STEPS TO GETTING ORGANIZED

If you answer "yes" to three or more of the questions below it's a good bet you need to get your life organized and put an end to being stressed out a good deal of the time.

1. Do you find yourself feeling frustrated that you never have enough time to do the things you really enjoy?
2. Do you go through most of the week feeling hurried, hassled, out of control?
3. Are there any flat surfaces still visible around your house or office?
4. Or are they covered with piles of newspapers, unread magazines, junk mail, and other papers you are just about to get to?
5. When you need to find something, does it often take minutes or hours of searching to finally find it?
6. Do you have files that bulge or have nothing in them?

Okay so you answered yes to most of these or a variation of the same types of problems. What you may not realize is that by having so many messes in your life you are draining away your life energy. Energy you could spend on something you really would enjoy doing.

Messes in our lives aren't limited to stacks of unread email or that long to-do list they include unresolved issues in your relationships with others, issues with weight or health, your finances or difficult legal situations or things you have always wanted to do but just never had the time. These unresolved situations and messes in your life are very draining and can become debilitating if you don't take the time to get your physical surroundings and personal life in order. Each time you clean up a mess, you increase your concentration, confidence and energy levels.

Start with the small messes first. A lot of things can be straightened up in a few minutes or an hour and the increased energy you will gain from the satisfaction of a least one thing in your life being organized will encourage you to start working on other messes. Try this exercise: On a blank piece of paper draw lines dividing the paper in four equal parts.

In the first section, jot down all the incomplete projects you have started. Include projects from the home and office. In the second section, jot down all the projects for both the home and office you have been thinking of doing but haven't started yet. In the third section jot down the things you aren't doing but really would like to start. Make sure to include the things that would give you some special time for yourself. Like reading a few chapters a day or practicing your watercolor painting. In the fourth section jot down the things you would like to change or remove from your busy life.

Review the sections of your paper and pick one thing to work on every two weeks. If it is small choose a second thing and begin working on that. You will be impressed with how much better you feel. I know I do.