the OSTRICH
:your 1st steps
TO GETTING MORE ORGANISED...
ORGANISEMYHOUSE.COM
So, you're an
Ostrich - what
does that look
like?
Like an Ostrich - you may well feel like putting your head in the sand
(figuratively speaking!).
Things have built up over time, to the point now where you're feeling a little
(or a lot) out of control both at home and in your day to day life.
Being disorganised is now affecting your life in many ways: -
You may be avoiding having guests in your home,
You're forgetting appointments
You're wasting time looking for lost items
You're wasting money paying late bills and buying duplicates
You're wasting energy as cleaning and general day to day stuff
takes longer because of the clutter..
You feel frustrated and want to get things tackled properly, but you don't
know where to start.
You're also finding it hard to get motivated because the task at hand feels just
too big.
... but it doesn't have to stay this way
You now know you're an Ostrich, and knowledge is power!
The next thing we need to know is WHAT needs to be worked on when it comes
to 'getting more organised' - because then we can pair these two pieces of info
and create a plan that works specifically for YOU...
ORGANISEMYHOUSE.COM
THE 3 FOUNDATIONS
THESE ALL NEED TO BE TACKLED TO TRULY HAVE AN ORGANISED HOME LIFE
+ +
SPACE LIFE TIME
CREATE A HOME SIMPLIFY YOUR FOCUS ON WHAT
YOU LOVE DAY TO DAY MATTERS
Getting organised is a big task - there's no getting around it!
The easiest way to tackle it is a little at a time. This allows you to focus on one thing at a
time, make progress, & feel the benefits- without getting too overwhelmed.
I've found that splitting home life up into 3 main areas is key. Those areas are SPACE, LIFE
and TIME - and I call them the foundations, because it's like the three of them will create a
strong foundation to your home life when they're all working well: -
SPACE - Creating a home that you love. Tackling the 'stuff' you have, and the
'style' we choose. After all - when you feel happy in your home, and when it's set
up right for you - it will support everything else you do.
LIFE - Simplifying your day to day by creating easy systems for your home life.
Systems will help you to streamline things, see where savings can be made (time,
money, energy) - and generally make life easier for you. It's about taking control
of running your home and being the HOME BOSS!
TIME - Focusing on what matters. Yes, of course some of your time will be spent
looking after the home and doing stuff for your family, but it ALSO means
ensuring that your schedule has stuff that's important to you too. Happy You =
Happy Home!
Tackling each of these means you'll find life gets easier & more enjoyable VERY quickly!
So - now you know WHAT needs to be looked at when 'getting more organised', it's time to
find out HOW your quiz results work with these 3 foundations in mind, and WHERE it would
be most beneficial for you to focus & start....
ORGANISEMYHOUSE.COM
THE OSTRICH & THE 3 FOUNDATIONS
HOW ARE YOU CURRENTLY DOING IN EACH OF THESE AREAS?
SPACE LIFE TIME
YOUR STUFF HAS GOTTEN BECAUSE OF THE CLUTTER, YOU HAVE NO TIME
OUT OF CONTROL - EVERY YOU HAVE NO CHANCE OF BECAUSE YOU'RE
ROOM IS CLUTTERED SETTING UP SYSTEMS AT CONSTANTLY FIREFIGHTING
HOME TO SIMPLIFY THINGS DUE TO LOST ITEMS, MISSED
APPOINTMENTS ETC….
you are likely feeling overwhelmed & frustrated right now
THE POSITIVES...
You can start from scratch! It's often harder to start from midway and have to decide
what's working and what isn't - so you get the luxury of creating a home life that works for
you - from the start!
THE NEGATIVES...
Because everywhere needs attention - it can be so hard to know what to do first, and
whether that will work for you or not,
ORGANISEMYHOUSE.COM
THE 4 STAGES OF BEING ORGANISED
OVERVIEW OF GETTING ORGANISED - SO YOU CAN SEE WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW,
AND WHERE YOU'RE HEADING...
