | By RealSimple.com

One day last summer, I caught myself in Barnes and Noble with a book in my hand about de-cluttering. I was making my way to the checkout line to purchase it when the irony of the situation struck me. In my case, much of the clutter in my life is owing to the fact that I review books for my sites and have them coming out my ears. Adding another book to the mix was not the answer...

But today, RealSimple.com has a great post about home organizing books. I plan to put these on my wish list at the library and try to glean whatever pearls of wisdom they hold. I listen regularly to Peter Walsh's show on XM radio, so that one is at the top of my list and of course David Allen's "Getting Things Done" is already one of my favorites. Also, many of the precepts in these books can be found on the web. The trick is starting small and implementing steps every day to better organize our homes.

This week, I undertook a major reorganization of my office. It was precipitated by the fact that a TV crew was coming to film in my home office. I didn't want my "stacks" memorialized on film, so I got to work. In the process, I did some major decluttering. While I'm not completely finished with this project, my work environment feels much more productive and it inspires me to take on some other projects around my home.

A few tips for taking on this type of home organization project:

1. Set aside time - Take on a home organization project when your schedule will permit you several hours of uninterrupted time. Nothing is worse than getting started and then never finishing - you end up with a worse situation than when you started.
2. Choose one area of your home to start - Mine was my home office, for obvious reasons. Choose a small, manageable space. Complete your work in that area before moving on to the next.
3. Take photos - I wish I had taken "before" photos, but my "after documentation of what my office CAN look like will serve as motivation next time it gets totally out of control.
4. Think things through before you get started - One area of my office that was particularly driving me crazy was my Podcasting "studio". Wires everywhere and no apparent organization made me crazy every week when I sat down to record. That area is now very well laid out, but it required some pre-planning to lay out all of the cords, phone lines and equipment in a small, compact space.
5. Celebrate your success - My husband and I have a tradition that involves giving one another feedback when a home project is tackled. He came into my office after the re-org and raved about how great things looked. I do the same for him when he fixes a broken sprinkler or tackles something equally as tedious. It's good to have someone appreciate that hard work that goes into making a home run well.