Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter
Let’s Do It!
Here we are at the beginning of a new year! As many of you know, 2017 was exciting for me, because my book, Organized Enough, was published. One of the main topics of the book is habit formation, and while you can start a habit any time, starting at the beginning of the year just feels right for some people.
So lets start off 2018 by developing the seven habits in my book together. Between now and July, we’ll work on one habit per month (because it takes about a month to get a habit to “stick”). As you work on developing these habits, I hope you share your experiences, successes and struggles on my FB page. I’ll answer questions and help you through the rough spots.
Ready? Let’s get to it: The first habit is Take Inventory.
Most people have too much inventory—duplicates, more than you need, stuff you don’t use. If you were a business, you wouldn’t let this happen. Businesses pay close attention to inventory—making sure they have what they need on hand, but not too much. Pantry items and toiletries are two easy areas to concentrate on for inventory control. The goal is to have fewer specialized items gathering dust, and a good system for “replenishment items” that you use up regularly and always need.
In order to control your inventory, you need to first assess what you have, weed out what you don’t need and organize what remains. Then you need to create a system to maintain that inventory. With clothing, it can be as simple as I’m not buying another pair of jeans until I wear out one of the pairs I already have. Pantry items and toiletries require more of a system. The key is the list. It can be digital (such as file you share with your spouse on Google Docs) or analog (a pad and pen on the fridge). It doesn’t matter, the point is to create a list that insures you always have what you need, but you don’t end up with a glut.
This week, choose the area where you have the most “overstock” problems, and do your weeding and organizing. Next week, we’ll talk about how to create a list that will help you keep your inventory level.
Hopefully, after the gluttony and the shopping of the holidays, the idea of taking control of your inventory and getting a handle on what you have in order to avoid overbuying seems like a great way to start the new year.