The 10 P’s of Organizing
As a Professional Organizer I focus on organizing the physical space in a home, office, or place of business. For me, organizing comes naturally, but even so it’s important for me to refer back to the “Ten P’s of Organizing”.
The “Ten P’s of Organizing” include Priorities, Planning, Preparation, Process, Patience, Positivity, Persistence, Play, Peace, and Pride.
While the order of the Nine P’s has a natural flow to it, you will likely need to refer back to any or all of them at various times throughout the organizational process.
Priorities
Let’s begin with priorities: the backbone of an organizing project. It can be said that, “Your space is a reflection of yourself”. So what makes you the person that you are? Your priorities!
It’s a good idea to chat for a bit and get to know a person, find out their profession, life history, and current goals. By getting to know someone you can help him or her to match their space with their priorities based on what’s important to them.
Besides understanding someone’s larger life goals and priorities, you will also want to ask, “What do the occupants plan to focus their time and energy on in that particular space, and what specific things are important within that space?” We call these “Spatial Priorities”
Another question I like to ask is, “How can a space best reflect who the person is, inspire them to become who they want to be, and serve them best along that journey?”
Once we have clarified what a person’s priorities are we can use that as a roadmap to plan and execute the entire project. Without knowing priorities it’s difficult to move onto the next step.
Planning
Speaking of the next step, we arrive at planning. This is where you establish ideas, step-by-step processes, and a general framework for how you will achieve the desired goals.
It is important to put the plan down in writing so that it is clear to all parties as to what should be done and in what order. If you’re able to do so, it’s a good idea to create a visual floor plan of your ideal set up for a particular space. If you can’t picture it exactly, that’s ok. Coming up with a list of goals can help things go more smoothly.
Planning also includes scheduling a time to begin the project, making sure everyone who is helping will be on time, and having a list of tools and supplies that will be needed.
When planning just remember that the plans may change as you go. People will often times deviate from the original plan but that is expected. There’s usually no “set way” to get a room from point A to B. In fact there are usually several ways. Nonetheless it’s good to have a collective starting point.
What usually works best is dividing a room into zones and tackling one zone at a time. As you go, the plan will naturally unfold itself, similar to a puzzle.
Preparation
Preparation involves physical and mental preparation. It’s always better to over prepare than to under prepare.
There is the physical action of collecting or acquiring tools and supplies. These items may include trash bags, gloves, tape, sharpies, label makers, labels, power tools, a broom and dustpan, a vacuum, a truck ready to haul away junk and donations. You may also consider taking “Before Photos”.
Another component of physical preparation involves preparing your body for a day of work through a good night’s rest, proper nutrition, and exercise.
Mental Preparation involves reviewing the floor plan or list of goals, as well as taking a few minutes to meditate, pray, relax, or envision your goals coming to reality.
Personally I like to prepare a music playlist to listen to before and during the organizing process. In some cases preparation may be simple, while in others it can take some time and real effort. It just depends on the scale of the project.
Process
The process of organizing is where the magic happens. It involves being physically and mentally active, and creating results in real time.
The process usually involves taking one item, making a decision about that item and then placing that item in its new or temporary home. You then move on to the next item and repeat the process.
There are typically 5 options for a selected item: “Keep, Trash, Donate, Sell, or Relocate”. Trash, donate, and sell are often easy piles to make. Usually the tough part is “keep” and “relocate”. This is where a lot of people can get stuck.
When relocating an item it’s okay to move it to a temporary home. This means moving an object to a better location than it is currently in, so that you can create a blank space. This new location doesn’t need to be it’s final location (it’s great if you can find a final location). However, sometimes you just need to clear space, so a new zone can be created.
Once you have a general idea of where your zones will be and what will be stored in each zone you will need to make decisions on how best to contain or store each item in a zone. This usually means measuring spaces and estimating the size of items. You can then select storage bins, shelving, containers, hooks, hangers, and other creative ways to house your belongings.
I like to think of an organizing project as a puzzle that needs to be solved. There are different routes that you can take to complete a puzzle, and every piece that locks into place is a small victory.
It’s important to celebrate the small victories so that you enjoy the process and look forward to continuing to see the final results. Remember to “Trust the Process”. It should be fun and enjoyable, almost like a game!
Patience
Now that the process has begun you will need to activate your patience attribute at different times. Especially if it’s a large project and the client has trouble making decisions.
