I. Excuses and More Excuses!
Derek and Susan Taylor were proud owners of a small bakery and had been running it successfully for the last 5 years. Susan had a gift for thinking up new recipes for cakes, pastries and cookies and everyone in the neighborhood from kids to senior citizens could hardly wait to try out her latest creation. And along with Derek, who got along famously with people, their business was a roaring success. They had two lovely children and owned a small house within walking distance from their bakery. Not surprisingly, every day was Manic Monday in the Taylor household. There would be the last minute rush to find clothes, socks and books. Kids would want permission letters signed and Derek would be looking for receipts that the accountant had urgently requested for. Once the kids were off to school, Susan and Derek would be off to the bakery where there would be a similar story. Items would have to be bought at the last minute, Susan would be struggling with her oven, which was badly in need of a tune-up, and they would realize that it was the last day to extend some essential permit for their store.
Many a times, Derek and Susan had discussed how they needed to get things more organized and under control. But they always blamed a lack of time for not doing so. In fact, they would even joke that if they ever organized things, they may not be able to find what they were looking for!
Then one day, their young daughter Angela came down with a bad asthmatic attack. Susan immediately rang up the emergency service but when the paramedics arrived, she could not locate Angela’s prescription or her latest immunization chart. Till the doctor declared that Angela was out of danger and there was no cause for concern, Susan’s heart was in her mouth. She and Derek vowed there and then that they were going to take all the steps necessary to get their home and business organized!
Though Susan and Derek learnt it the hard way, you should understand that getting organized is not something that you will get to someday. It is a habit that you should develop so that you can get ahead and enjoy a more productive life.
Of course, you may wonder if there are so many benefits to getting organized then why isn’t everybody doing it? Well, the reason is that it is not easy to get organized and stay organized. You will need to put in time and effort; more often than not the greatest efforts are spent in overcoming hurdles that we place ourselves. Surprised to hear that? Well here is a look at some of the main reasons why people do not get organized
• Many have very limited ideas and they do not believe that they can get any better organized than what they already are.
• They keep postponing and things never get organized.
• They firmly believe that in their busy schedule, they simply do not have the time to organize any more.
• They are under the impression that organizing means investing in a whole lot of tools for which they do not have the money.
Does any of this sound familiar to you? If so, do not worry – in this section we will take a closer look at some of the excuses that people give to not get organized and how you can overcome these mindsets. Once you realize that these are just excuses and that they are preventing you from moving forward in life, hopefully you will take the necessary steps to start getting organized.
Quit Giving Excuses
Though you may vehemently deny that you are giving excuses when you feel you do not have the time to get organized or that you need all the stuff around you as the items are all equally important, too bad. In reality excuses are excuses. Period. In fact, as many of us live our lives collecting stuff either because we are sentimental about it or truly believe that we need it, here are some excuses that people give for not getting rid of stuff around them and getting things more organized.
• You may think that you need the items some day.
There are a few things to consider here. If you do not get yourself organized and store the item such that you can use it, will you be able to find it when you look for it the next time? In fact, if you have not used any item for the last two years or so, chances are you may not need it in the next two years as well. Even if you do need something similar later, you will realize that there could be better, improved models and that you can pick them up when you need them. Throw things out that you do not need today and organize yourself so that your life starting today onward runs more smoothly.
• You may store things you are sentimental about.
Many of us hoard a collection of stuff that we are sentimental about. From photographs of our preschool days to little hair clippings of our children, we like to store all that reminds us of places and people we love. The trick is to be a little selective. Pick out the mementos that are truly special and get rid of the rest.
• You may stock more than what is necessary.
Many people, when they are short of time, tend to stock up more than what they need. These items could range from food items to office supplies. Also, the increasing number of discount stores and wholesale outlets are making it easier to buy items in bulk. However, you have to be realistic about how quickly these items are going to be consumed, given the size of your family. Also, by the time you reach the end of the stock, will they remain fresh and all right for consumption? Do you have room to store them properly so that the next time around you do not purchase duplicates? Of course, an important part of being organized is to ensure that you are prepared for any emergency and that you avoid having to run to the market at the last minute because you have run out of something. However, you need to make a realistic assessment of what you need in the immediate future and store only the required minimum number of items.
• You may want to keep something for your kids.
A fairly common sentiment, many families store things that their kids are interested in now, believing that they will be using it even in the future. However, before you start packing your basement or attic with things you want to pass on to your children, ask yourself if they would really want them. If you already have grown up children, you could ask them that question yourself. If your children are still small, then you have to be honest with yourself and ask whether you truly believe that your child may want the stuff that you are storing today, a few years down the road. Styles change and tastes change and it is entirely possible that a kid who is very interested in something today wants nothing to do with it a few years later. While keeping an item or two aside may still be all right, you do not want to clutter yourself with things you are not sure will ever be used.