STAGE 1 - THE OSTRICH
Your head is in the sand - you're overwhelmed but don't know where or how to start to
make the changes you want to make. This is the point where you want to be creating
momentum in your SPACE (which will naturally help LIFE and TIME a little too!) by
creating new habits, and taking steps to simplify the 'stuff' in your home so that you can
see more clearly.
... focus on: decluttering
STAGE 2 - THE SWAN
At this stage you'll still have some level of clutter in your SPACE - but it's now the hidden
places in your home that are 'behind the scenes' (cupboards aren't as organised as you'd like
etc...). You're at the stage where you can see what you have more clearly, and so can continue
streamlining it all so it will work really well for you - BUT you've now created some SPACE and
TIME to be able to start looking at how you run your home LIFE as well, so you can start to
streamline the systems you have in place...
... focus on: streamlining
STAGE 3 - THE PUFFIN
You're well on your way in both your SPACE and LIFE. You're decluttering regularly and pretty
much staying on top of systems that you've put in place, and your home is starting to feel like
a well-oiled machine. BUT - although you are now the HOME BOSS, you may well be
forgetting yourself a little because you're so focused on the house. Making TIME for what YOU
want as well (whatever that is!) is key now - so you are happy with how you fill your schedule.
... focus on: making your time count
STAGE 4 - THE OWL
You're doing REALLY well! Your SPACE is pretty much clutter free (apart from day to day stuff,
of course!) and you're running your home LIFE like a BOSS thanks to the systems you've got in
place. You've also managed to carve out some TIME for your own goals and priorities and have
a schedule that you enjoy for the most part. You're a perfectionist, so a few things will always
have room for improvement, but now it's time to enjoy what you've done, stay focused and
look at maintaining it so it doesn't slip back. Get ready to consolidate, and keep it up!
... focus on: maintenance
ORGANISEMYHOUSE.COM
THE OSTRICH - WHERE TO FOCUS:
DECLUTTERING
Decluttering your SPACE is most definitely where you should focus right now, because
when you have a little more breathing space (both physically & mentally) then you'll be able
to see things more clearly and stop feeling so overwhelmed.
And, by focusing on your SPACE, you're also going to reap the rewards in your home LIFE
and your TIME as well - indirectly.
Because, when you get rid of your clutter - you'll have the obvious benefit of feeling free-er,
but you'll also benefit by saving yourself time, energy and money... No more wasting time
looking for lost items, or cleaning stuff you don't need. No more buying things you've
already got because you couldn't find it, and no more paying late fees due to misplacing a
bill or a library book etc...
Sounds great - right!?
So - let's look first at creating a decluttering habit. This will help you for the rest of your life.
Seriously! Decluttering is one of those skills that you'll use every day - and - just like cleaning
your teeth twice a day, after a while you won't even have to think about it, you'll just do it!
As such - I've got a couple of tasks for you to try right now (details are on the next pages): -
YOUR FIRST STEP: THE BIN BAG CHALLENGE - A very easy and quick one that will get
you started and feeling like you're doing something (because up until now it's been
just talking about it!). This will help your mindset shift from "it's too big a job" to "it
doesn't have to be hard!"
A MINDSET SHIFT - UNDERSTAND YOUR 'WHY' - This will help you to create
motivation to get started, AND to keep going.
a couple of things to keep in mind...
You CAN do it, step by step. It took a long time to get where you are - so don't beat yourself
up if things take a while. All good things come to those who take action a little at a time.
We are also NOT looking for perfection here (whatever that means!), You can declutter to
the level you are happy with, don't go minimal if that's not your happy place - this is all
about getting organised for YOU.
ORGANISEMYHOUSE.COM
YOUR FIRST STEP:
THE BIN BAG CHALLENGE
I want you to start small, get some great habits in place (that are totally do-able), and then
you'll be unstoppable!
So - your very first task is an easy one - but don't be deceived by the simplicity - it couldn't
be any more effective in making visible (and immediate) change.
It's simply the BIN BAG CHALLENGE.
All you need to do is go, right now, and grab yourself one large Bin Bag.
Take the bag and walk around your home with it. Go from room to room and fill it with
rubbish. Simple!
