Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The best organising tip I ever received (and actually use)

The Builder suggested I add point 11 to yesterday's list of the top 10 things I learned on holidays. His suggestion: no matter how long or fabulous the holiday, the second day back at work is always hard. I agree, but told him that nobody does 11 point lists. They just look wrong. So I came up with another one, to make it a nice round dozen.

12. The length of the holiday will be in direct proportion to the time it takes one to unpack one's bags after one returns home. To whit: if you go on holidays for one week and return on Sunday, you can be pretty sure those bags will still be sitting there come the following Sunday. And they will always contain three times as many clothes as you ever actually wore on said holiday.

But, having come up with that one, I decided that I would take a stand this time. I would unpack those bags. Today. I would... I would... I just...

I needed help. So I turned to a book sent to me recently by one of my favourite contacts, Lissanne Oliver. I call on Lissanne when I need help with the organisation/decluttering/simplifying end of the feature story spectrum. She is, quite simply, great at it, and gives good quote. Win/win for me. The only downside to our conversations is that she's usually saying things like 'People need to realise they can't work surrounded by piles of paper, lip balms, paper clips, nail scissors, random cables, books that need reading, articles that need referencing...' right while I'm sitting at a desk surrounded by all of those things.

Lissanne's book Sorted! is an action-stations guide to being organised. It has everything you need to clear space in your home, right down to the time-frames required to fulfill each step she outlines. Admittedly, there is not a section devoted to Unpacking After Your Holiday but much of the focus is on clearing living spaces - and given that the unpacked bags were interrupting a) traffic flow and b) air flow, I was able to use Lissanne's editing, filing and storing techniques to get the job done. Okay, half done. The Misters are now able to find their socks and undies for the morning. Me, maybe not so much.

It's progress, though, and that's what counts. Oh, and the best tip Lissanne ever gave me for a story (as in one that I actually use all the time)? Open your mail over the bin. Dump the stuff you don't need. Keep the stuff you do. Guaranteed to reduce the amount of paper entering your house.

Lissanne Oliver is joining forces with two international productivity and organising experts for the Six Steps To Your Organised Life workshops in Sydney (October 22) and Melbourne (October 29). Full details here. You can find out more about Lissanne's book and her organising work here

26 comments:

  1. I love this book- actually bought it for my mum who is terribly disorganised. As for me I HAVE to unpack, wash and put away all suitcases holiday crappola the second we get home. Having it lying around the house does my head in.

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  2. Ahhh, to be organised!

    I find it also takes weeks to actually put the 'luggage' away. I'm still stepping over our weekend bags from last month!

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  3. I am SO buying this book. I am a little obsessed with getting organised at the moment. WISH they were coming to Adelaide!

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  4. Your timing couldn't be better! Just yesterday I posted about my need to de-clutter our soon to be baby's room which is currently a room for everything that doesn't have a place! Will definitely be buying this book! Thanks for the tip x

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  5. We came back from holidays on Sunday 2/10. The suitcase only got emptied today. But the clothes are still sitting in a pile on the floor. The ones I didn't wear, of course!

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  6. I was about to recommend this to our resident Tai Tai, but I can see she's already on to it. My work here is done.

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  7. Wow, only a week. I still have a suitcase from LAST school holidays - eek. Better get me a copy before my world implodes. The mail opening over the bin was enough of a sensible tip to sell it to me...

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  8. I am off to check this out - I need some serious help in this area.

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  9. That's a tip that I've been trying to get my husband to use for years. Why does he feel the need to collect ratty, unneeded envelopes? I just don't get it! Oh and what's up with the clothes multiplying in your suitcase?! It's like a clothes orgy in there.

    Stopping by from SITS

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  10. Have just ordered the book preview for my iPad. I think I am in serious need of this book and figure ordering it for my iPad means it's one less thing I have to make a home for...

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  11. Hee hee.
    Got home from (camping) holidays two hours ago.
    Pretty much unpacked and onto the next load of washing!!!
    Everything in it's place and a place for everything!!!
    Ha ha ha!
    I have an illness, I'm sure.
    :-)

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  12. Hi Allison
    I definitely need to buy that book!!!
    I dearly want to be a more organised person and yes sometimes I leave my bag unpacked after a holiday. I do love your advice about opening the mail over a bin though. I seem to be a magnet for random pieces of papers, so that is a brilliant idea.
    Cheers
    Thea

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  13. Being a naturally organised person I always get a laugh out of people who need books and other outside help to get things sorted. But Hey! Whatever works....
    Got that case unpacked yet? and are the clothes actually put away? Or are they just out of the case?

    Not mocking...just...ummm......taking the mickey a bit.

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  14. I borrowed that book from Bron. It is awesome. I will be at a wedding, otherwise I reckon I would go to that workshop. I have much to learn!!! x

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  15. I'm visiting from SITS! This is great advise!!

    Also, on the holiday/vacation thing: My husband and I just recently came back from an anniversary trip and we both agreed that next vacation, we might just have at home. That way, we can tell everyone we are on vacation, but we don't have to pack/unpack or worry about "catching up" on things. Either that or, have two days of recover time set aside for each holiday!!

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  16. Happy SITS day! And this is seriously an awesome post! I am so disorganized. I need all the help I can get.

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  17. If Husband had his way, he would live out of a suitcase. As it is, his clothes are in a pile on the floor in the spare room. That way I can shut the door and pretend it's all picked up. If you can't beat'em, join'em. :)

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  18. I love organizational tips! They make me feel organized, even though there really is no hope for me.

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  19. I love organizational tips! They make me feel organized, even though there really is no hope for me.

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  20. I love organizational tips! They make me feel organized, even though there really is no hope for me.

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  21. I love organizational tips! They make me feel organized, even though there really is no hope for me.

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  22. This book looks great. Even though I'm an organised person I love finding new ideas and fun ways to stay on top of things :-)

    http://beingmama.com/
    http://ohsoprettylife.blogspot.com/

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  23. It will come as no surprise to you that I have had this book for years. It will also come as no surprise to you that it has been on loan to Coo for most of those years... x

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  24. Great tip, thanks for sharing! And I STILL have a bag that's not unpacked from a trip my husband took 3 weeks ago-- haha!

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  25. The fact that I have somehow trained myself to always keep up with the washing constitutes my greatest encouragement as I struggle to get organised in every other aspect of life. In fact, the midwives laughed as I popped a quick load of washing on not long after giving birth (at home). There is hope.

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  26. I need this book immediately. I, too, am surrounded by all those things on my desk or surrounding surfaces... Alpha Hubby unpacks his bags immediately, the same evening we are home. My bags are more likely to still be sitting there a week later. Great post!!

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