Harmonious Organizing with a Partner

It can be difficult to organize with a partner or spouse who shares the same office / business with you.  Oftentimes what I find is that one person wants to keep everything and the other wants to get rid of everything.  There is rarely a meeting of the minds and because the two (or more) people know each other very well they tend to criticize and judge each other assuming their WAY is the best.

I have worked with many, many couples and partners over the years and the trick to working with another person and finding harmonious ways to organize is to look for the strengths and non-negotiables within each of you. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Choose which tasks you will be responsible for based on those.

I'm sure there are parts of the office / business you each feel passionate about. If those parts are different make the choice to have the person who is most interested in that area decide the best way to organize or systematize it. All the while making sure the other person understands the system.

If there are areas that you both feel you are the best person to make the decision you will have to find a compromise.  Talk it out with open minds and realize you are on the same team, with the same objective. It is not a contest. When your office is a well run, efficient place to be you both win. There is often a way to split the project or task that will make you both happy.

I would suggest discussing and making the decisions that are the easiest or most obvious first. Don't start with the issues that will be the battles.  As you work through all of the areas and challenges you both face in your office / business you will begin to find your way through it and the battles might not loom so large as they would if that was the starting point.

You can do this! You will find your way!

If you have a sticking point feel free to schedule a Strategy Session with me. I am happy to help you both talk through any issues you can't get to the bottom of on your own.

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

The TOP 10 New Year's Resolutions (in order) are as follows:

1. Lose Weight
2. Stop Smoking
3. Stick to a Budget
4. Save More Money
5. Find a Better Job

6. BECOME MORE ORGANIZED
7. Exercise More
8. Be More Patient
9. Eat Healthier Foods
10. Become a Better Person

One of my resolutions this year is to blog consistently. To get me started on the right path I have joined a 31-day blogging challenge.

If you are looking to get more organized this year sign up for a free consultation on my website.  I promise, my consultations are informative and painless.

When Can I Stop Organizing?

I get this question A LOT. Someone writes to me and wonders when they are done organizing? When are they finally considered organized?

The truth is that organizing is like a lot of other things in life. For example, once you work out several times a week are you considered healthy and in shape? Possibly. But does that mean that you can stop working out. Probably not.

The trick, if you want to call it that, to getting organized for life is to do it 'right' the first time.  Now, by 'right,' I mean in a way that works for you and the life you live.  It is really important to organize to your own style (as I mentioned last week).

I'm sure you will always be adding new things to your life and hopefully removing things you no longer need as well.  That being said, the actual act of organizing can come to an end, but the process never does.

Things may get messy and out of control from time to time. But when everything has a place where it belongs, clean up is quick and easy. You just need to put it away, not decide where it goes. The deciding is the time consuming part. If you do that right the first time then the hard part has been done.

The systems you put in place when you organize will also need to be maintained.  This maintenance and the addition of new items is the never-ending part of organizing.

You can have the most incredible filing system in the world.  You can always find what you're looking for.  It is easy to put things away.  It is absolutely perfect for you in every way.  However, if you keep using it and filing into it, eventually the drawers will become stuffed.  That's when the piling begins!  That's when it feels like it's not working.

The thing you have to realize is when you set up systems in your office or anywhere else you need to maintain them.

More on maintenance later... 

Happy Organizing!

Organizing Is Not One Size Fits All

I come across clients all the time who read organizing books, go to organizing seminars or work with an organizer who wants them to do things the organizer's way. They think they've got the answer to all their frustrations and challenges. Then when the solution doesn't work they feel as if they've failed. The problem is you need to read 100s of books and go to tons of seminars and pick out just the little nuggets that will work for you. It is very important that the solution to your productivity issues are based on who you are and how you work. I work very closely with my clients to get to know them and find what will work for them so they succeed. My clients become more productive, more efficient and organized. I guarantee it! The solution only has to work for YOU! Not for anyone else. 

WANT TO USE THIS IN YOUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER, WEBSITE OR BLOG?  

You can, as long as you use it in its entirety and include this info: Beth Sharkey Flarida is the owner of Get It Together. She is a Productivity Consultant, Efficiency Expert and Professional Organizer for business. Being productive is not one size fits all! Beth has helped 1000s businesses find the systems that work for them and she can do the same for you! Visit http://www.GetBeth.com.