Just focus on taking this amount of stuff out of your home - and enjoy the feeling of being a
little lighter...
That's it! (Told you it was easy!)
when you've filled that
bag - put it in the bin,
tick the box to the right,
and pat yourself on the
back - you've started!
TIP - This is a great thing to start doing
regularly - wherever you are on your
organising journey, because however
organised you feel - you can ALWAYS
seem to find a bin bag load!! You could
do it for recycling, charity shop, or
rubbish - challenge yourself and see
where it leads....
MINDSET SHIFT:
FINDING YOUR 'WHY'
Getting organised isn't ALL about doing physical things - it's a lot about changing your
mindset. Because, as the saying goes - if you do what you've always done, you'll always get
what you've always got.
If you change your surroundings - and stay with the same thinking, you're likely to end up
going back to where you are now - and that's definitely not the aim, right!
So - your first mindset shift to think about right now is what your reason is for getting
organised.
It's finding your WHY
Because when you know why you're doing this, you can use that to get motivation AND to
keep going when you don't want to (because, well, life!)
And it really doesn't matter what your why is - just as long as it means something to you.
Some ideas are: -
To create more space
To make cleaning easier
To gain more time to start a business
To give kids a good role model
To be ready to move house
To have more guests
To enjoy being at home more
To feel calmer, and less anxious
To feel more in control again
To be house proud
To downsize
So - what will your WHY be?
__________________________________________
TIP - Write this down on a piece of paper and
put it somewhere you can see it every day - to
keep it front and centre in your mind
WELL DONE!
HOW ARE YOU FEELING NOW?
Not only have you got rid of a bin bag (maybe more!) full of stuff from your home - you've also
worked out your reason for getting started on this organising journey.
You've started the process both physically (which is easier to see), AND mentally (which is
equally important for success).
Are things feeling a little more do-able now? I really hope so!
so - what's next?...
The best 'next step' for you right now is to keep the momentum going and really focus on
getting your home decluttered.
This is because decluttering not only helps you tackle your SPACE - but the other 2
foundations are indirectly helped as well:
You'll begin to feel more in control of your home LIFE when there's less clutter in it
AND
You'll gain some TIME because there won't be so much to clean and tidy.
Of course, decluttering your home can feel daunting - but just remember that you can do it!
Just as you've done a few steps to get here, you CAN do things in little chunks and get to
where you want to.
So, you now have two choices:
You could stop here. In a year from now nothing will have changed and you'll wish you had
carried on... OR
You can take the plunge and make changes that really will make a positive difference to
you and your home from today onwards.
I know which I hope you'll pick!
And don't worry - I won't leave you here to work it out yourself - I'm here to help!
Having owned my own home organising and styling business for over 12 years, I was able to
help LOTS of clients transform their homes from cluttered to calm, with my tried and tested
systems and tips.
And I'm sharing it all on the site, on the Facebook page, and in my courses and planners.
So - which of these will help you most, right now?
ON THE SITE:
The decluttering hub is the place on the site where you'll get the most help for where
you need to focus right now - head over to https://organisemyhouse.com/declutter/
and get reading!
ON FACEBOOK:
Like/Follow the Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/organisemyhouse) for daily
tips, motivation and funnies (because it's important to have a giggle while getting
organised, right!)
and join the Facebook Group
(https://www.facebook.com/groups/organisemyhouseHQ) for a private place where you
can ask for help and advice while decluttering, without friends and family seeing
(unless they're part of the group as well, of course!)
IN THE SHOP:
Give me the next 10 days and you can create a decluttering habit that will serve you
well for years to come. The 10 in 10 Kickstart Challenge (Ostrich Edition). is a simple but
REALLY effective next step on your decluttering journey. Not too overwhelming, you'll
get a decluttering challenge each day, and some brilliant mindset shifts too - all of
which have been designed specifically for an Ostrich. You're getting exactly what you
need to move forward right now. You can head to the shop HERE to take the challenge.
And whatever you choose - please promise yourself that you'll do one thing a day from now
on - and you'll get to where you want before you know it!
Here's to a clutter free life!
Chrissy x
