Was getting organised your New Year’s resolution?  Yet a few weeks in, and you still haven’t done anything about it?  Even though you know there’re plenty of benefits for getting organised¹?

Well, if you’ve read my tips to get started and they haven’t helped, maybe it’s your mindset towards organising that’s holding you back.  So let me clear some common misconceptions about organising, which will hopefully give you the motivation to take action by the end of this article. Because it’s never too late!

I’m Not Born Organised

Many people think that organising is a talent that you are born with, but organising is a skill that can be learned – and that requires practice. Take my example².  Yes, I had a strong inclination towards organising in the first place, but the reality is that I learned a lot of organising techniques during my Masters in Logistics Management.  I gained a lot of experience implementing these techniques with various companies during my corporate life, then transferring them to a home environment by organising my home and my friends’.  I beefed up my skills in recent years by attending professional organising courses, and now pass these skills onto my clients³ when we work together.  So I’m sure you can learn the skill too.

I Won’t Be Able To Maintain The Results Of My Organising Efforts

Many people think that it’s impossible to stay organised, so they wonder:  Why bother to get organised in the first place?  But organising is sustainable if it’s based on a system that’s built around your needs and preferences.  And that’s where a lot of people get it wrong.  Because they think that organising is tidying, and just end up moving things around in their homes, or they rely on organising products to solve their organising challenges.  These approaches won’t work for sure and will result in chaos coming back.  So think processes and systems, and make sure to involve the rest of your family, if you want to keep your home organised.

I Can’t Afford The Time

Many people think that they don’t have the time to get organised, or that it is a non-productive use of their time.  I have to admit that organising takes time.  After all, clutter didn’t happen overnight and won’t disappear overnight either.  But organising will help you save time in many areas of your life.  Did you know that the average American spends 55 minutes a day looking for things they know they own but can’t find when they need them?  So whether it’s finding a document in less than one minute, being on time for your meetings and appointments, or being out of the door in the morning without rushing, keep your eyes on the prize!

I Find Organising To Be A Boring Chore

I personally enjoy organising, but I know that many people don’t find organising to be particularly exciting.  I can sense many of my clients dragging their feet at first when we start their organising journey.  But soon they realise that organising is very gratifying because it gives them a sense of accomplishment, it frees them from their physical and mental clutter, and it brings them clarity on what’s really important in their life.  In fact, it’s not unusual for most of them to look forward to our next organising sessions, or even to want to do more on their own in between our sessions.

By changing your perception of organising, you’ll change the behaviour that created the disorganisation in the first place. But if despite all this advice you still find it difficult to let go of years of habits and emotional attachments, then I’m pretty sure you’ll benefit from letting me guide you through⁴ a better process. As I said earlier, it’s never too late

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