Why You’re Unorganized

You’ve walked into your closet and realized that the organizing systems you created 3 weeks ago to make your closet organized no longer works. Your skirts are sitting in a pile near the window, your shoes are all scattered throughout your room and that jewelry holder you spent a lot of time putting together no longer has a role in your space.

Your space is Disorganized…AGAIN!

At this very moment you may be yelling a couple of swear words to your stuff thinking that maybe just maybe it will pick its self up and get organize by themselves. You may also be looking on Pinterest or even YouTube to look for ideas on how to better organize your space because everyone else organizes better than you, right?

Let me tell you the truth.

Organizing is more than just a physical thing it’s a mindset. You have to create habits in order to get and maintain an organized space. When you have an organized space without the mental aspect, its all just a façade – it doesn’t really exist. Okay sure everything is in its place and you have all sorts of bins lined up in a crisp row but there’s more to it than just that.

Let me be honest.

My name is Judi and I’m not always organized. There are times I throw my things on the floor and I don’t always put them back in their place. Some times I may even leave an item next to its container. I know. All it takes is for me to move my hand 1 inch to the left and place it inside – but I don’t wanna! Its not until my anxiety takes a hold of me and I spazz out before I re-coup and get organized. I promise you my home isn’t always organized but because of the habits and routines I've implemented in my home, I'm able to get myself together and keep it organized - most of the time :)

So to sum all this up

Organizing is a lifestyle. You have to work at it every single day to form a habit – a lasting habit. It took me a while to finally figure out what worked in my space and the moment I figured it out for the most part, my space is always organized.

10 things Organized People do Everyday

Whether you’re an organizing enthusiast, want to get more organized or you’re interested in finding out what it takes to stay organized, incorporating new habits into your life is essential.

With that said, there a few things extremely organized people do to stay and maintain their organized life. Below are the top things you can add to your life that can make you more organized.

1. Write To-do Lists

If you don’t know already, to-do lists are so important when it comes to organizing your life. They help you keep track of your high priority tasks and the low priority tasks. They only require 5 minutes to create and best of all, you get to check them off once the task is complete – best feeling ever!

2. Write everything down

Because our brains can only remember so much, writing things down is essential when it comes to being organized. You’re able to capture what seems like, once in a lifetime aha moments. You’re able to jot down important ideas and thoughts. Plus, it helps you clear your mind of issues you are having which can help solve that problem. Most importantly, it will calm the chaos in your mind and help you have peace of mind which in turns of course aids in being organized!

3. Schedule Schedule Schedule

Well, this one goes without explaining because we all know the importance of scheduling. Scheduling is used to distinguish when you’re going to work on those things on your to-do list and it determines the amount of time that’s needed to complete them. Gone are the days you miss those important dates. The best thing about scheduling is once you’ve set a date and time, you are more likely to get through it without procrastination and/or be on time.

4. Thinking Positively

Positive thinking will help you not only be more organized but live a happier life. Try incorporating meditation for about 5-10 minutes a day or even exercise a couple times a week. I know exercising isn’t the most sought out activity to take part in but when you exercise your body releases serotonin which is associated with mental well-being (works as a natural anti-depressant).

5. Put things back into their place after you’re done using it

If you use something, putting it back in its place helps combat clutter and keeps your space get organized. Need I say more?

6. Question themselves before they buy anything

According to the LA Times, the average American owns 300,000 items. My theory is most people are either buying things because of a temporary feeling or because it’s on sale. Both are no reason why you should ever buy anything. Here are 3 questions you should ask yourself before you purchase any item (yes this includes food)!

1.    Will I use this in the next 5 days?

2.    Would I buy this if it wasn’t on sale?

3.    Will this bring value to my life?

If you ask yourself these questions, the next time you catch yourself in a buying frenzy, I guarantee you won’t end up regretting your purchase.

Keep this in mind.

The secret to keeping your space organized is owning less. Hence, the fewer items you purchase, the less clutter you will have.

7. Keep Their Space Clean

When your space is clean the more likely you are to keep it that way. Because most of us are visual, we usually navigate towards areas that are pleasing to look at – most us at least! To maintain a clean space, make sure you focus on the smaller tasks than the bigger ones, which will make the cleaning process easier. So make sure you put things back in their place, dress your bed every morning, wash them dishes or unload the darn dishwasher. Though these tasks may seem small, they will make a huge difference in the way your home feels and stays organized.

