Your Roadmap to an Organized Life - Home - Simply Squared Away

Your Roadmap to an Organized Life

Tips, Resources and an Action Plan for your Organizing Journey

Presented by Tracy Hoth

Simply Squared Away | 816.820.8848



? 2012 Tracy Hoth Page 1

WELCOME

"We spend one year of our lives looking for lost items." ~ The National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO)

Let's Get Organized!

Do you struggle to find what you need right when you need it? Are you chronically frustrated by disorder? Do you miss opportunities or fail to follow through because you just don't have a system in place?

I want to help YOU become more organized and thus more efficient. I want you to be more organized so you are FREE from the weight clutter and disorganization causes. This will enable you to better give your gifts and talents to those around you ? your family, friends and the people you help in your work!

Unfortunately, just reading this presentation will not get you organized. We can all read a book and then hope that we will put some of the things we learned into practice and life will be better, but for the most part, it just doesn't happen!

This presentation will equip you, educate you and give you tips and ideas so you have the resources you need. Additionally, I have included a 10 Step ACTION plan and 10X10 Mini Organizing Challenges to make change happen in your life! Implementing these will get you started "getting organized."

Organizing is a journey - not a destination! Enjoy!

Warmly,

Tracy Hoth

Simply Squared Away | 816.820.8848



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What ORGANIZING is NOT

Being organized is NOT all about having your spices in alphabetical order!

There are many myths about being organized! Let me address four of them:

1. Being organized is being perfect. Perfect keeps you stuck! Ask yourself these three questions to find out if you are organized: i. Do you know what you have? ii. Can you find it in 10 seconds or less? iii. Can other people use your space and find what they need? When things get busy and disorganized, can you recover quickly ? processing through items and getting things put back?

2. You have to be born organized. Are people born able to play the piano? No. Someone taught them and most likely made them practice! And then probably made them keep going when they wanted to quit! I am here to teach you! As an adult, you get to choose whether you practice or not and if you keep going on the journey! Some learn faster and easier. Some need to hear the same thing over and over. Some choose to get hands-on help. Others choose to be accountable through a friend or a coaching/virtual program!

3. You need organizing bins and products. People love to buy fun, new bins or baskets but they do not get you organized. Often they are the wrong size or are not even functional. You NEED to follow the steps to organizing in my SPASMTM acronym. Sort, Purge, Assign a home and THEN Set limits using containers, bins, baskets, dividers and shelving! Lastly, Maintain the space you have chosen. I recommend not buying a thing until you know how much you have, where you will put it and what kind and size of container is necessary! You might already own exactly what you need!

4. You're organized if your space looks like Martha Stewart or Pinterest. Do not compare your space to a picture or to your friend's space. You need to find what works for you! It may be outside the box. It may look different. Try to make it work like YOU think!

Simply Squared Away | 816.820.8848



? 2012 Tracy Hoth Page 3

What ORGANIZING IS

Being organized is...

1. Knowing what you have and being able to find it when you need it! 2. Having your environment support you in the life you want to live.

Organizing is about... o Clearing a space. o Only keeping what you love, what you use and what enhances your life regularly. o Giving each item a home so you can find it when you need it. o Setting up systems, routines and habits to help you maintain your organization. o Enjoying life more because you have less stress, more peace, better follow-up and the ability to help others more easily!

Why get organized?

1. To support the life you want to live! 2. To reduce housework!

"Getting rid of clutter would eliminate 40% of the housework in the average home!!"

- The National Soap and Detergent Association

3. To save money! Clients tell me this ALL the time!

"23% of adults say they pay bills late (and incur fees) because they lose them!!"

- The Harris Interactive

4. To save time!

"The average American burns 55 minutes a day looking for things they know they own but cannot find!!"

~ Boston Marketing Firm Study

"A manager loses 1 hour per day to disorder, costing the business up to $4,000/yr if earning $35,000/yr ? or $8,125/yr at $65,000)."

~ Stephanie Winston, author of The Organized Executive

5. To create a happier family! 6. To reduce stress = Healthier YOU!

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state unequivocally that 80% of our medical expenditures are now stress related."

Simply Squared Away | 816.820.8848



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I'm overwhelmed! Where do I start?

"Nothing can add more power to your life than concentrating all your energies on a limited set of targets." - Nido Qubein

The most common problem people have when trying to get organized is that they are overwhelmed and don't know where to start...or how to start.

WHERE TO START:

What area is most frustrating to you right now? What area least supports the life you want? What space would make you the happiest if it were organized and you could find things when you needed them? This is where you start!

Remember, focus on this one area and only this area until it is complete. The great part is that you will love to go back to this space to just sit, stare and enjoy! You will be motivated and inspired to keep going and begin another project! Focus on this one area. This is the first step.

Which one area will it be for you? Write it on the line:

A second exercise is to address what kind of life you want. Get a vision for what you want your life and your space to look like. Describe it in detail. How do you want to feel? What will you be doing in your space?

Does your environment support this life?

Begin the organizing process using the 10 Step Action Plan on page 13 and the fundamental steps to organizing on page 15. In a nutshell it is:

SORT, PURGE, ASSIGN A HOME, SET LIMITS and MAINTAIN = SPASMTM!!!

Simply Squared Away | 816.820.8848



? 2012 Tracy Hoth Page 5

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