Tricks to Getting Your Bedroom Organized

In one of my recent planning classes, a couple of people came forward with the same problem project: Trying to get the bedroom organized.

They both shared whenever they tried to work on it, they just ended up with a bigger mess than when they started.

After a few failed attempts, the brain starts to feel like it's an insurmountable challenge - so what's the point in wasting a Saturday afternoon trying again?

Here's why: External chaos translates to internal chaos. When the bedroom is cluttered, chaotic and feels like an uncontrolled mess, it's hard to be in the room and feel any sort of peace or equanimity. By the time the day is over and I'm ready to go to bed, I need peace in the space around me! (I need it in the morning too.)

The most-missed step in organizing has to do with getting ready before you do anything.

----> Gather supplies:

1. Paper & pencil - to write down the great ideas that show up while you're working.
2. Several empty boxes - to hold the stuff that will be taken away.
3. Sharpie & tape - to label those boxes (ie: Donation, Friends, Garbage...?)
4. Miscellaneous (temporary) containers - to hold the newly-organized stuff.
   You may decide to buy new and beautiful containers later but don't waste time and money until you actually see what you want to organize.

Pick one area that you can organize that isn't going to take all afternoon: Just the bureau? The closet floor? The top of the desk? If you're feeling a little bit beaten up by the bedroom-organizing project, pick a small area that won't take all day to organize. Your brain needs to see a "win" here so pick an area that you know you can conquer.

The brain skill of Response Inhibition (which has to do with our daily allotment of willpower) is going to tempt you to get distracted. Help your brain stay on task by:

1. Getting a snack before you start.
2. Setting a timer (If it's early in the day, set it for 45 minutes. If it's mid-afternoon, make 20 because it can be harder to stay on track when you're not rested and fresh.)

When you're ready to get started, here are the five basic steps to organizing anything:

1. Take everything out
2. Sort those items
3. Clean the space
4. Decide what will go where
5. Put everything back
   
   

Organization: outside and in

The brain skill of Organization is about the organization of the external stuff (like the piles we might have all over the bedroom) but also organization of thoughts & language. Do you have trouble gathering your thoughts so you can write cohesively? 

The GoBrainGo videos will show you how to easily and elegantly support the brain skill of Organization of Thoughts:

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