Maintenance

One of the most important factors in getting organized comes AFTER the decluttering and organizing process: maintenance.  To successfully stay organized you have to maintain the changes that you’ve made and live by a few standards that you set for yourself upon completion of your organizing project. 

I have learned over time that I have to help clients see that maintenance is the final key to success with an organizing project.  If a client is unwilling to take on that final step, I know from the start that our project is ultimately not going to be all that it can be. 

The key to maintaining an organized space is to have quick routine tasks that you perform daily and to institute a few guidelines of your choice to live by.  The four tips below are the keys to creating a maintenance plan for keeping any space organized.

A place for everything and everything in its place
You may have heard this old adage many times and the nugget of truth it contains is powerful. If the items that you have taken time to organize have a place to live then there should be little clutter.  If this is true, in your office for example, then all office equipment, office supplies and filing should have a place.  You should be able, after working all day, to put everything back where it should be and have little clutter left behind.

Pick up after yourself
Take 5 minutes in the evening to put everything back in its place. Doing this helps to “reset” your space.  When you take the time each night to pick up trash and extraneous paper in your space as well as return items to their designated homes you are getting back to your organized “set point” each night.  Doing this little exercise each evening helps not only to maintain the organization you have worked hard for, but encourages everyone in your home to see clean and organized as normal.

One in, one out rule
Organizers use this rule to help people manage the amount of “stuff” that comes into and out of their homes.  For example, if you own 4 pairs of jeans and you decide to replace an old pair, get rid of the old pair when you bring the new pair home.  Once you have a space organized to your liking, use this rule around the house or office to maintain the equilibrium of organization.

Clear surfaces
This is an important concept for helping to maintain calm and organization in a physical space.  One of the reasons we like to see before and after transformations in rooms is because the end result is often devoid of the visual clutter that so many of us have all over countertops and furniture surfaces.  I do not mean that you should live without your favorite decorations and most-used objects within reach.  Instead, I am advocating being selective with those items and working to keep surfaces clear. 

You’ve finished your organizing project and everything has a place.  You have laid the groundwork for maintaining calm and organization. Now you can utilize the concepts above and continue to maintain and enjoy your organized space!