Today let’s dive into one of my favorite quick and easy habits sure to force you into getting organized: Learn To See The Clutter.

Imagine you’re walking through your bedroom where a scrap of paper lays on the floor.

What will you do?

That depends on whether you’re an organized person or not.

You, my disorganized friend, will likely step over the paper and go about your merry way.

Your organized neighbor, however, will scoop the paper up off the floor and drop it into the trash can on her way by.

Why will the organized person pick something up and the disorganized person to merely step over it?

No, it’s not because you’re lazy.

You likely stepped over the scrap of paper because you didn’t even notice it. Or it if you did, your mind didn’t register it enough for you to pick the darn thing up.

That’s what disorganized people do. Most of the time disorganized people simply don’t see the clutter.

We can step around and over the clutter and not even notice it’s there.

I think this is a form of self-protection. Imagine if you always noticed the clutter. You might even start clearing it up….

Exactly! That’s why I want you to try one of my favorite quick and easy organizing tricks. I call it Visualize Neat.

With Visualize Neat you tap the amazing power of your imagination so you see the mess. That’s the best motivation I know for cleaning it up; next to a visit from your in-laws, of course.

Visualizing Neat is beautifully simple. Here’s what you do:

• First, sit or stand in a cluttered area of your home or office.

• Next, close your eyes and imagine how the space would look WITHOUT the clutter. That’s right. Imagine it all tidy and clean.

• Now open your eyes and notice the mess. Let it really bother you.

Okay, go for it. Attack that clutter. Spend a few minutes throwing things away and putting things away.

Chip away at the clutter a bit at a time by using Visualize Neat whenever you have a few extra minutes.

To become an organized person you’ve got to train your eyes to see the mess. Otherwise, you’ll be destined to stepping over your clutter for the rest of your life.

Fortunately, with Visualize Neat you can become organized in just a few minutes a day.

Looking for more organizing resources? Check out the other organizing information on this site as well as my ‘Organized for Life’ program.

–
Dana Rayburn is an ADD Coach and former Professional Organizer dedicated to helping adults get organized, outsmart their ADD / ADHD and live more successful and satisfying lives. Read more free articles about living successfully with ADD / ADHD.