Hone Your Organisation Skills By Helping Others With Their Messes

Sometimes you’ve got a great organisation plan and you’re ready to move on it. Other times, you stare at a desk, a closet or a room, and you feel utterly hopeless. Try helping out someone else with their clutter to get some new perspective and ideas.

Erin Doland of the Unclutterer blog notes that a big part of her advancement as a writer came when she was forced to explain and back up writing rules for students. Helping friends out with their own projects, and forcing yourself to explain the choices you’re suggesting, can clarify your beliefs and expand your thinking. But you don’t need to have friends in need to get outside your own problems:

If your friends aren’t game for such an activity, donate some of your time to a charity to clean out and organise a soup kitchen pantry or a game room at a women’s shelter or a clothing closet for a group that provides clothes for job interviews. Mentor your children by bringing them with you to sort materials at a charity’s donation site. You don’t have to work with people you know to build your skills, and it’s often easier to work with items void of your sentimental attachments.

What have you learned by helping friends and relatives with their organisation projects — other than how many magazines the average person can do without?

Build your uncluttering and organising skills by helping others [Unclutterer]