8. Have a Morning Routine

Having a morning routine let alone a routine increases your organizational skills and sets the tone for your day. Your morning routine can include getting up at 7:00 am, meditating, showering, eating breakfast all before leaving your house at 7:45 am. Sticking to your routine and making it a habit will not just keep your day organized, it will help you save none other than precious time!

9. Manage their time

Time management is a crucial part of being organized and when done correctly, you can truly reap the benefits. Using planners, calendars, to-do lists, and other time management tools will help you increase productivity therefore, grow your organizational skills. With these tools, to increase productivity and avoid distractions you must make sure that what you write down are prioritized accurately and prevent you from wasting your time on meaningless tasks. So if you’re ready to boost your time management skills, you should write down all your tasks that need to be handled that day. If this is the first day you do this, according to Brian Tracy an amazing thought leader, you will increase your productivity by a whopping 25%! To break that down in hours, you will gain back 2 extra hours in an eight-hour day just by doing this. With that extra time, you can then focus on doing something you love.

I don’t know about you but who wouldn’t want that!

10. Live in the Now

Rather than being hard on yourself because your space that was once organized is now a huge wreck and engulfed in clothes that haven’t seen a hanger for months, let it go. Thinking too hard about something that occurred in the past, tends to make that something worse. Because of that, it is crucial that you stop beating yourself up about situations, or doings that occurred yesterday and living in the present moment. Because the past is gone and the future doesn’t exist, the only moment that you have is right now. So if you find yourself in a situation where it seems like you’ve made no progress and you feel stuck, whether because you live in a cluttered space or feel you have no organizational skills because of a past experience, take a deep breath in and release. Remember the journey to being organized isn’t a perfect path. You may fall and if you do, you will get back up again. When you do, at that very moment acknowledge the feeling and enjoy it because that’s the only time you will. 

I love to know if there are any other things organized people do everyday, please let me know in the comments sections. 

Until next time!

Is being Organized really for you?

So you may be thinking to yourself, of course being organized is for me. Why wouldn’t be?

Sure, you like the idea of all of your cups sitting in a nice row and your closet looking like the rainbow but is this really for you? Let me explain. I completely understand that your life is chaotic and you feel like everything that's going wrong is happening. Then the moment you consider giving up you come across some images of organized spaces on Pinterest and you think to yourself "I need to get Organized" but honestly, this may not solve the problem.

Think about it. The only reason you decided to get organized is probably because of an image you saw rather than because you really need the help.

I’m not at all saying the images we see on social media or design sites are bad because in reality, they actually act as triggers to show us what our homes can potentially look like when organized. I am guilty of doing this and I’m not ashamed of it. I just want you to acknowledge the fact that they aren’t realistic. They are just a portrayal of a space that took hours to create.

What you need to ask yourself when considering getting organized first and foremost is “Am I ready to get organized?”

Organizing your space let alone your life is a process that takes time, requires patience and understanding to achieve. It takes time because you are changing the way you think and that is something that can’t be done in a day. Depending on the amount of stuff you have in your space, it requires patience to go through and figure out what you’ll be keeping. Most importantly, you need to understand what you are getting yourself into because as many things, this is a process and in order to master a routine you have to create a habit – which can take up to 360 days. YIKES!

It may seem daunting to know that being organized can take a while and honestly it can sometimes seem like a never-ending process but once you begin to see the advantages of being organized brings into your life, it won’t seem that bad.

So let me ask you again. Is being organized really for you?

Until next time!

10 Organizing Affirmations that can help you get more Organized

Today I’m going to go a little deeper to help you get more organized. If you’re someone who believes in creating a life with no restrictions, this video may be for you. A few years ago I was introduced to affirmations. Affirmations are a statement or proposition that is declared to be true. Relating this to self, this means you tell yourself something that you want to be true and if you say it enough and believe it, it will become true. Law of Attraction (is the belief that by focusing on positive or negative thoughts a person brings positive or negative experiences into their life)

Not to be religious but If you are someone who believes in the bible this is same as “Ask and you will receive”. You ask The all Mighty and if you believe it, it will come true” – for blog

You may be thinking okay so what does organizing have anything to do with the All Mighty. Well, nothing. What I’m saying is well you’re watching my video because you are someone who is interested in getting organized and want some ideas/tips on how to get organized, so there you go.

Most of our actions or lack thereof come from what we believe in ourselves. If your reasoning behind not getting organized is because of not having time and you keep telling yourself that you don’t have time, then you start to create a life where you never have time. Does that make sense? You’re telling yourself that you don’t have time, therefore, everything around you is based on time or lack thereof. Let me give you another example. You tell yourself well I’m not good at organizing. I’m too lazy. My space is too small to organize. I don’t have enough space.