When dealing with sentimental items you will need to be particularly patient. It’s usually a good idea to do sentimental items last so that you don’t get caught up.
Also, you may spend a lot of time in a space, but not see much change, and this can be frustrating. The important thing is to understand that a “Total Space Transformation” may not happen overnight.
It’s a good reminder to be patient with your self, just as you are with others, and take breaks throughout the process! For some people being patient and taking a break means taking several 5-15 minute breaks throughout the day, for some it means taking several days off in between sessions, and some need even longer.
The important thing is that you gage yourself, so that you know when to push and when to rest. Organizing takes a lot of energy and can be overwhelming, so it’s important to check in with yourself during the process and take breaks when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Taking small breaks throughout the day will help you to save energy for the long haul.
Stay calm, stay patient, and stay positive!
Positivity
Positivity begins and ends with gratitude. We must train ourselves to see the good parts of a situation, and be truly thankful for them. When you are thankful it’s difficult to be negative. If you teach yourself to be positive you will always see the light, even when you’re surrounded by darkness.
Things are bound to go wrong at some point, and when they do it’s especially important for you to remain positive. Be encouraged by the lesson that you can learn in a “seemingly negative situation”, and use a tough situation to remind yourself of the things you are thankful for.
Often times, our failures or mistakes are our greatest teachers. It does us no good to dwell on the negatives, but it can do us a great deal of good to face adversity, stay positive, dig deep, and overcome the obstacle!
When thinking of the past be grateful for the journey, and learn from your mistakes. When thinking of the present appreciate what you have, whom you’re with and where you are. When thinking about the future be overly optimistic and excited about the potential!
Be on the lookout and remember the things that ignite that fire within you. When you find those passions, you can return to them, and they will help to rekindle your positivity on the journey of the highs and lows of life.
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.”
Persistence
While patience is necessary, persistence may be the most important P to remember. Persistence means staying the course, even when things get tough.
Without persistence a project cannot be completed, and there’s nothing worse than an unfinished project that just sits, and becomes a conscious or even unconscious mental stressor.
It’s important to see a project all the way through until you have reached your intended goal and you feel happy, content, and energized by the space. Leaving a space half way organized is better than never having touched it, but it still lingers in the air and in your mind.
Part of being persistent is learning to use momentum when you have it, so that you can complete a project all the way through and rest easy. Remember; “Little by little, day by day, item by item is the only way.”
Play
Playing in your space is another important, yet often overlooked aspect to organizing. As I mentioned earlier, it is important to celebrate the small victories along the way, and you can do so by injecting a bit of playfulness into the process.
This could be a childish “Hoo-Rah”, maybe a joke, or even making a game out of the “work”. Playing can ease some of the stress associated with organizing, and allow you to connect with others that are involved. After all we are humans, and playing can help us to enjoy the moment, have some laughs, and lighten the mood.
After you have persisted and completed the project it’s a good idea to actually play for real! Play a game or fun activity in the space that you have just organized. This is a good way to set the tone for the room, and celebrate the accomplishment of your big goal!
Peace
Peace is the feeling that should settle in after you have finished for the day, all the dust has settled, and everyone is gone. There is a peace in knowing that you are making progress, and an even greater peace once the project is complete!
The interesting thing about peace is that it lives on in your mind long after the moment you have finished organizing a particular space. Peace involves enjoying and resting in your space as well as thinking about your space.
Now, every time you enter an organized space (whether in your mind or in reality), your body and mind will feel at ease and peaceful in your newly organized space!
“From a place of peace comes great things!”
Pride
You should be proud of a job well done! However, the afterglow of an organized space will quickly disappear if the space is left unattended. Have a sense of pride about the appearance and feel of your home or space, so that you are motivated to maintain that space, are able to entertain guests, and be the best version of yourself.
Once you have created a home for each end every object it’s up to you to replace things where you got them from. This is a daily activity, but it shouldn’t take long if you stay disciplined and keep up with your space.
In some circumstances too much pride can be an issue, but a healthy amount of pride focused in the right direction is the thing that will help you to maintain and enjoy your newly organized space for years to come.
Conclusion
So there you have it… the 10 P’s of Organizing!
Discover priorities, plan accordingly, over prepare, trust and enjoy the process, have patience, be positive, maintain persistence, play, abide in the peace of a well-organized space, and carry a sense of pride about maintaining your environment!
