You don't have to think of extravagant ways to contribute to the community anymore, just get your personal space in place as part of "National Get Organized Month."
As part of their Little Theatre class series this month, Macey's invited professional organizers Vicki Winterton and Laura Lawrence to share their knowledge.
"Organizing is not about perfection, it is about progression," said Winterton, owner of Organizing Mind over Matter.
She suggested starting small by organizing a specific area and gradually moving on to other areas.
"Don't expect it to be perfect, but expect it to be better than it was and you will be satisfied," Winterton said.
Winterton and Lawrence shared two formulas, the ACT and the SPARK tactics.
The first step in the ACT formula students must take is to assess.
"Walk into that space and assess where you are right now," said Lawrence, owner of Harmony Within.
Lawrence touched on the costs of being disorganized. Research shows an average person in the United States spends 55 minutes a day looking for things.
In addition to losing time, the frustration from the mess can stress a person out and lead to health problems. Dissatisfaction can also make a person more irritable and prone to anger, affecting relationships with others.
The second step is to create.
"Be able to dream of what you want and that would include feelings that that space will bring to you," Winterton said.
The third step is to tackle the area with the SPARK formula.
First, sort out your belongings.
"You didn't get there in 30 minutes; you're not going to get out of there in 30 minutes," Lawrence said. "Schedule a time for it and make that a priority."
Lawrence suggested creating a "goes elsewhere pile" that contains items to deal with later to keep from getting sidetracked while organizing.
"Clutter is the result of delayed decisions," Lawrence said.
The second step in the SPARK formula is to purge all unnecessary items.
Four questions Winterton suggested people ask themselves are, "Do I need this?," "Do I have room for this?," "Is this of value to me in my current life?" and "Is it in working condition?"
She introduced the 20-80 rule which states that people use only 20 percent of their things 80 percent of the time.
"We need to decide which 20 percent we use the most... for each thing you keep, donate another," Winterton said. "If you're not using it, allow someone else to gain from it."
Third in the SPARK formula is to assign a home for your belongings.
Lawrence advised all to zone the area and arrange possessions such that they are easy to grab and put away.
Fourth, round up containers and label them.
Winterton recommended using a Fisherman's Tackle Box for college students to store their school supplies neatly.
Labeling is also crucial to organization.
"Label your container front and back so that no matter which way it goes back in, the label is visible," Winterton said.
Lastly, keep the organization up after all the hard work.
"Trust living with less, just know that you're going to be okay," Lawrence said.
A great motivator is to put a before picture out as a reminder of what it was like.
Winterton and Lawrence have an online organizing show, accessible at www.theorganizedwomanshow.com.
charlotteyishichen@gmail.com
Copyright Brigham Young University 26 Jan 2009
