ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, September 25, 1996 TAG: 9609250026
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: STEPHANIE WINSTON NEW YORK TIMES
Do you often start the day by looking in the mirror, raising your chin, squaring your shoulders and declaring ``I've got to get organized?'' Then do you lower your eyes, drop your chin, slump your shoulders and cry, ``But where do I begin?'' You are not alone.
Organization is attainable. This quiz will give you a sense of how you stand organizationally overall, and will give you a jump start toward getting organized by breaking that distressing disarray down into specific ``hot spots'' that you can begin to tackle one by one.
Answer "yes" or "no" for the following questions:
1. Has the top of your desk disappeared under an avalanche of papers and files? Is the desk clutter compounding daily?
2. Are you afraid to file important papers for fear you'll never find them again? Or do you keep everything ``important'' on your desk so that eventually you can't find anything?
3. Does every room of your house seem to sprout magazines and catalogs while you sleep?
4. Do you live in perpetual fear that your gas, electricity, phone, water (or all of the above) will be turned off because you misplaced your bills again?
5. Have you lost friends and alienated relatives because of forgotten birthdays, anniversaries or other special days?
6. Do you want to perform voodoo economics (stick pins in a tax collector doll, that is) on the IRS when tax time rolls around and you've got to get all your records together?
7. Are you caught in a priority maze - overwhelmed by so much to do and feeling baffled about what to do first?
8. Do your friends and co-workers get impatient with you because you never return their calls? Do you always mean to but somehow forget?
9. You've finally assembled the materials to sew your daughter's dress. But now the phone rings, the doorbell rings or someone barges in and interrupts your task. Is this the story of your life?
10. You must finish your section of the annual report by tomorrow. But do you feel compelled instead to fiddle with your computer or call up weather information? (In other words, do you procrastinate?)
11. Does clutter threaten to take over your house? Your life? Is ``Where can I put it all?'' your cry?
12. Is opening your closet door an adventure? Do you never know what you'll find or whether you'll find it at all?
13. Are you great at locating the ``little losables,'' such as keys, glasses, pens and other small objects that tend to get lost?
14. The garbage hasn't been taken out yet. It's your son's responsibility. Will you make sure that he carries out his chore - not you?
15. Have you finally solved the mystery of how to organize your room or your kids' rooms so that they look pretty good and you and kids can find what you need?
16. Have you and your significant other/roommate resolved those pesky organizational issues - such as when he drove you crazy by leaving his clothes all over the floor?
17. Services exist to help us. Do you let yourself be helped - by house cleaners, baby sitters, dog groomers, personal shoppers - whenever possible?
SCORING
Give yourself one point for each ``yes'' for questions one through 12, and one point for each ``no'' for questions 13-17.
*1-4 points: Congratulations. You've got the hang of organizing, but like most ``together'' people you're always interested in doing things more efficiently. Keep your eyes open for interesting tips.
*5-9 points: You are having some trouble managing; however, it's nothing you can't fix. Just a bit more focus, and you'll be back on track.
*10-13 points: Your life is becoming more confusing by the second. You need help! Vow to start streamlining now, and study how-tos for inspiration and encouragement.
*14-17 points: Chaos! But at least you now know what you're up against. So take a deep breath and relax. With patience, and the desire to change, you can become organized.
Stephanie Winston is the nation's first professional organizer and a best-selling author. Her most recent book is ``Stephanie Winston's Organizing Tips (Simon & Schuster, 1996) She lives in New York City.
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: Stinson. color.by CNB