The #1 Most Common Mistake to Getting Organized

I have a confession…..I am an office supply junkie!

I love to go to the office supply stores and get all the matching organizers like pencil cups, paper trays, folders, and covered memo boards. I love cool pens, pretty folders, interesting Post It notes…you get the picture.

It all looks so nice and neat in the store and I can just imagine my desk looking all neat and organized. Many times I’ve thought, “I know that once I buy all this stuff, I will finally be organized and I can get on with my day. ” It wasn’t until I started working with a professional organizer that I realized how wrong I was. Buying fun, pretty supplies is NOT the “magic pill” to having an organized office. It really boils down to eliminating what we don’t need, creating systems that work WITH you and making a commitment to sticking with the system.    

This isn’t to say that buying fun, pretty stuff doesn’t have its place. But, this is one of the most common mistakes we can make – we confuse buying “stuff” to get organized with actually organizing our things. One can waste tons of money on things that really won’t them get organized. So before you go buying your next “must have” office item, ask yourself this question, “Will I struggle with how to make this new organizing ‘thingy’ work with my stuff?” If the answer is yes, then you may be purchasing the wrong item.

Truth of the matter is, most of us don’t need to spend much money, if any at all, on organizational tools. The first thing you need to do when organizing your space is determine what you need before you go to the store. That way you will have a plan of what you will do with your new purchase and won’t be swayed by great displays or helpful sales people.

For example, if you have a ton of paper on your desk that needs to get organized, what do you really need? Maybe just a box with hanging folders will do. Or if you have tons of receipts, maybe you just need an accordion file to organize those receipts for tax time. Whatever your organizational challenge is, take the time to analyze what you need first, then decide if you need to buy something to help you get organized.

If you already have too much organizational stuff, and it’s just getting in the way — consider getting rid of it. You can either sell it at a garage sale, or invite some friends over for an office supply swap. That’s a great way to recycle your unused items and get together with friends!

So, before you buy another organizational tool, follow these action steps:

1. Determine what you need to organize
2. Evaluate your challenge to find out what you need to get organized
3. Look at everything you have to see if you can use it to organize your stuff, or if you really need to buy something.
4. If you have to buy something to get organized, make a list. Go online and shop for the one item you need and only purchase that item.

The goal is to create an organized, functional workspace that will serve you well and allow you to do your best work. Whatever that may look like to you, make sure you don’t count on the item itself to get the job done for you. The organizational items are just tools to help you implement your organizational system. Once you have a system in place, you will work more efficiently and effectively. Getting yourself truly organized takes some work, but the end results are well worth the effort.