Get Organized

When you work out of your home, AND have a family to take care of, its pretty easy to slide into a state of chaos. At least, it's pretty easy for me! I've been under the impression that once you get your life/business/classroom organized, that's it! You're done!    WRONG    Life get's in the way. Kids get sick, you get sick. Some major life event takes place. You take on a larger workload. It happens to all of us, so don't feel guilty. That's what happened just before I snapped that shot above. Yes, that is a real life photo of my office (embarrassed emoji).

That's why it's important for us all to remember that, just like education, organization is a journey, not a destination. That was a huge epiphany for me.  I would spend days, weeks working endless hours to get everything in order, just to have it all come crashing down around me days later. Then I beat myself up over it and it would take months before I spent the time again. 

PSA: This is a vicious cycle that we need to end now!

So what's so different now? Let me be clear. I am a work in progress, we all are! So nothing is really different...YET. That is, except for my mindset. I just spent a week working with a group of fantastic Mom Bosses on an Organization & Declutter challenge. It was fun, scary, and exciting. But all-in-all, I learned a few things about myself that might help me break this vicious cycle of regret and embarrassment. Over the next few days (or maybe weeks) I'm going to share my takeaways, and how I'm changing my perspective and focus moving forward on this journey to become a more organized tutor, mom, and business owner. 

Phase 1: Recognizing You Have a Problem   

If you are anything like me, you pretty much live in Phase 1. You look around every day and see the stacks, the piles, the overflowing bins, and you think, "where can I put all this?" There are basically only two options here: 1) live with it, or 2) do something about it. If you chose to live with it, that's fine, the rest of this article (and series) won't be of much help to you. But if you are ready to do something about it, then let's get moving on to Phase 2. 

Phase 2: Eliminating Unnecessary Things

"Wait!" "No, not that!" "I'll use it someday." Sound familiar? I know I'm guilty. As a tutor who works with a wide range of students, I have TONS of books, games, manipulatives, and other resources. I could probably teach math for the entire year from preschool through Geometry without ever purchasing another resource. (OK that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but remember I create most of my own resources, so it's definitely plausible!) On that note, since I create most of my own resources to meet the specific needs of the students I'm working with right now, WHY am I holding on to all this "I'll use it someday" stuff? You get the point? Just get rid of it! 

But how do you decide if it's necessary or not? Ask yourself three questions. 1) Has it been more than 6 months since I used it? 2) Do I have, or know of, a much more effective resource or tool that can meet more needs? 3) Is it broken, damaged, or out-dated? If you answered yes to any of these questions, it might be time to get rid of it. If it's not damaged or out-dated you could gift it to another tutor/teacher/or homeschool family. Or try to post it on a resale or swap page. Just because it's no longer working for you doesn't mean it won't work for someone else!

Even after you've eliminated unnecessary items, you may still be swimming in a sea of disorder and chaos. Don't worry, you are on your way to more organized work space. It's going to take time. Before moving on to Phase 3, spend some time just clearing off your space. This was the first day of the challenge I talked about. And let me tell you, it was motivating! Take a look for yourself. 

    

Phase 3: Obtaining Tools to Organize Your Things

You don't need to run out to Ikea and spend $3,000 to organize your office this weekend. I know a nice little shopping spree sounds fun (to some people, NOT me) but it just isn't necessary. Anyone can get the tools they need, no matter their budget. That black crate you see on top of my file cabinet, $5 at Big Lots. It has ridges so the hanging files sit just fine. I like that there is no drawer in this one because it holds all of my go-to resources for math. Grade level assessments, games, take-home practice pages, Interactive Notebook pieces...Basically everything I've ever created, and/or purchased that needs to be printed and can help me teach math. 

Also notice that my pens and markers are all neatly organized and displayed in cups and mugs I've collected throughout the years (most are gifts from kids/families that I just couldn't bare to see get chipped or broken from daily use. Check out my Pinterest Board for more ideas on DIY organizational items.

 

**Also, watch in the coming weeks for a tutorial on how to make an AWESOME tutor desk when the market around you just doesn't offer what you need!

Phase 4: Implementing Tools to Organize Your Time

This phase is the ABSOLUTE hardest phase for me. I am a self diagnosed "multi-tasker" by nature. I want to do two or three things at once to maximize my time. Which means I'm literally writing this blog post while doing the dishes. Yep! When I get stuck on words, I hit save and walk into the kitchen and clean a sink load of dishes, or put a stack away. It's terrible, I know! It's terrible because I rarely allow my brain to focus on one task at a time, which means I'm constantly shifting gears. Ever tried to ride a bike up hill while changing gears? It's more difficult than if you just get off the thing and push it up the hill. Which is what my "productive time" usually feels like to me, switching gears up a LLOONNGG hill. 

This is my current area of focus, which is odd, because it seems I'm pretty good at helping others organize their time. My Tutor Planners are among my best selling resources in my TeachersPayTeachers store. Go figure! One thing I'm currently looking into, through Color Connection, is block scheduling. Suzanne mentioned it during the challenges after asking me a couple of hard-hitting questions. She asked "1) How do you schedule your time?

2) Do you work on everything at one time?" Then she said, "If your answer to #1 is I don't and your answer to #2 is yes, then your first step would be to organize your time." I was like, what-the-WHAT? How does she know me like that? Haha. 

As I improve on this phase, I'll share what I learn. I'm ready to tackle tasks and feel accomplished at the end of the day!

Phase 5: Maintenance

Remember, Organization is a journey, not a destination. Life is GOING to happen, we can't stop that. Things are going to get busy and stuff will pile up, no matter how on top of things we think we are being. With that being said, the key to enjoying the journey is regular self checks. If you start to feel a little bogged down, or unproductive, look around your office. Are there a few stacks piling up again? Some tools or resources clogging your shelves? If so, don't stress. You know what to do, you are at Phase 1, just admit it and move on to Phase 2. And I'll see ya again at Phase 4 because I'll likely be there a while (wink emoji)