On being (more) organized...

I've become a little obsessed these days with the idea of organization. By obsessed, I of course mean an unfulfilled longing for something that seems less and less attainable every day. I love the feeling of knowing where everything is, being able to plan ahead and make things work. I am actually pretty good at coming up with ideas for organizing, but somehow I've always had problems making them work. This is usually due to being too tired or distracted to a) get the right things together or b) put in the extra time at first to create a new habit.

Enter the personality test. I've taken them before, and I know that they don't spell the exact parameters of you as a person, but they can offer interesting insight. My personality was defined as ENFP, and one of the descriptors was loving the creative process but balking at actual implementation. Hey....that sounds just like me!

Now that I know where the problem most likely is, I can tackle it better. Truth be told, I'm sure there are tons of disorganized people out there. The Container Store wouldn't be such a success otherwise (or maybe it would? Brain-bender there. Can't think about that right now!) So a sense of inadequacy isn't necessary - just a sense of how much the effort to get things together pays off over time. Motivation, if you will.

Example? Refilling the diaper bag before we're trying to walk out the door (hey, I guess it beats leaving the diaper bag at home altogether, right?) It doesn't seem like a big thing, but it's a habit to cultivate. The first stop when you get home is the changing table anyway, and it only takes a few extra seconds to drop a handful of diapers into the bag and take out any dirty clothes, bibs, or burp cloths and replace them. Then voila, you're ready the next time. Organization isn't necessarily extra work, it just means doing the necessary work in a more logical order. That last line might be the greatest lightbulb moment ever.

So now I'm curious. How do you go about making great ideas work for you? How do you get started? What's the best thing you've ever done to get organized? Share below in the comments!