Free Your Space: Success doesn’t just happen

For the past two years I have
wanted to lose ten pounds. I have
tried making various changes to my eating habits and adding a couple of extra
dog walks into the week — my very small attempt at the “E” word (Exercise). I have also tried using a smart phone
app that tracks my calories and writing down my weight in my planner. All this to no avail since, as time
moves on, I allow my latest reminder system to lapse and the same 10 pounds
continues to glare up at me from the bathroom scale.

There are some goals, chores, or
responsibilities that are easy to manage with regularity and others that, for
some reason or another, just don’t seem to stay on the radar. I remember to have the oil in my car
changed regularly, however I forget to change the smoke alarm batteries in the
house. Neither of these
responsibilities occurs frequently.
Yet, the one I remember to address is the one that would seem to take
the greater effort. I don’t know
about you but I find this interesting.

Setting up habits that actually
work, ones that will stick, is a common theme throughout the quest for
organization and at the root of its success. We try ideas and tricks that appear sound and reasonable yet
they don’t always operate in each particular situation. It seems that there are many reminders
that work just fine when written into a planner, yet there are still some that
do not. And a sticky note next to
the phone will prompt a call to Aunt Mary for her birthday while a sticky note
on the desk with the phone number of a possible business affiliate can sit for
weeks before noticing it and then wondering who and what it was about.

If the planner or sticky note
solutions are not at fault (they clearly work in some cases) then where is the
breakdown? How can we know what
reminder to use for which purpose?
Many have approached me letting me know that they just “don’t have the
organizing gene.” Well, I don’t
know whether or not an organizing geneexists
but I assure you that, if it does, I don’t have it. Organization is something I have learned, practiced and come
to value as an avenue for myself to achieve peace, order, joy and success in my
life. Pinpointing the right
solution is key to turning a goal into a success. So in facing my 10-pound problem, I choose to view it as
just another organizing puzzle to figure out. And, with a trip to Florida planned for late May, I am
determined!

I consider some of my failed
maintenance attempts and how I have turned them into successful habits. For instance, email reminders
never worked for bringing my car for its oil change. However, once the service station started posting the next
date right on the windshield the oil got changed every 3000 miles. My dogs used to get their heartworm
pills irregularly when I kept the reminder on my kitchen calendar. Since taping a list inside the cabinet
where I keep dog treats and other pet supplies, I can record heartworm and flea
medication due dates and the dogs no longer miss a dose. Finally, I used to hide my black thumbs
whenever presented with a lovely new plant by an unsuspecting friend. After administering Last Rites, I would
add it to my small collection of hopefuls — always either drowning or parched
for water. Since my planner stays
in the kitchen, as do my watering pots, a reminder in it to “water the plants”
works. I’m happy to report (still
in a quiet whisper) that, since adding the watering schedule to my planner, I
have more than 10 thriving specimens, one of which is an orchid that has actually
flowered!

Aha! A pattern. The reminders that have proven to work
best over time are the ones that are set up in the places in which the activity
will occur. This realization
sparks a couple of new ideas: Tape
a list in the closet near the scale to jot down weekly records of my weight -
six weeks so far and four pounds to go!
Add a sticky note to the back of the kitchen clock reminding the time
changer to replace the smoke detector batteries when springing forward.

How about you? Is there a goal you have that you can’t
seem to reach? Something on your
to-do list that keeps falling through the cracks? Think about where
a reminder will serve you best, put it in place and begin anew. It’s as easy as one, two…..10 pounds!

* To contact Annette Reyman for
organizing work, productivity support, gift certificates or speaking
engagements in the Greater Philadelphia area call (610) 213-9559 or email her
at annette@allrightorganizing.com.

Reyman is a member of the National
Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO®) and Board Member of its Greater Philadelphia Chapter.

Visit her Web site at www.allrightorganizing.com or
follow All Right Organizing on Facebook.

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