VICKI
NORRIS
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The “Dash and Stash” and Other Organizing Mistakes Are you one of those people who panics when guests are scheduled to come to your house? Do you begin the frantic “dash and stash,” running around your house trying to conceal your piles of clutter? Do you slide your arm across surfaces, piled high with paper and clutter, and shove the contents into a bag or box, then stash it in the closet? If so, you are like a lot of our clients, who we fondly refer to as “bag ladies and box boys.” Many of our clients reveal to us a hall closet or spare room that contains bags of paper and clutter that have been the outcome of a “dash and stash” moment. As we sort through these time capsules, we find unpaid bills (maybe that’s why the electricity was turned off!), the health plan, letters and reminders, a long-lost calendar, and sometimes even treasures like uncashed checks and precious memorabilia. As you begin getting organized, you will likely discover bags, boxes, or even junk drawers that have been a receptacle for your “cleaning” efforts, or “unknown” items and paper that are nomadic and have no home. In addition to the “dash and stash,” there are other habits that contribute to the backlog of clutter in a home or office. Here are some additional mistakes people make when they begin the process of organizing:
In an effort to solve their organizing woes, many people rush off to the store and buy a hunk of plastic (usually with multiple drawers) to throw at their problem. Product alone is not the answer. That is the reason that people can have tons of bins and drawers and baskets, but are still disorganized. At Restoring Order®, we believe in partnering PROCESS with the right product at the right time. In fact, we are launching our own branded product line in 2004 that will actually help people make sense of their paper and tasks, and create systems to manage them.
Many people will take the approach of entering a room and “getting it organized,” but at the end of the day, all they’ve done is rearrange its contents. At Restoring Order®, we take the time to ask the right questions and understand the needs and intentions of the client as they relate to each specific space. We then apply a methodology throughout one space or the whole home that leaves the client with an organized space from the inside out, not just one that has been rearranged!
While it is wonderful to have a clean home, it’s not the same thing as an organized home. Cleaning simply de-grimes your living space, while organizing requires planning and space allocation to activities and items. Cleaning can actually create clutter, since many of us “stash” as we clean, tossing bags of items into hall closets, and stuffing things into drawers to give the appearance of “tidy.” Organizing asks you to stop and think, and make difficult decisions. Many people procrastinate on organizing for this very reason, since they would rather “tidy” the space, than figure out where a specific item should rightfully “live.” Organizing prevents stressful loss of items, and wasted time spent searching. When the home is organized, it is also easier to clean, because nomadic items can be confidently returned to their appropriate location, and surfaces aren’t clogged with clutter. There is a solution to each of these problems described above. In order to achieve lasting change, you must “dig out” of the backlog that you’ve created over the years and set up new systems to help you manage in the future. If you are a “bag lady” or “box boy” who is ready to find the cure for the “dash and stash” or you’ve committed some of the organizing mistakes above, there is hope! Contact Restoring Order® to tackle your clutter once and for all!
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