Is one of your goals for 2013 to get more organized? Kristin MacRae has some great insights on staying focused on your organizing task:
"Organizing can be overwhelming if you get distracted, and that's very easy to do. Here are 10 tips for keeping distractions at bay.
How many times have you started an organizing project and 3 hours later you found you have made no progress and are in a bigger mess than when you started? Sound like something you have done before? It's all about focusing on the task at hand. Check out these 10 tips to avoid distractions:
1. Mark your organizing project on your calendar just as you would schedule an appointment.
2. Try to disconnect yourself from social media.
3. Try to limit any other distractions, i.e, phone calls, pets, kids, spouse, tv, etc.
4. Focus. Once you start organizing it is easy to veer off and do other things.
5. Instead of picking up an item and moving it to another area of the house, keep piles. When you are finished move the piles to other areas.
6. Try to stay in the area you are working.
7. Don't spend too much time deciding whether to keep something. If you can't decide, put it aside and move on. Save it until the end.
8. If you are organizing paper, try not to read full articles or get started in reading magazines. Rip out articles that are important to you and move on.
9. It's ok to reminisce with sentimental items, but don't let it zap your time. Decide whether to keep or toss and then move on.
10. Try to limit your project to 3 hours. If it will take you more than 3 hours, schedule a lunch break in between.
If you organize more than 3 hour straight, you are setting yourself up for burnout and stress.
Without distractions, your project will take you half the time. You will have finished with more energy. You will be motivated and energized to continue and move forward with the rest of the home or office. Organize! Energize!"
More on focused organizing:
Teaching Kids How to Sort and Declutter
Got Cabin Fever? Organize Something!
Declutter Any Room in Three Weeks
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