What’s your “OQ?”

‘Organizing Quotient: Answer yes or no to the following 17 questions then score your results. What did you find out?

1.Has the top of your desk disappeared under an avalanche of papers and files? Is the desk clutter compounding daily?

2.Are you afraid to file important papers for fear you’ll never find them again? Or do you keep everything “important” on your desk so that eventually you can’t find anything?

3.Does every room in your house seem to sprout magazines and catalogs while you sleep?

4.Do you worry that your gas, electricity, cell phone, water (or all the above) will be turned off because you misplaced your bills again?

5.Have you lost friends, ended relationships, and/or alienated relatives because of forgotten birthdays, anniversaries, or other special days?

6.Do you find yourself frequently misplacing the “little losable's” such as keys, glasses, pens, and other small objects that tend to get lost?

7.Are you caught in a priority maze, overwhelmed by so much to do and feeling baffled about what to do first?

8Do your friends and/or co-workers frequently complain that you’re either late returning their calls or don’t return them at all? Do you always mean to but somehow forget?

9.You’ve finally assembled the materials to do a home project. But now the phone rings, the door bell rings or someone barges in and interrupts. Is this the story of your life?

10.You must finish your report for history by tomorrow. Instead, do you feel compelled to fiddle with your computer or call up a friend or family member? Do you procrastinate?

11. Does your clutter threaten to take over your house and/or your life? Is “Where can I put it all?” Your mantra?

12.Is opening your closet door and adventure? Do you never know what you’ll find or whether you’ll find it at all?

Total Points:

13.If you were audited by the IRS tomorrow, would you feel confident that you would have all of your tax information organized and ready to go?

14.When you check your email do you usually read them and reply right away, then either delete or save the message to a folder?

15.Have you finally solved the mystery of how to organize your room or your kid’s room so that they look pretty and you and your kids can find what you need?

16.Have you and your significant other/roommate/family member resolved those pesky organizational issues – such as when she/he drove you crazy by leaving their clothes all over the floor?

17.Are you aware that help is out there? Do you let yourself be helped – by house cleaners, pool service, librarians, financial consultant, etc. – whenever possible?

Total Points:

Grand Total: ______

SCORING

Give yourself 1 point for each “yes” for questions 1 through 12, and one point for each “no” for questions 13-17.

1-4 points: Congratulations. You’ve got the hang of organizing, but like most “together” people you’re always interested in doing things more efficiently. Keep your eyes open for interesting tips.

5-9 points: You are having trouble managing; however, it’s nothing you can’t fix. Just a bit more focus and you’ll be back on track.

10-13 points: Your life is becoming more confusing by the second. You need help. Vow to start streamlining now, and study how-to’s for inspiration and encouragement.

14-17 points: Chaos! But at least you know now what you’re up against. So take a deep breath and relax. With practice and desire to change, you can become organized.

HERE’S HOW TO BECOME ORGANIZED

How do you get organized? Here are some strategies to help you organize your personal and professional life.

Decide what really matters.

Disorganization is often a result of trying to avoid conflict or reality. For example, often times we set ourselves up for failure by overbooking our day to day schedule’s. To avoid this, try planning out each day and writing down an estimated time for each item on your list. Additionally, you should also prioritize each item on your to do list. This will ensure that you minimize your frustrations by finishing what has to be done first.

Choose the right tools.

8 times out of ten, a stumbling block to organization is not having the right tool – such as planners, systems for organizing your closet, computer software or streamlining finances. Thankfully, there are more organization tools on the market than ever before – stores and catalogs full. Select a tool effectively by identifying the size or amount of what you are organizing, where you will be when you use it and what you need to maintain it.

Eliminate Clutter

Clutter can be seen as one of the symptoms of someone who is infected with the disorganization bug. Clutter can be anything. It can be empty soda cans and pile of dishes in the sink. It can be piles of papers on your desk. It can be a closet jammed with clothes piled. Clutter can not only cost you time and money, but it can also effect how you feel and your level of motivation. Here are a few ways to eliminate clutter:

Designated places for your stuff.

