The next letter in the A to Z of Organising is R.
Recipes – Recipes come to us in many different forms, from handwritten, gravy-stained recipes handed down the generations to YouTube demonstrations of the latest foodie trend. But basically, they can be categorised as either hard copy or digital. When it comes to organising recipes, you need a system for each of those categories. It could be as simple as a box for the hard copies and a Pinterest board for the digital ones. The only thing you need is easy access and retrieval. I’d suggest a further separation of categories – recipes you’d like to try and recipes that are tried and tested. For the truly dedicated recipe collector you could categorise them further by food type or dietary requirements. The potential for refinement of the filing system is endless. But simplicity wins me every time.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – An important part of being organised is simplifying, reducing our resources and reducing the strain on the budget. It’s about being smart with the resources we have. Reduce, reuse, recycle are just 3 R’s. Check out Tanya Lewis’ article about the 10R’s here.
Relationships – I’ve often been hired to help couples get organised. It is a wonderful thing when people invest in their relationship and their systems at home. It helps reduce frustrations, saves time and money and enhances the harmony in a home. On the flip side, I have also been put in the middle of tense moments between partners, when one has invited me in to the home, and the other is NOT happy about it. Whether it’s because they resent the invasion, or the money spent, or don’t believe there’s an organising problem, the end result is not pleasant. But it is possible to overcome that resentment with savvy people management skills.
Reward – Yes, being organised, having more time, feeling less stress, can be its own reward. But I have seen magic happen for my clients by celebrating their hard work and marking milestones along the organising journey. Whether it’s doing a victory dance as the clutter leaves the house, or setting aside time to indulge in a guilty pleasure, these feel good moments create a happy association with decluttering and organising. But a word of warning, I encourage clutter-free rewards only.
To read about the rest of the A to Z of Organising so far, click here.
