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1-Page Summary of Organizing From the Inside Out

Overview

Sometimes, you wish that you could tidy up like Mary Poppins and have the room tidy itself. Wouldn’t it be great to snap your fingers and watch everything organize itself?

Unfortunately, physics won’t allow you to create shortcuts for cleaning up your home. However, there is a method that will help you organize your home while still working around your schedule. It’s called the organizing from the inside out method and it works because it fits around our work schedules. These key points teach us how we can incorporate this method into our lives without having to change too much of what we’re already doing.

In this passage, you will learn why it’s a bad idea to get upset at your messy partner; how long it takes the average person to clean a room; and some reasons for being messy.

Big Idea #1: Start getting organized from the inside out by identifying the causes of your disorganization.

It has happened to all of us. We want to get organized, so we follow advice from different sources about what works and doesn’t work. But most of the time, it just doesn’t help.

What?

There are many techniques that can be applied in a general sense. However, the real key to success is figuring out what works best for you and your situation.

Before you can re-organize your life, it’s important to understand why it’s disorganized.

To fix a problem, you need to know why it’s broken. By looking at three common areas of organizational problems (missing labels and spaces that lack purpose), we can find those issues and improve the system.

There are also problems that exist outside of your organization, such as unrealistic expectations at work, big events like a new baby or divorce, domestic issues with an uncooperative partner and not having enough space.

Another important area is psychological obstacles, which are things within yourself that make you disorganized. For example, having unclear goals or fears about getting organized can prevent you from being organized. Another obstacle is taking comfort in being surrounded by stuff instead of de-cluttering your life.

The three areas that contribute to disorganization are living spaces, time management and memory skills. To improve these areas, you need to identify the causes of your disorganization. The first step is identifying what’s causing it. Only by honestly assessing your situation can you build a lasting solution. So start by knowing your obstacles.

Big Idea #2: Caringly help your messy partner get organized by unleashing their motivation to clean up.

Imagine this: You spent hours cleaning up and preparing for your guests. Your home is spotless, but when they arrive, they throw their muddy shoes on the floor and hang their wet coats on furniture. The work you put in to prepare goes down the drain.

You probably want to strangle your partner, but hold back. There are better ways to fix bad habits in a relationship. For instance, nagging and forcing someone to change his or her habits won’t help much. It’s smarter to approach the problem from another angle:

To motivate someone, you need to get them motivated themselves. One way to do this is by asking a question: what does your clutter cost you? Maybe it’s something like your partner losing her keys and wasting time looking for them or almost tripping over all the stuff around the house. Remind her of these things and she’ll be hard-pressed not to respond.

If you want your partner to change, motivate her by setting up a system that allows each person to have his or her own space. A great way to do this is to design the rooms together so each person can have what they need. This will help them learn about each other’s habits and preferences while also giving them both some privacy. It may even encourage your partner to adopt some of your good habits. Now you know how to get your messy partner motivated and organized!