By having things in the designated places this will help you save time and potentially money. This will also keep from constantly being in the way.

Eliminate the unnecessary in your life.

Research shows that 80 percent of what we have we never use, but we are afraid to let go or afraid to go without. Sometimes our stuff can act as our security blanket – and often hide our real problem(s). Ultimately, to be organized you must choose to keep only what you use. Good rule of thumb: “If you haven’t used it within the last year, get rid of it.”

Learn how to file.

Information is power- if you can access it when you need it. 8 out of 10 people have miserable filing systems. As a result, you spend precious time and money because you can’t find what you need when you need it.

There are only three things you can do with paperwork:

  1. Act on it
  2. File it
  3. Toss it

For example, if you get a piece of mail, open it. That is actually one huge clutter problem for some- unopened mail that piles up. After it is opened, you must decide what to do with it. If it is a catalog or a piece of junk mail and know that you are not going to use, toss it, as well as the thought that, “But maybe I will read it later…” If it is a bill, write it out and mail it, or file it in a “bills due”. If you receive a memo or note, after reading it, toss it or file it away. If you get a paper back, file it away. This is how stuff clutters on our desks. Following this rule is a sure-fire way to eliminate clutter altogether.

Computer Clutter It’s there. You just can’t see it. Computers may look neat on your desktop, but inside is a different story as they are another area that can become very cluttered. To keep more disk space available as well as help things run faster try these tips:

  • Delete e-mail that was already read. This will keep your inbox clean.
  • Reply to e-mail right away, so that your inbox does not get built up.
  • Create a filing system- if you cannot reply right away, or need to save an e-mail, place in a folder made for that category. (Needs Reply, or Archives)
  • Watch your “sent mail” folder and your “deleted items” folder. Delete things from both of these folders as well. If this is not done periodically, your mailbox can fill up, which means you won’t be able to receive emails.
  • Add to your address book often. Many times people will keep an e-mail in their inbox so that they have the address of that person when they are ready to write back. Instead of that, simply save the address. You’ll know where to find it later.
  • Put spam filters on your e-mail account to limit inbox space. Just don’t forget to check your junk mail folder for things to slip through- such as an e-mail from an old high school crush!
  • Files- keep a disk or CD with your assignments from previous classes. This will keep you’re my Documents folder easier to navigate through, as well as allow for more space. In addition, you will have things backed up incase of failure.
  • If you have multiple documents make folders so that it is much easier to try and find the document that you are looking for.

Keeping the people you live with organized
1. Hold Family Meetings. One of the best ways to keep in close contact with your immediate family members is to hold weekly family meetings. Set one day each week to sit around the table with everyone to discuss upcoming plans, fill in the family calendar, review upcoming family vacations, decide on weekly meals, address school issues, etc. Make this mandatory, even if your kids sigh at the thought. Try to keep it to 30 minutes or less.
2. Give everyone things to do. The household chores and errands should never fall on one single household member's shoulders. Make a list of everything that needs to be done each week, recurring and one-time-only. Then assign tasks among family members. And remember, even toddlers can help in one way or another. It's best to teach family responsibilities from a young age.
3. Get on the same page with your spouse. Kids need consistency. If you're always telling your kids to pick up after themselves, and your spouse lets things slide and picks up after the kids, then your kids are going to get mixed messages. When husbands and wives make rules that they both agree to and the kids must adhere to, there will be much less resistance and frustration.
4. Make it rewarding. If there's never a reward for doing something, what's the fun in that? Some families give kids allowances for doing their chores. Other families clean and organize together and then celebrate with a pizza party or a movie when everything is complete. Kids are generally thrilled to build 'stars' or 'stickers' for jobs well done, that they can turn in for prizes, like helping mom bake cookies, or going to the park with dad.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help

There are many different resources out there that can help you become more organized and efficient in your everyday life. Some are free, others may cost some money, but you should always take advantage of those resources that are available to you.