Flatlanding

FLATLANDING. n 1: The act of leaving stuff wherever it lands—indefinitely (my definition).

Symptoms include: unfinished projects, an overflow of paperwork, overstuffed closets, blocked pathways, unused computer parts, or an abundance of things, etc.

Prescription:
1) Work together with the person flatlanding. Decide what needs to be organized and make a list to prioritize the each job task.
2) Choose a small organizing project to begin. (It needs to be one that can be started and finished in 20 minutes or less—to hold interest.)
3) Be sure to break large projects into smaller components so that they are manageable.
4) Provide praise for any progress made and throw in a dose of humor—positive results should occur.

Ongoing Treatment:

1) Think about the reasons people leave their possessions scattered about: perhaps organizational skills have yet to be learned, possessions were picked up by someone else in the past, other activities are more important, or habits need changing. Proactively address flatlanding whenever possible.

2) Remember that flatlanding is fixable!