PampMomof3
Gold Member
- 5,567
I got this off of my google homepage today! Thanks GOOGLE!!!
I thought this would be great for ALL of us! Please forgive me if i'm wrong!!
How to Be Organized
If disorganization is congesting your life and you're feeling scattered and frustrated as a result, then it's time to get organized. But before you can be organized, you need to make a monumental effort to rearrange your stuff, your priorities, and most importantly, your habits.
Steps
All in a row...Organize your space. Whether it's your home, kitchen, office, computer, closet, desk, or locker, you need to see what's in there, throw away what you don't often use (or put it efficiently in storage) and give everything else a convenient and clearly designated space.
Observe how you use your things and work out how to use your space efficiently. If it's inconvenient to get to things (or to put them away), your organization system is more likely to fail. Make it easy to get to and put away the things you need most often.
Do you have items in your house that just take up space? Be sure to de-clutter regularly. Good questions to ask yourself in deciding: Do I need this? Will I need this in a year? Do I really love it? Is there someone else who could use this more? Do I have more than I could reasonably use in foreseeable future?
Know what "organized" looks and feels like. Organized spaces are simple to use. They have enough room for the items there. It makes sense. Every item in your home has a location. Organized spaces also feel calm, open, and welcoming.
Use timers. Set a timer for how long you think a cleaning organizing task should take then work like crazy to get it done in the allotted time.
Have a spot for all bills. Open all mail immediately and dispose of the outer envelope with the junk mail. Keep only the bill in a prominent location.
Put it back. Right now. Once you establish where everything belongs, you need to get in the habit of putting it back there as soon as you're finished using it. Don't put it on the kitchen table or on the couch and move onto something else, thinking to yourself that you'll put it away later. That's a big no-no.
Always put your keys in the same place.
Always put your cell phone in the same place. Have a cell phone charging station set up.
Use a calendar. Get a calendar and put it in a place where you see it every day, preferably in the morning. For most people, that's on the refrigerator, on their desk, or even on their desktop. Wherever you put it, make it part of your routine to refer to it every day. For example, you can put it on the inside of the bathroom cabinet where you get your toothpaste. Every morning, while you're brushing your teeth with one hand, touch today's date on the calendar with the other, and look to see what's marked for today and for the upcoming week.
Use a planner. A planner is especially useful if you have a lot of appointments and your days are so varied that you have trouble keeping track of your schedule. For example, if you travel a lot or attend classes at various times of day, it's much easier to carry a planner with you to consult frequently--you can't do that with a calendar. You can also usually fit more information in a planner.
Combine similar activities. Make all your phone calls at one time. Do all your errands at the same time. Pay all your bills at the same time. Do all shopping in one trip.
Write it down! Anything and everything you need to remember should be written down. Even if your memory is great, nobody's perfect and it doesn't hurt to put it on paper, just in case. Record phone numbers, appointments, birthdays, shopping lists, and things to do.
Make to-do lists.
Make a to-do list for your day. Your list should never be more than 5 items long, or else you're taking on too much and setting yourself up for failure. Mark one or two of those items as things you absolutely must get done that day, and pursue those tasks relentlessly until you get them done.
Make a to-do list for the week. Appropriate items here would be: Grocery shopping, fix air conditioner, etc. Draw from this list to make your daily to-do list.
Make a to-do list for the month. This list would have more general tasks like: Birthday gift to Jill, get car serviced, dentist appointment. Draw from this list to make your weekly to-do list.
Make a to-do list for your life. Drastic, yes, but why not use this time to rethink your life and where it's going? Getting organized is all about priorities, and it never hurts to get your ducks in a row.
Delegate responsibilities. Make sure the person you appoint to do the task has all the tools necessary to do the task. It's hard to be organized if you insist on doing everything yourself.
Multi-task. Organize a drawer while talking on the phone. Fold towels while watching television. Listen to books on tape while driving, etc.
Follow through. There's no point in making a to-do list if you don't discipline yourself to complete the tasks you've assigned yourself. There are many ways to stick to your to-do list. Stop procrastinating, remove or ignore distractions, and hop to it!
Tips
It's a good idea to carry a notepad and pen with you at all times so you can write things down as they come to you (which is usually at the most irrelevant times--that's why it's so promptly forgotten). Of course, if your planner is compact enough, it can serve this purpose as well. Another idea would be to have a PDA, Blackberry or palm Pilot. Some cell phones have notification or note-taking menus. If you are using one of those, they may be practical too. As a last resort, call your own phone number and leave yourself a voice mail.
When running errands, map out the best path so you get the most done and keep chit chat to a minimum. Don’t get side tracked. Target what you need to do. If something else comes to your mind, write it in your notebook to do at a later date.
Post-it notes are your friend. Put them in nifty spots as reminders. For example, if you know you need to wash your car, then put a post-it note on your steering wheel so that next time you get in your car, you remember to get it done. Other good spots for post-it notes are doorknobs, mirrors, and PC monitors (the borders, not the actual screen).
Start your phone conversations with "I only have ---- minutes to talk." Then stick with it. When calling for appointments, make sure you have all information you will need and write down any questions in advance.
Warnings
Don't expect to get organized overnight.
Don't expect your family and friends to instantly jump on the organization bandwagon. Expect some resistance. But stick with it. In the long run, you will be glad you did.
I thought this would be great for ALL of us!
