53: Getting Organized vs. Staying Organized Explained

This week we talk about the difference between getting organized and staying organized. Understanding each concept is important to avoid frustration and achieve long-term success in your organizing journey. We break down the two concepts, offering insights into the initial process of setting up systems, the significance of habits in maintaining order, and the keys to success for both phases. emphasizes.

In this episode, we talk about:

What does getting organized mean?
What does staying organized mean?
Practical tips for both getting and staying organized,
Maintaining the order and system you've established over time

Mentioned in this Episode:

Episode 001: 7 Steps to Organizing (almost) Anything

https://theorganizedflamingo.com/7-steps-to-organizing/

Episode 021: Avoiding Burnout and Achieving Mindful Organization

https://theorganizedflamingo.com/21-avoiding-burnout-and-achieving-mindful-organization

Download your FREE “Should you Keep It or Toss It?” decision tree https://organizedandproductive.com/keeportoss

Join our weekly email newsletter for all-things organizing & productivity delivered right to your inbox

https://theorganizedflamingo.com/quicklinks

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The Organized & Productive podcast is brought to you by The Organized Flamingo and hosted by Stephanie Y. Deininger! For those of you who love the thought of organizing & being more productive, but don’t know where to start or constantly up against hurdles that don’t let you advance the way you want to, this podcast is for you!

Review full show notes and resources at

https://theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast

Download your FREE “Should you Keep It or Toss It?” decision tree https://organizedandproductive.com/keeportoss

Review the Transcript:

Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:00:00]:
Hey, friends. Welcome to a short and sweet episode here at the Organized and Productive podcast. I'm Stephanie, your host. And today, we are talking about the difference between getting organized and staying organized, which is 2 different styles of organizing that I think get confused. So let's talk about it so that you are set up for success. Here we go. Welcome to the Organized and Productive podcast with The Organized Flamingo. I am your host, Stephanie, a professional organizer and productivity expert.

Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:00:32]:
Ready to explore the right organizing and productivity solutions for you? Yeah? Well, then let's go. If you are new here, welcome. But if you're not, you probably remember me talking about this concept and just the 2 concepts, the 2 phrases in other podcast episodes in the past. They're very important to understand the difference because they are going to be what sets you up for success or one of the ways that you get set up for success. Okay? So you're probably familiar with me talking about this, but I've never made an episode about it until now, because with the new year, with the whole new you know, every time there's, like, a new beginning, forming. I see a lot of people rushing to make these really large goals, and I noticed that when they're about getting organized. They may stake a project, like, let's just get my closet Organized. That is a Productive, versus adopting new habits and adopting a whole new concept of, getting organized, which is staying organized, which is, like, a long term.

Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:01:40]:
And when they get confused, that people get frustrated because they're not being set up for success. So that's why I wanna make its own episode, so that every time anybody is feeling aggravated with, with their organizing journey and they're not making progress, I'll have you guys come back to this episode so that we can just go back to the fundamentals and that these 2 things are very different and you may be confusing both of them, interchangeably, you know, or, mixing both of them up and just not getting set up for success. So it's gonna be a quick and short episode. I'm gonna first talk about the what getting organized means and then what staying organized means, and then we're gonna combine them together and how to get yourself set up so that, you can pick which one is best for you according to what your end goal is. Okay? So let's talk about the first, which is what does getting organized mean. So with getting organized, it typically refers to the initial process of setting up your systems. So it's the assess if you follow the steps of our 7 steps of organizing almost anything, which just our framework here at The Organized Flamingo. It is the thing that you do with step 1, which should never get missed.

Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:02:56]:
It is setting up yourself for success. It is setting up the system. It's the process of. It's creating a plan. It's sorting things out to establish order, and it involves tasks like like decluttering and arranging items, things that have a beginning, a middle, and an end. If you're a project person, like a project manager or you deal a lot with projects, you are very familiar with this concept. It's a project. It has some kind of plan and a process and a way for you to keep your process and your progress in Czech.

Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:03:33]:
So it's not so wishy washy. Like, it's pretty straightforward. Right? And staying organized, on the other hand, is all about maintaining that order in system that you created to get organized and ensuring that that is kept up over time. It involves a lot of habits in The habit making, in the process of creating new habits. So there's a lot more mind shift. There's a lot more repetitive work so that you can start, embracing new habits. It's a lot of change. So it is a it it is The long term game, and it evolves consistently following the plans and systems that you put up in place at the beginning for The get organized, but it also means that you should be flexible enough The change it along the way.

Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:04:22]:
So this is where the frustration happens because and people think that they got organized. You know, they organized a shelf for your drawer or your room or your garage, and it always comes back to getting messy. And that's because you set up the system and you got it organized, but you you did not embrace some of these new habits, slowly so that they could become part of you. And the maintaining, like, a schedule and things like that when it comes to your family members, maybe your living or other people need to also adapt to these new habits. That is also in the long game. Like, The have to be okay with the new system. So this staying organized requires more thought process and a little bit more coaching, and a little bit more mind mind and mind shifting. So here are some tips on how to get yourself organized and then also stay organized.

Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:05:13]:
I'm gonna go over them very quickly because we are going to have a podcast episode that is all about each of these 2. So we're gonna going to give you some tips on getting organized, setting yourself up for success, like its own podcast episode, and then we will have its own podcast episode on how to stay organized long term because I I believe that they deserve that much respect, like, its own episode with its own tips. Okay. So for getting organized, some of those things that I would give you tips on is set yourself up for success. So get yourself either a project room or a project table, project area, something that is designated specifically for the project that you're trying to get more organized in. This includes your digital spaces. So this is like the holding area, the holding space. It is a space that is temporary.

Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:06:05]:
It won't be there forever, but it allows you to start getting used to the process and also have, like, a blank slate somewhere. It's your holding area. When I I'm recording this podcast in January and I actually had a client the other day that we started with organizing their closet. Right? And what we did is we have their guest bedroom right now is their holding area while we set up and get their their closet Organized. So this is like the staging area, the place that has the and, like the, you know, to mend or to fix bin. So that stuff that we're putting in to see and we're gonna get some pricing to see if it's even worth fixing the shoes and the accessories and the clothing or if they have the time to mend and sew the the things that they've been saying that they were going to fix. So we have that staging area there, like a bin, and then we have the and, the donate pile there. So this is like a a a place that is specific to the project, and it allows you to have a go to place to, you know, put those those items that are that you're not sure about.

Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:07:12]:
And you're kind of just figuring stuff out because when you're getting organized, you're not sure what the system is going to be yet. So that is one of my biggest tips. Have a holding area. If you don't have a dedicated room you can do this in, it could be a side you know, the the section of your bedroom or section of your whatever living space you're in. It doesn't have to be big. It just has to be a very designated area for the project at and, with the end goal that this won't be the forever home. This this is just while you're working on this project. The 2nd tip that I have for you to set yourself up for success while you're working on a project of organizing a specific space is to try different things.

Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:07:53]:
This is the area this is the time when you should be exploring different bins, different systems, different if you're a business a CRM, a different calendar system, a different planner. Try different things out, especially if you're not sure or if you have not had success with, like, a one particular system. Like, if you bought something and it has not given you success or, result the results that you're wanting. This is a good time to try something different, something new. Maybe, because of the aesthetic and because you were on social media and your favorite influencer person, movie star uses these clear bins. You got them, but for you, that is giving you visual chaos. This is a really good opportunity for you to try different things out, different bins, different systems, and see what works and what doesn't. So while in the getting organized phase, this is a great time for you to try new things.

Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:08:52]:
Okay, so let's move on to staying organized. And for staying organized, this is where habits, the grand parent of organizing and productivity comes in. Like, this is the the one that if you want long term change, you do need to, at some point, start to practice good and sustainable habits. For staying organized, you'll need, it you you need it to be part of your identity. And actually, this is a concept that James Clear of Atomic Habits talks about in his book. There's a few people that have talked about it in the past, but he's made it, very, you know, easy and easy to understand. But it's basically where habits become who you are. It's who you identify with.

Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:09:37]:
And if it's something that you wanted to be part of you, you you, in the long run, want people to identify you with this particular, new organizing systems, let's say. Let's say, you know, for your closet. Like, you want that to be part of you. Like, you wanna be The and person that always knows and has something to wear or is never late. And, therefore, for that to happen, you need to have an organized closet so that you can quickly getting in and out of whether you're a fashionable person or not, you just need to get out of your closet faster than you have in the past, and that is now a new habit that you need to embrace. Right? It's like it's very tied to your everyday being and identity. So that is a really important piece of it, which I will go into more detail in its own episode, but habits, very important. Think about it as your identity.

Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:10:30]:
My biggest tip that I have for you to set yourself up for success if you want to stay organized long term is to be flexible and to document as much as possible in your journey. There is going to be either habits or actions that do not feel right. Make sure you write those things down as a reminder that when you tried The thing, that object, that new system, that new product, it did not work for you, it didn't feel good, and these are things that you will need as a reminder in your notes. So when you go back to make a final decision over what will help you stay organized long term. You don't keep coming back to that and, to that one thing or product or service or whatever it may be over and over, and every time you use it, it just sets you up for failure. And I think a lot of people forget because visualization is very important in our world today, so then we we wanna buy the the pretty things. And sometimes, the pretty things are not what we need to stay organized long term. Sometimes there's there's quite a bit that goes on behind the scenes that people don't visually see that are equally, if not more, important to set you up for success.

Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:11:47]:
So think about the things that you have tried. Keep track of those things so that you don't come back to make the same you know, do do over you know, buy it again and make the same decisions Organized decisions over and over. Maybe not bad decisions, but that you just keep making that same purchase over and over and every time you try it, it doesn't work. This comes very much into play for all of you who, you know, make those really big goals of I want to be more organized, like, in my calendar and not overbook myself. And you keep buying The same type of calendar system or planner just because it's pretty or because you were at the store, at the local, you know, big box store, and you were shopping, and it was just looked so pretty. And then you bought it, and now you have, like, 20 different planners, you know, in your in your closet that you never use. And I'm chuckling because I've been there as well, by the way. But when you do that and you and if you don't write it down and keep some kind of journal of the things that haven't worked.

Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:12:44]:
You will then come back to it over and over again forgetting, that those things did not work. So that's one of my biggest, tips, my quick tips. Just keep track of it. Keep a journal of the things that did not work so that you can, have some list, ongoing lists that you can refer back to, so that way, you don't try those things again and you do try new things that you maybe were not aware that existed. Okay, so that is my quick take on getting organized versus staying organized. Don't confuse them. No. Don't mix them up together.

Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:13:15]:
They do work very well together. They in theory, and feeds into the other, so getting organized will eventually Mary itself into the staying organized. That's what sets you up for success. But then getting organized will also need you to be flexible enough to try new things as time and new chapters, start to happen in your life. Right? So they will eventually become and, but for for the purposes of setting yourself up for success, think of them as 2 different actions and make plans accordingly. So that way you're not overwhelmed and you feel frustrated that, you know, that your habits are just not sticking because maybe you're just you're just doing a project. Also, as a side note, actually, you know, I was gonna I'll go into detail in the in its own episodes for each of these, but this is one of the reasons people hire us. Like, for there's The difference between somebody doing something for you and then you wanting to learn how to do it for yourself.

Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:14:18]:
Self. That's also the difference between when you hire an organizer that does it for you and if you're feeling frustrated about the fact that you can't sustain that action, the way that you you know, when they left, it may be because you're just doing Productive. Right? Like, The make it the beginning, middle, and end, and you are not being coached to do it yourself. So mention that if that's something that you would like to learn and then start learning creating those habits so that you can do it yourself in the long term. So that's it for today. We will see you next week. As always, let us know if this was helpful. I hope it was, and I will see you next and with The Organized Flamingo.

Stephanie Y. Deininger [00:15:03]:
If you enjoyed today's episode, I would love it if you'd leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. It helps with letting people know that we're here. For full show notes and resources, head on over to the Organized flamingo.com/podcast. Happy organizing.