Holding it all together...just

I take real pleasure in being organised. A place for everything and everything in its place: this makes me feel happy and content. In fact, my need for order is like a primal urge. I go a little stir crazy if things are in disarray.

Christine Rudolph via Desire to Inspire

I think organising appeals to me for two reasons. One is the aesthetic part. It's hard to see beauty if it is piled under a heap of junk. And a neat and organised cupboard or drawer is a thing of beauty in itself, and can be so satisfying. The other aspects is all about control. In this world of chaos and time pressures, at least I can fold my linens beautifully!

Magdalena Lindholm

But there's one little problem...while I love organising, and being organised, I can also (and I hate admitting this) be a little lazy sometimes...and other times I'm just too damn tired and can't be bothered.

Martha Stewart

But I learnt a great tip at an organising course I went to some time ago by the fabulous, stylish and inspiring MaryAnne Bennie. MaryAnne runs her own organising company out of Melbourne called In8. I took many things away from her course, but one of the most effective tips was the '8 minute tip'. Her tip for getting things done and motivating yourself, is to challenge yourself to see what you can get done in 8 minutes.

The Write Start via Swish and Swanky

This is a direct quote from MaryAnne's website:

In 8 minutes you can

File paperwork - do this frequently and the filing will be done!
Delete emails - watch your inbox contents disappear in no time!
Pay your bills - do this once a week and never be overdue!
Whiz around the bathroom - have a tidy bathroom forever!
Tidy the bedroom AND make the bed like a 5 Star Hotel - love is in the air!
Do the dishes - impossible? TRY IT!

Stephmodo

So when I'm feeling unmotivated, and the house, or a particular part of it is in a pickle and needs my attention, I often set the timer on my microwave, and spend 8 very focused, productive minutes on getting my house in order. Quite often I keep going....but sometimes I stop at 8 minutes and just put my feet up - but at least I've done something.



By the way, the picture above is a little set of drawers that sits on my desk, holding all my bits and bobs required for my office - a good thing, as I have no drawers in my desk. I love it when beauty and practicality meet!

Now, if you have any other tips for motivating yourself to be organised, please share!

Best wishes,