Organization is a skill like any other. While some people seem to be naturally equipped to be more effective organizers, others fall short. Those with a propensity for cluttered desks and scattered schedules aren’t hopeless, however. The fundamentals of organization are easily taught to those willing–and wanting–to learn. For those seeking organizational enlightenment, finding the resources and materials to get going isn’t difficult.

These days, simply entering the term organization into your Google Search engine yields countless sites and articles dealing with organizational strategies, ideas, and concepts. Beyond that, scores of books have been written on the subject, numerous TV shows are centered around organizing the home, and aisles and aisles of organization products and tools line the shelves of office-supply and retail chains.

But what makes or breaks true organization is not strategy, it’s implementation. Like anything you endeavor to accomplish, planning for that accomplishment is only a small part of the task. Thinking about what you’re going to do is always easier than actually doing it. Which is why so many people fail at truly getting–and keeping–organized.

Here are some tips for moving beyond strategy and actually implementing an organization routine:

• Prioritize. Choose your most critical problem area when it comes to staying organized. Are you constantly missing appointments or arriving late to meetings? Focus on an easy-to-manage calendaring system that will work best for you. Are you always losing important documents in the paper jungle on your desk? Zero-in on filing and sorting.
• Keep it Simple. Don’t overdo your plans with complicated systems, gimmicky organizers, filing gadgets, or large-scale furniture pieces designed to optimize organization. If you go full-on with the strategy portion, investing in all types of ways to become organized, you often become sidetracked with the set-up, not the follow-up. Buying an overabundance of preparatory materials can overwhelm you and ultimately create more clutter, not less. Start off simply with a trash can, some file folders, and a box or bin.
• Be Realistic. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Set realistic goals and be honest about how much time, energy, and effort you’re willing to invest in upkeep and maintenance. Remind yourself that nothing worth having happens overnight.
• Dive in! The worst thing you can do when starting an organization regimen is to over-think the process. You can spend hours, days, weeks, even months getting yourself “ready” to get organized. Thinking, planning, and strategizing shouldn’t overpower the actual doing. Once you identify a specific task goal, dive in and get started. Don’t procrastinate or delay action because you’re too busy coming up with the “perfect” plan.
• Be Consistent. If you’re consistently saying, “I need to get organized,” but never doing it, you’re only consistent about your strategy. To get consistent about being and staying organized, you have to implement your goals. Make organization part of your daily routine, chipping away at your bad habits little by little until they finally disappear.

When learning to become organized, find a process that works for you and then slowly, but surely, begin to implement the process. Don’t get bogged down by the methodology and planning part of organization. If you spend 3 hours laying out and labeling bins, boxes, and filing folders, chances are, you’ll be exhausted before you even begin, and never actually get started with the true organization. Keep the process simple and achievable, and you’ll begin to see results that are maintainable over time.

–Sheri Staak