Tips To Help Get Organized!
Everyone is always looking for tips and ideas to get organized - and we've got them! Here are a few that you can use on your own!
What IS All This Stuff?
Time To Take Inventory - There are probably things in your home that you haven't touched in months or years - or actually in so long that you don't even know you have it. Getting organized will mean that you have a better inventory of your stuff AND your space too - because when you get one, you get the other. Each time you buy something to use as an organizing product, or actually before you buy it, think about how you will use it or repurpose it to help you get organized.
Are They Keepsakes Or Clutter? - In order for your memorabilia - photos, drawings, letters, newspaper clippings, ticket stubs, etc. - to have importance and meaning, they must be organized. Whether you store them neatly in a shoebox or you organize and categorize them by theme, age, milestones, etc., these special things need to be stored properly to be protected and available for you to easily find them when you want to share them with someone or reminisce. Sometimes, saving too many keepsakes, for example saving everything your three children ever did in school, can make all of it lose signaficance and meaning. Go through and pick out the "special" ones and save them aside. Either get rid of the rest or at least store them separate from your special keepsakes.
Spring Cleaning Begins Now
Can You See It Now? - Open the windows and take a look at that "hodge-podge of stuff" that sits in plain sight. It may have been there so long, something you meant to do "later", that you have begun to step over it, walk around it and basically have learned to "live with it". Don't get overwhelmed - just walk right up to it and deal with it now! You will feel so much better afterward!
Do That ONE Thing Now! - Many people have a "later" category. Things that we just can't stand to do, things that are too hard, too time consuming, etc. We go through out to-do's but skip over it, save it for "later" or start it but don't finish. Sometimes, we do everything else on the list but that one thing. Unfortunately, that one thing is often something that has heavy consequences for having been put off: things like reports, repairs, medical proceduces, insurance claims, renewals, forms, etc. Even though we are "grown-ups" we start the task the day before the due date even though we had weeks or months to accomplish it! Everything that you do that has a due date throughout the year is likely one that is a recurring task. Enter these into your calendar or planner and give yourself a one to two month prep entry to tell yourself that it is time to get started now.
Say NO to STRESS
Say YES to YOU! - If you are a "Yes" person but have found that it is causing you stress, learn to say NO! That can be difficult and may even put you in an uncomfortable situation - for example saying no to a friend who asks a favor. Although you may be tempted to say yes, or even feel obligated, if you know that it is just going to be one more thing on your already overloaded list, do yourself a favor and give yourself a break - by saying no, you are saying YES to YOU!
Disect the Stress - Think about the things or situations that cause you stress. Sometimes it is not possible to change the things that cause the stress, so we can only change how we deal with it. If that is the case, make every effort to minimize it by changing the way you deal with it. Look for ways to alleviate it or give yourself a reprieve.
Bills and Files and Papers, Oh My!
No More Late Fees - If your bill paying is not in order, you may be spending (wasting) money on late fees and even damaging your credit. Make it high on your list to reevaluate your bill paying system and consider paying them online.
Out Of Sight Out of Mind - Both in a filing cabinet and on the computer, I have found that the 80/20 rule applies to paper and electronic files - 80% of what you file will only get accessed again 20% of the time. So... perhaps much of what is being saved or filed is not even necessary to save at all. Take the time to get rid of old papers and files, a little at a time, to save the space and the clutter and to help streamline your ability to quickly find the files you access frequently.
Have a Holly Jolly Organized Christmas!
Holiday Boxes - Fill the empty boxes after the holidays with items you no longer need or want, especially after the holidays when you have just received even more stuff, and donate it to a worthy cause so that it is mutually rewarding!
De-stress Notes - Slow down to reflect on the joy of the season and help minimize holiday stress by jotting down notes about an event or task to be used as a tool to help you avoid future holiday stress.
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