
Today I am happy to welcome guest blogger, Brandie Kajino, The Home Office Organizer. She has a fabulous website and blog for those of us with a home office or anyone who just wants to get organized! She does a great job of sharing her expert tips along with links to other sites that are immensely helpful. I am glad she is with us today and I hope you enjoy her tips as much as I do!
~Lorrie
Get Organized: 6 Steps To Get Started
Ready to get organized? If you’ve decided to get organized, you’re not alone. Have you tried before and been unsuccessful? Don’t stress! It is possible to get organized and stay that way. Pick one area at a time, and move onto the next. Here’s some tips to help you get real and get going:
- One project at a time. Don’t tell yourself “I’m going to get my life organized”. Guaranteed you’ll be burned out in two weeks. Pick one room that you want to work on. If that seems overwhelming, pick one bookcase or drawer. Small successes will build your confidence and motivate you to move forward.
- Simplify, simplify, simplify. I’d just love to take credit for this quote, but I can’t - it’s Henry David Thoreau. Part of getting organized is evaluating what you have and what you really need. This is the first step, no avoiding it. Yes it’s work, but if you don’t do it all the other efforts are wasted.
- Work with what’s left. Once you get down to what you really truly need you’re ready to go the next step. What’s left will determine what sort of products you’ll need, and help you….
- Assign homes. Here’s a tip: “being organized” simply means everything has a place (and everything in it’s place…). If it doesn’t have a home, it’s homeless and will wander aimlessly for all eternity. So, do yourself a favor and commit to giving a home to everything you’ve decided to keep. Take it one thing at a time, and put things together that make sense to you. If that seems a little daunting and permanent, don’t worry - you can always move it later, but you have to start somewhere.
- Put things away. You don’t have to live in Perfection Utopia - it’s a myth and just not real. Period. What you need to do is put things in their homes (see previous step) consistently. Just like anything else you’ve got to do this and make it a habit. Once you do, you’ll see your space change for good.
- Change and re-evaluate as necessary. Sometimes people move from one home to a new one. The only constant is change, so don’t worry if things in your space change - because they will. So, go with it and re-evaluate as needed.
You really can change your life with organization. And honestly, when I type that it sounds caddy and simplistic - but I know it to be true. Start with changing your space. Organize your stuff, get real with it, dig deep. You just might surprise yourself!

Brandie Kajino, The Home Office Organizer, is a dynamic speaker, author and professional organizer. Brandie helps home office professionals get organized. Her website includes free resources, teleclasses, personalized services and a blog with dozens of articles. For a free copy of her Top Ten Organizing Tips, visit her web site at www.thehomeofficeorganizer.com, or call her at 971-533-7735.