This is the time of year where all those back-to-school and office supplies are on sale. Even if you don’t have school age children (mine are grown) it is easy to get caught up in believing that this organizing file solution or that 5 subject notebook will solve all our paper clutter or organizing problems.
Guess what – it might work and then again it might not. How many different products or solutions have you tried over the years with limited success? I know I’ve tried many.
What I have learned over the years is it’s not necessarily the product or idea that is bad it’s just that it didn’t work for me. I’m sure you have had the same result at times.
So besides trial and error plus lots of money spent how can you determine if a product will help you? That’s a hard question to answer. The best way is to take a look at what is currently working for you in any area of your home.
We all have some areas of our lives where we are relatively organized.
If you are organized when cooking in the kitchen pay attention to what kinds of organizing products and/or habits you are using that makes it work for you. Is your desk at work clean and organized but you desk at home is a disaster? Pay attention to what is working at the office and duplicate it at home if possible.
We are creatures of habit and each of us have different learning/organizing traits. Some we are born with and some we learned when growing up or as adults. Even if we were born missing the organizing gene we can still find the right kind of products and solutions to help us learn to get more organized.
So when you find yourself tempted to try yet another product in hope that it will solve all your organizing problems stop and think about it first. The questions below will help guide you towards one that might work for you.
Ask yourself:
- Does this product work similar to other products I’ve used before?
- Have I been successful with using this kind of product?
- Do I already have a product or solution for this particular problem but haven’t taken the time to figure out if it will work or not?
As we are bombarded this time of year with all those ads for products to help get our children and ourselves organized we have to remember to stop and think before buying. Most products can help but one size does not fit all.
Figure out your style (or your child’s) so it will be easier to match the product or solution to it. That will increase your chance of success.
Janice
I find I am more organized at the office because it am just organizing myself. At home I am trying to organize for 3 other people and it is a little bit harder to gain their cooperation.
Sandy, I think part of the reason we are more organized at the office is because we are aware others will judge us on our organizational skills or lack of them. At home we don’t feel the same scrutiny by our families. That is also the reason it may be harder to get cooperation from those same family members!