Who wants to help me get organised?
So you want to be more organised - but your family or house mates don't share your enthusiasm..
You're not alone. A lot of organising enthusiasts find that one of the hardest things about being organised is getting loved ones on board.
If this happens to you, you have 2 choices:
- Give up organising and hope life just gets less busy and complicated by itself (sorry, not likely..)
- Find a way to get them excited about becoming organised too
If option 2 sounds good to you, you need to start thinking in terms of 'What's in it for them?'. If you offer a decent benefit for them, you'll find they'll be a lot more supportive and even encouraging of your organising endeavours.
Now, you know your family and friends better than I do, so I won't know exactly what will motivate them, but there is one important rule you should follow here if you're looking for a positive result: Do not use bribes - use rewards.
The difference between a bribe and a reward is this: If you hand out the benefit before getting the action you need, it's a bribe (and probably won't work - why help when they already have their benefit?). If you wait until the desired action is complete and then offer the benefit - it's a reward.
If you follow Beautifully Organised on Facebook, you may have seen the Note I posted last night about creating a 'Go Zone' in your home - a place to keep the little bits and pieces (phone, wallet, keys etc) you need whenever you leave the house. If you haven't seen the Note, check it out here (and 'Like' the page while you're there so you can get more free organising tips each week).
Now, you know your family and friends better than I do, so I won't know exactly what will motivate them, but there is one important rule you should follow here if you're looking for a positive result: Do not use bribes - use rewards.
The difference between a bribe and a reward is this: If you hand out the benefit before getting the action you need, it's a bribe (and probably won't work - why help when they already have their benefit?). If you wait until the desired action is complete and then offer the benefit - it's a reward.
If you follow Beautifully Organised on Facebook, you may have seen the Note I posted last night about creating a 'Go Zone' in your home - a place to keep the little bits and pieces (phone, wallet, keys etc) you need whenever you leave the house. If you haven't seen the Note, check it out here (and 'Like' the page while you're there so you can get more free organising tips each week).
On the Note I listed an action your family could do to help you get in the habit of using your Go Zone and suggested that after a week you could tally up who helped the most and offer a reward. This is an example of offering a reward, rather than a bribe.
What type of rewards can you offer?
Here's a few ideas from me.
What type of rewards can you offer?
Here's a few ideas from me.
Kids:
- cheap stationary/toys
- have friends over for a sleepover
- delegate a household chore to you
- extra TV/Internet/Game time
- some special one on one time with you - like an outing just the 2 of you (park, movie, etc)
- money / vouchers
- pick the next family meal/movie/day out
Adults:
- delegate a household chore to you
- some special one on one time with you - probably better if this is your partner, rather than just a random house mate or neighbour ;)
- an afternoon off (works well if you have kiddies)
Don't Forget! The reward comes after the help, not before.. and you never know, after a week of helping you out they may develop their own interest in organising :)
Do you have reward ideas that work well at your house? What do you use as a reward?
Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