Please forgive me if i'm wrong!! How to Be Organized
If disorganization is congesting your life and you're feeling scattered and frustrated as a result, then it's time to get organized. But before you can be organized, you need to make a monumental effort to rearrange your stuff, your priorities, and most importantly, your habits.
Steps
All in a row...Organize your space. Whether it's your home, kitchen, office, computer, closet, desk, or locker, you need to see what's in there, throw away what you don't often use (or put it efficiently in storage) and give everything else a convenient and clearly designated space.
Observe how you use your things and work out how to use your space efficiently. If it's inconvenient to get to things (or to put them away), your organization system is more likely to fail. Make it easy to get to and put away the things you need most often.
Do you have items in your house that just take up space? Be sure to de-clutter regularly. Good questions to ask yourself in deciding: Do I need this? Will I need this in a year? Do I really love it? Is there someone else who could use this more? Do I have more than I could reasonably use in foreseeable future?
Know what "organized" looks and feels like. Organized spaces are simple to use. They have enough room for the items there. It makes sense. Every item in your home has a location. Organized spaces also feel calm, open, and welcoming.
Use timers. Set a timer for how long you think a cleaning organizing task should take then work like crazy to get it done in the allotted time.
Have a spot for all bills. Open all mail immediately and dispose of the outer envelope with the junk mail. Keep only the bill in a prominent location.
Put it back. Right now. Once you establish where everything belongs, you need to get in the habit of putting it back there as soon as you're finished using it. Don't put it on the kitchen table or on the couch and move onto something else, thinking to yourself that you'll put it away later. That's a big no-no.
Always put your keys in the same place.
Always put your cell phone in the same place. Have a cell phone charging station set up.
Use a calendar. Get a calendar and put it in a place where you see it every day, preferably in the morning. For most people, that's on the refrigerator, on their desk, or even on their desktop. Wherever you put it, make it part of your routine to refer to it every day. For example, you can put it on the inside of the bathroom cabinet where you get your toothpaste. Every morning, while you're brushing your teeth with one hand, touch today's date on the calendar with the other, and look to see what's marked for today and for the upcoming week.
Use a planner. A planner is especially useful if you have a lot of appointments and your days are so varied that you have trouble keeping track of your schedule. For example, if you travel a lot or attend classes at various times of day, it's much easier to carry a planner with you to consult frequently--you can't do that with a calendar. You can also usually fit more information in a planner.
Combine similar activities. Make all your phone calls at one time. Do all your errands at the same time. Pay all your bills at the same time. Do all shopping in one trip.
Write it down! Anything and everything you need to remember should be written down. Even if your memory is great, nobody's perfect and it doesn't hurt to put it on paper, just in case. Record phone numbers, appointments, birthdays, shopping lists, and things to do.
Make to-do lists.
Make a to-do list for your day. Your list should never be more than 5 items long, or else you're taking on too much and setting yourself up for failure. Mark one or two of those items as things you absolutely must get done that day, and pursue those tasks relentlessly until you get them done.
Make a to-do list for the week. Appropriate items here would be: Grocery shopping, fix air conditioner, etc. Draw from this list to make your daily to-do list.
Make a to-do list for the month. This list would have more general tasks like: Birthday gift to Jill, get car serviced, dentist appointment. Draw from this list to make your weekly to-do list.
Make a to-do list for your life. Drastic, yes, but why not use this time to rethink your life and where it's going? Getting organized is all about priorities, and it never hurts to get your ducks in a row.
Delegate responsibilities. Make sure the person you appoint to do the task has all the tools necessary to do the task. It's hard to be organized if you insist on doing everything yourself.
Multi-task. Organize a drawer while talking on the phone. Fold towels while watching television. Listen to books on tape while driving, etc.
Follow through. There's no point in making a to-do list if you don't discipline yourself to complete the tasks you've assigned yourself. There are many ways to stick to your to-do list. Stop procrastinating, remove or ignore distractions, and hop to it!
Tips
It's a good idea to carry a notepad and pen with you at all times so you can write things down as they come to you (which is usually at the most irrelevant times--that's why it's so promptly forgotten). Of course, if your planner is compact enough, it can serve this purpose as well. Another idea would be to have a PDA, Blackberry or palm Pilot. Some cell phones have notification or note-taking menus. If you are using one of those, they may be practical too. As a last resort, call your own phone number and leave yourself a voice mail.
When running errands, map out the best path so you get the most done and keep chit chat to a minimum. Don’t get side tracked. Target what you need to do. If something else comes to your mind, write it in your notebook to do at a later date.
Post-it notes are your friend. Put them in nifty spots as reminders. For example, if you know you need to wash your car, then put a post-it note on your steering wheel so that next time you get in your car, you remember to get it done. Other good spots for post-it notes are doorknobs, mirrors, and PC monitors (the borders, not the actual screen).
Start your phone conversations with "I only have ---- minutes to talk." Then stick with it. When calling for appointments, make sure you have all information you will need and write down any questions in advance.
Warnings
Don't expect to get organized overnight.
Don't expect your family and friends to instantly jump on the organization bandwagon. Expect some resistance. But stick with it. In the long run, you will be glad you did.
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There was no rhyme or reason for his mess!! I must say that I felt better after that report. I wish I was neater than I am now, but I really have no problem finding things. I know when my mess is counter productive and that is when I clean up my act a little.
Thanks for the tips, however! If I take at least one thing away and put it into action, it would be progress!!