All of these statements are creating an opposite effect of what you truly want in your space, therefore, you remain in the same cluttered unorganized space that you were in before. Even if you organize your space but you stay in this frame of mind then it will shortly revert back to what it was before and it will continue to be a never-ending process.  

In this video, I’m going to give you 10 Organizing Affirmations you can say to yourself on a daily basis and help you get organized. Remember for anything to come true you have to believe it and only you can create it.

1.     I possess great organizing skills

2.     Organizing comes naturally to me

3.     I enjoy living in a clear and uncluttered space

4.     Organization is constant in my life

5.     Every day and in every way I am becoming more organized

6.     I make positive choices in figuring out what I want in my life

7.     I love being organized.

8.     I am ready to be more organized now

9.     Time is infinite therefore I have time to create the life I want

10.  I deserve to be in a space I love

Did you notice how every affirmation was singular? This is the beauty of affirmations. The only person you can truly control is yourself therefore when you want to change self you have to speak to self.

You can make your affirmations work for you by speaking your affirmations out loud for about five minutes three times a day - morning, midday and evening.

Here are ways to do so:

1. You can put them as reminders on your phone at 3 different times,
2. You can write them on your bathroom mirror
3. You can write them on a sticky note and place it on your dashboard
4. You can get your closest friend to say them to you. So instead of “I”, they will use “You”.

These are just some ways I’ve spoken my affirmations to myself and so far they have worked.

With the new year here, the goal is to live the life you want so whether that means getting more organized, whether that means losing weight or getting a better paying job. The moment you start inviting in what you really want by speaking affirmations to self, believing them and obsessing over them, you will see the changes in your life.

Let me know in the comments section if you currently speak affirmations to yourself. 

Until next time!

HOW TO BECOME A MINIMALIST

Sure the concept of being a minimalist sounds mind-boggling and the mere thought of only owning 20 pieces of clothing is scary. Trust me I’ve been there. Growing up in an environment where having less meant you had no money, was the last image I wanted to portray. I would never in a million years believe becoming a minimalist or possessing a few items would bring so much joy and clarity to my life, but it has. The misconception of this lifestyle has brought on frowns but today I will introduce five steps on how you can become a minimalist and enjoy your life.  

STEP 1: DISCIPLINE

Remember being a minimalist is a lifestyle and in order to change the way you live, you first have to change the way you think. That shopping habit you once had will have to cease. I know that’s hard to swallow but in order to live with less and clutter-free you have to buy less. It takes discipline and with time, you will succeed.

STEP 2: PACE YOURSELF

The most important thing you can do is start slow. Begin decluttering your car first then maybe your coat closet. The name of the game is to create order in your life at a steady and consistent speed. The slower you start, the quicker you will get to what you desire.

STEP 3: DEDICATE TIME

Since you are making a transition, you will need time to let most of your possessions go. This is probably the toughest part of it all and the most time consuming — unless you’re like me and hold no sentimental value to anything you own. Take each day one by one to decide on the items you want to keep and discard. Once you're done, organize the items that are left behind, sit back and throw your feet up! Remember to donate your clothes and gadgets to your local charity.

STEP 4: MAKE A PLAN

As your home is transforming, it is important to plan out how you want your home to look and feel. As you’ve probably seen during your research many people associating minimalism with a particular “look” — white walls, black/gray accessories and plants. Though this style is popular in the minimalist world, it’s not the defining style for being a minimalist. Having a minimalist and organized home comes in various colors and styles. As long as you create a space that serves you, that's what’s important.

STEP 5: LEARN TO SAY NO

No one likes to say no or be told no especially when it comes to getting something you really want. The beautiful thing about life is that we have choices, everyday and every second we are presented with choices. You can choose to buy those glittering shoes or that extra pillow or you can choose to walk away. In order to truly adopt a minimalistic lifestyle you will have to embrace the power of No to enhance your life. The joy of it all is if you made a mistake yesterday, today you can choose to change.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to become a minimalist, email us at info@rescuemyspace.com

Rescue My Space provides organizing solutions to individuals that are busy, overwhelmed, tired of living in clutter and ready to make a change the modern way. For more than five years we have been helping people reclaim their life back by showing them how to maintain an organized space. There are no projects that are too big for us and we believe everyone deserves a space to relax and enjoy. For more information on how to hire Judi as your personal organizer, visit her website at www.rescuemyspace.com.