Do you set organizing goals and then find you get overwhelmed? Do you procrastinate and don't get it done? Do you have trouble getting your family to participate? You are not alone!

Dwayne Melancon was having the same problem and he came up with a great technique for overcoming procrastination for getting the kids and the whole family to tackle a goal they've been putting off. His goal was "Reduce clutter and get rid of stuff we don't use any more." A very admirable goal but not very specific. So how to get the family to participate in getting things done'?

He came up with a creative way to get specific AND to get the kids involved. He called the Box o' Mystery" He decided to pick one box and process it with the family together.

He further defined "processing" as follows:

• Toss out anything that's trash, broken or unusable
• Put misplaced things back where they belong
• Get rid of stuff we never should've kept in the first place
• Sort and find a permanent home for things
• Put anything that's still usable into a 'giveaway box' so we can donate it,

1 - Physical - He chunked out the physical task to simplify it and make it less tiring. This is critical!!! If he had made the task a whole room instead of just one box at a time...it may not have worked!

Another factor to consider in the physical dimension is your own energy. Are you rested? Have you had enough water? Is your clutter itself draining your energy? If so, you may need to start small and clear a small clutter-free haven for yourself to gather your energy. You may even need to go outside for a walk to recharge your energy.

2 - Emotional - He made the task fun and social by having the whole family work together on it. Not just telling the kids to do it. The subconscious reward for them was having quality time with Dad.

The emotional side of getting things done cannot be overlooked. You may need to reframe the way you look at a task. What are you saying to yourself about the task? What could you be saying to yourself to make it less stressful? Another way to address the emotional side of an organizing task is to make a list of the benefits of getting it done. You can also get a friend or family member to help! Remember, "joys shared are doubled, and troubles shared are halved" I don't remember who said that but they were so right! Another way to make a task more fun is to add an element of a game or competition to it. Maybe set up a timer and see who gets the most done is certain amount of time.

3- Mental/logistics - Dwayne broke down the process into steps, set criteria AND made the rules and steps clear to the whole family. Communication is important here!

Not having a process and steps defined is a BIG reason people get overwhelmed when thinking about getting a job done. This is because when you don't have a steps in mind, and you don't have it chunked it out, you tend to overestimate how long it will take AND how difficult it be. Then you start to panic! Often just deciding where to start, defining the steps, setting a timeframe and taking the first step will set you on the path of getting the whole job done in no time!

To get over procrastination and accomplish your goals, try this:

1. Start by writing down the goal.
2. Chunk it out into small steps. If this is difficult for you, ask a friend how they would go about it.
3. Now think about how you make working on the goal fun. Can you get help? Can you set up a little contest or reward for yourself? Listen to favorite music while doing the task?
4. Break down the steps and think through the logistics and process for how you will get it done.
5. Visualize yourself doing the task AND what your end result will be!
6. Pick a very small, easy piece of the project and get started! So, if organizing paper is your goal, you could get started by break that down to a very small easy piece like "Pick up all the scattered pages on the counter and put them in a basket."

2006 Ariane Benefit, Neat Living All rights reserved.

Ariane Benefit

Ariane Benefit is a professional organizer, speaker, and author of the popular Neat Living Blog which provides free organizing tips, home makeover photos and much more.

Her mission is to inspire people to simplify, clear clutter, and get organizes so they can get things done easily, and have more time to enjoy the things they really love!!

Contact me at 973-429-2100 or abenefit@neatliving.org. Article or book writing requests are welcome! I am also available to provide content expertise to other writers.

Background: Having grown up in an extremely cluttered home and having moved frequently, I learned first hand how to overcome the need to keep everything. Being the first and only person in my family to go to college, I also learned early on how important it is to organize yourself to achieve your dreams and goals.

I am especially empathetic to creative people, people in crisis, people with ADD/ADHD, young people, students, packrats, sentimental collectors, people moving, merging households, and anyone who needs to downsize.

I have a Master's Degree in Education with a minor in Business and a Bachelor's Degree in Spanish from the University of Miami in Florida. With over 20 years experience in corporate performance consulting, I am also certified in Process Facilitation, Management Development Training, and Accelerated Learning Methods.

My personal and professional qualifications uniquely enable me to help people not only get organized, but acquire new skills and habits so they can STAY organized.

I am an active member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (where I am currently pursing the newly established Certified Professional Organizer designation), the American Holistic Health Association, and the International Society for Performance Improvement.