he art of being organized is big business. Libraries carry tons of books on the subject. Entire stores are devoted to hawking "get-organized" merchandise. If you are especially in need of organization and have a bit of extra money you can always hire yourself an organization coach who will come to your home and do it for you! And why not? With today's busy lifestyles, it's easy to become disorganized and harder to be anything but disorganized. As I have learned, getting organized is a slow process that requires as much inner change as it does outer housecleaning. Some people are born to it--others have to work at it.

Debbie Williams is one of those born-organized people who has made organization her life's work. She also had the advantage of being brought up in a home that was organized, so you might say she was born and bred to it. As the author of Home Management 101, Debbie Williams gives most of the credit for her type A habits to her mother: "As the only child of a stay-at-home Mom, I was taught at an early age to 'clean as you go,' putting one toy away before taking out another," she says.

"I was given simple chores to do, a little allowance, taught budgeting and money management, and allowed to maintain my own room and manage my own things. It gave me a lot of independence, and as I grew older I could see more of the big picture, such as managing money during those crazy college years and creating a schedule for housekeeping when I got my first apartment."

Though her organizational training may have started at home, it hasn't stopped there. "I read everything I can get my hands on about organization and life balance -- I'm always improving my methods and learning about new ones."

It was a natural for Debbie to translate that love into her life's work. She had written articles on organizing for quite a while before a friend suggested she put it into a book. "So at her suggestion, I printed out all my articles overnight, then spent about an hour the next day doing what I love best -- organizing them!" Debbie remembers. "I saw a few holes in topics that needed filling, wrote a few articles to fill in the gaps, and did the editing the next day. So in one sense, I wrote the book in 3 days, but it took me about 2 years to get to that point!"

I found Debbie's book helpful because of its realistic expectations and easy style. Debbie doesn't just want to help people get organized, she wants to help them stay that way. "Be only as organized as you NEED to be. This means establishing a workable system for yourself that you know you can follow for a long time," she says. "Remember that being organized is an ongoing process, not an end result. It will get done, and just think of the sense of accomplishment you'll feel every day as you do just a little bit more to organize the clutter in your life."

As I have found this past year, being organized can positively impact your entire life, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Debbie agrees. "Being organized and teaching your kids to be organized is one of the best things you can give to your children. When you're organized, you're on time (not late), well fed (never out of food), comfortably clothed (not out of clean laundry), and under budget (no more collectors). There is less stress, the important tasks get accomplished, and you find yourself living in a comfortable environment free from visual clutter. Sounds like a wonderful life, doesn't it!

It does to me!

Debbie offers these tips for the organizationally challenged.

Hangers, hooks, and bins: Oh my! Closet organizing ideas can be implemented for storing clothing, crafts, sporting goods, and just about anything else you can shove into a closet. Use dowel rods hung at multi-levels for clothing on hangers. Plastic bins and shelf dividers keep folded items stacked. Hang ties and belts on a plastic coat hanger, buy cardboard cubbies for shoes and purses (or make your own by decorating divided grocery store boxes). For quick retrieval, hooks for caps, bags, umbrellas, and purses keep things in sight.

Hanging organizers with divided pouches store and display at the same time. These come with small pockets for jewelry, or larger pockets for shoes, pantyhose, or scarves. I've used them in lieu of junk drawers for office supplies.

Secret Hideaway: Use a bedroom closet to create a niche for hobby work; the doors close to hide work in progress. Folding screens are decorative and disguise a work area. A folding card table or banquet table can be stored under the bed when not in use, which is convenient if your hobby room doubles as a guest bedroom. Find a large piece of plywood to place over the spare bedroom mattress as a workspace, which can then easily be stored when guests visit.

Teri Brown is a freelance writer and the homeschooling mother of two. Her
book,
Christian Unschooling: growing your child in the freedom of Christ [1], is now available.

[2]	Home Management 101: A Guide for Busy Parents [3]Amazon price: $11.86

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