If all the world were organized, my mission would be complete;
I’d trade in all my chaos for a life much simpler and neat.

There’d be order in my household from the ceiling to the floor;
Containers in every closet and dividers in each drawer.

I’d wake up every morning with a smile upon my face;
There’d be a place for everything and everything would be in place.

No more searching for a stamp and no more hunting for a pen;
My bills would all be current, unlike ‘way back when.’

The kids would be contented, they’d play joyfully in peace;
Their nagging would diminish and their helping would increase.

My workspace would be tidy, not the past chaotic mess;
I’d increase my productivity and minimize my stress.

No more clutter, no more chaos, my life I now could manage;
For all the world would be organized to everyone’s advantage!

~Audrey Wilkerson, organizer, writer, extraordinaire…totally kidding, but I DID write this little ditty while my husband watched some old military movie that he thought I was “watching” with him. The joy of multi-tasking! Please feel free to share it with your organizing buddies and be sure to include a link to my site.

I was listening to a podcast this weekend and Peter Walsh (from Clean Sweep) was being interviewed. The interview lasted for about 45 minutes, but one thing in particular stood out to me above all the rest…
…where ever you are in life, whatever changes you are wanting to make, you need to set goals and decide where it is you want to be. Whether you want to lose weight, get organized, find a new job, it doesn’t matter what it may be. Then you need to consciously ask yourself, “is what I’m doing right now helping me get to my goal?” If you’re trying to lose weight, eating a piece of cheesecake is not pushing you toward your goal. If you are trying to get organized, then buying more “stuff” that you don’t need, is absolutely NOT helping you toward your goal. Getting organized is not a one time event. It is a process that involves a, sometime dramatic, change of lifestyle. You must create new habits. Out with the bad, in with the good. If something is working well for you, keep it! If there is something that continuously frustrates you, lose it! I have found that one of the most important things to grasp when getting organized is, you have to be willing to admit that you no longer need something. Whether it has a memory attached to it or you value it for reasons you can no longer remember! You have to be willing to let go of the things that are holding you in this place of disorder and turmoil. You’ll be amazed at how much a little “purging” of useless stuff can liberate you! Especially if someone else can use it! Have a yard sale, give it away, or take it to Goodwill. This is a challenge! Pick one particular space in your home. Whether it’s an entire room, a closet, a drawer, or a bin in the attic, and sort through and decide what can stay and what needs to go. Let me know how it turns out!!
~audrey

Do you ever notice how QUICKLY your house can go from, “Ah, nice and clean” to “Crap! What happened?!?” That is what happened to me in the last 48 hours. I generally get my house nice and clean over the weekend so it is easier to maintain during the week. Well, just as a snowball starts out small and slow, so does the clutter in your home. It doesn’t take long, in case you didn’t notice. A pair of shoes left in the living room, a few dishes on the counter, some toys in the office, socks in the hallway…you get the picture. Unfortunately, this is what has happened to my house. Luckily, if you generally keep the house clutter-free, you should be able to pull off a ten minute “mad dash” around the house and pretty much have it back to working order. I find that sometimes it’s easiest to pile everything on the couch or throw it all in a laundry basket. Then, when I’ve decluttered, I carry the basket with me throughout the house and put things back where they belong, threatening the lives of all my children in the process…”You had better put your clothes in the hamper tomorrow!…You know where these dishes belong, so please put them there! Next time you leave these toys on the floor, I’m giving them to someone else!!” Yes, even SuperMom turns into the Wicked Witch of the West when you ruffle the nest. Go ahead girlies, declutter real quick before you settle down for the night. You’ll feel so much better in the morning when the kitchen doesn’t stink, you’re not tripping on toys, and all of the laundry is already sorted. Go for it. You can do anything for just ten minutes!
~audrey