Keep up with It or It’ll Get out of Control

If we don’t keep up with it …

If you skip plowing on one storm, your snow turns to ice. We get an icy driveway.

The garage is a walk from the house,  so it becomes an adventure  to get out there. I discovered the crampons, but I don’t love wearing them!

Don’t let it pile up.

One long full day storm: go out twice. If you don’t, it takes longer and it’s a nightmare figuring out where to put the snow.

With your stuff, figure out what will work for you to keep up with it.

If you feel like you keep doing the grand makeover,  then something ‘s not working with your systems.

Don’t throw them out, but break it down. What step is not working? Or what step is not in the system?

Very common that papers don’t have a “release valve,” when they are older that they get purged or packed away, for example.

So analyze it , or take  in an outsider to give you perspective if you need an expert, outside set of eyes.

Track down where things are not  working for you — habits? Time? Products? Process?

Some of you will do daily pickups. Others will wait for the week to end.

Some will want quarterly declutter of all the closets or the  office supplies closet, whatever it is, a deep declutter.

Schedule time with a friend, an organizer or just with yourself.

Put it right in your calendar.

If you’re all about emotions and family connections, set a deadline to declutter in time for an event, like family coming in for your daughter’s Christening or birthday party.

Or schedule one of us to come in each quarter!

Figure out Your System … and Tweak it As Things Change.

For snowplowing, I am the less experienced of the two of us.

I may suggest ideas, but I’m not the lead, which is appropriate, believe me. This system doesn’t play to my strengths  as others do in my household.

So the snowplowing system includes:

Who snowplows does not shovel. You do one or the other.

After you’re done plowing, fill up with gas. Lessons learned on that one – ready to plow and  no gas!

Supplies related to plowing stay together in one spot in the garage.

Efficiency – the route you take. Well, it’s okay to play around sometimes, too …

Always plow or the driveway turns to ice. Another lesson learned on a lazy day. Or maybe just a crazy busy workday!

We learn something new and better each year. This year, it was to buy and wear ski goggles during the high wind storms.

In every household, there are myriad systems. Figure out first who is the lead on each system.

Who has the set of strengths which will help this system work most effectively.

Who can design systems? Who prefers to follow on that system? Tweak it together over time to match how you need to use  it and how you think.

…. & Educate Everyone Else

I was finally brave enough a few years to ask if I could plow, too. Looked like fun.

Just as with that beautiful organizing system for your mail or your pantry, snowplowing requires teaching someone the system.

Teach to the learner’s style is the best advice here.

My housemate who intuitively knew how to work the John Deere. It’s harder to teach when you’re an intuitive about the system so slow down and figure out together how best  to teach and to learn.

I need specific, methodical, step by step. And I need to read it or hear it first, and then try it. I”ll catch on much faster if you help me this way.

The men in the neighborhood cheer us on, we two women plowing out on our own!

*Did you miss the first two posts about snow & clutter? Here is where the series started.