Organization . . . with an Apology
Image by Chrstopher via Flickr
I’ve failed.
Back in July, I wrote a post on organizational tips for back-to-school and mentioned that in my next post, I’d have some back-to-school lists to help you get even more organized. Well, a lot of things happened (i.e., in my personal life), but those lists didn’t. And I am officially sorry. And now is probably not the time when you need back-to-school lists. So, I’ve decided to post an article I originally wrote for Ezine Articles, an article with a slightly different slant on organizing your home.
Using the Secret to Organize Your Home
If you haven’t read the book, you’ve probably seen the movie. But in case you’ve missed them, The Secret elaborates on the law of attraction and how you can use it to bring joy and fulfillment to just about every part of your life. Well, your home is certainly part of your life, so here are a few tips on how you can use the principle of “like attracts like” to help you get your home in order.
Visualize. Relax and focus on how you’d like your home to be. Visualize in as much detail as possible exactly how your home would look if it were organized the way you’d like it to be. If you need a little help with this, look through magazines and home design books to find images that express your taste and ideals. These pictures can be powerful tools in “jump-starting” your imagination and helping you focus.
To strengthen the power of your focus, you can create “maps” of your spaces. Draw or paint your rooms as you’d like them to look. If drawing isn’t your thing, use cutouts to create a collage of your perfect room.
Meditate. Some people don’t respond well to the word “meditate,” but in this case all it means is for you to focus on the images you’ve selected from the books and magazines or the ones you’ve created or even those in your mind. Picture them in as much detail as you can: Which furniture will you use and how will you arrange it? Is there light streaming through a window? Is the room warm and cozy or cool and airy? Do you prefer a particular scent in your rooms? Is the room neat and tidy with everything in its place? Picture your things in their places. The more detail the better. Then imagine how you will feel when you are in these rooms. Do you feel peaceful and relaxed? Safe and warm? Organized and energized?
Take time regularly, preferably every day, to do this. Relax, picture your beautiful, organized room and imagine how you will feel in it.
Take Action. Now that you have a good idea about what you want, it’s time to take some steps towards getting it. List specific actions that you need to take to organize each individual area. Note that you don’t need to do the whole room at once; break it up into smaller, “bite-size” areas. This will help you feel a sense of accomplishment much sooner and prevent you from getting overwhelmed and burning out.
Review the steps in your list and consider how much time you think each will take. With that in mind, write down deadlines for when you’d like to accomplish each step. Think about your daily schedules and determine when you have blocks of time (even 15 minutes) to devote to the steps on your list and make appointments with yourself to work on them.
Keep It Up. Continue with your meditation and commit to meeting your appointments. There isn’t a need to rush, but there is a need to be dedicated. Don’t get distracted from your plan; don’t let a step back keep you from picking up where you left off. Keep at it and — before you know it — you’ll find yourself actually in those beautiful, organized rooms you imagined.