On the other hand, if you have something that you are sure your children or grandchildren would love to have, why not give it to them right away? Rather than wait for much later when they may have lost interest, you might want to present them with these items right away and watch them enjoy themselves. But remember, once you have given something away, it is for them to do what they want to do with it. Do not be too upset if it is handled roughly or even broken. After all, it gave the kids great joy for however long they used it.
• You may believe that all your stuff is in perfect working condition.
If you are frugal by nature or have been brought up in difficult economic circumstances, you may be very reluctant to give away or throw away things that are still in good working conditions – one has to appreciate your sentiments. But remember, if you have no use for the item, even if it is still working, it cannot be considered anything more than a piece of junk. Either give it away to someone who will actually use it or sell it off in a yard sale, giving yourself more room for something that you are actually using everyday.
• You got yourself a good deal on this one.
How many of us pick up something intending to throw it away, then remember all the haggling and arguing that we did just so we could get it at the price we had in mind and then put it back in its place, reluctant to throw it away? Or perhaps you got it at a great sale downtown and are now not willing to let it go? Remember, sales and discounts are a great way for the manufacturer to get rid of something that is soon to go out of circulation or to get rid of as much extra stock as possible. Unless you use the item on a regular basis, you cannot consider it useful. And unless you have actually researched an item, found a make and model that you think will be very handy and then got it at a great price, not every sale is a bargain. You should buy something only if you need it and if you manage to get it a reasonable price, then you could consider that as a bargain. It may therefore be time that you stop visiting every sale and buying every item there, believing that you have found yourself a good bargain.
Finally, one of the major reasons why people do not get more organized is because they tend to keep putting things off for the next day. All of us do this sometime or the other and the more boring or unpleasant the task, the more we tend to procrastinate. In fact, when people are asked why they do not organize themselves better the reply very often is ‘we have just not gotten around to doing it’. Knowing why you are putting off getting organized is a good first step to starting getting organized. Here are some reasons why you may not have gotten around to doing so.
• You do not really believe that getting more organized will make you more efficient and hence you are not committed to getting organized.
• You are afraid of facing something as you are getting things organized.
• You do not know where to get started or how to organize yourself better.
• Some belief of yours is preventing you from organizing your life.
• You are a perfectionist who wants everything to be perfectly organized or not at all.
• You are afraid that you may just quit halfway.
• You are not sure of your goals and therefore to what extent you would like to be organized.
• You do not feel sufficiently motivated and energized.
Whatever may have been the reason for you to not get yourself organized till today, the fact that you now have our ebook in your hands is proof that you do desire more order in your life and that you wish to get things more organized.
Of course, the extent to which you would like to organize yourself, the areas which you would like to organize and what steps you are ready to take to achieve this are all decisions that have to be taken by you. Our ebook will serve as a guide on whatever path you choose to take, in order lead a more organized and productive life.
II. Organizing Your Home
If you believe you are committed to getting yourself organized, the best place to start is your home. Of course, you are not going to be able to get the entire house organized in one day, or one week or even one month. It is going to be an ongoing process but we will help you get going and sooner than later you will see the results for yourself.
One Step At A Time
Any major project begins with one step at a time. Choose just one room or area, like your children’s room to begin with. It does not matter how big or small it is – choose one depending on how much time you are able to spare at that moment. Even if you choose a small area, the satisfaction of getting it organized will help you stay motivated. Or perhaps you feel your kitchen needs to be on top of the priority list. Select one room and then stay with it till you are happy with the way it is organized.
Now start making a list of what you would like to do in that room. Do not worry too much about ordering them or categorizing them for now – just write down what enters your mind. Even if thoughts about building more storage space, creating a home-office or buying more storage solutions come into your mind, write them down for sure. We will later divide the tasks based on priority and give them deadlines. Just make sure that you do not get distracted and continue making the list. This is your main list and will contain all that you would like done in that room.
It is now time for you to go through all the items in the room one by one and yes, we mean each and every item. If you have stored something in container boxes, pull them out and see what is stored in them. One of the biggest challenges that will face you as you start getting organized is to get rid of stuff that you do not need. If you do not have a use for it, you should either donate it to a local charity or just throw it away. Remember keep only those things in the house that you are going to actually use.
With this in mind, go through each item and make a decision on whether you are going to keep it or leave it. If you are not going to use it, take a decision on whether you are going to just throw it out or donate it a little later. For now just store it in an empty container box. If making the decision regarding any item proves to be tough, it may help to ask yourself the following questions, the answers to which will help you make up your mind.
Ask yourself when the last time that you used it was. If you believe that it is more than two years or better still, if you do not remember when you used it last, it is time that you got rid of it.
If you believe that you do use the item, ask yourself how often do you use it? If you are not going to be using it that often but believe that you will need it occasionally, you may not want to keep it in a place where everyday activities occur but store it an easily accessible location.
Before you think of storing the item, you might to want to consider if there are other ways in which you could acquire the same item – perhaps borrow it, rent it or maybe even buy it if it does not cost too much? If the answer is yes, you should consider leaving the item out. On the other hand, it the item is very expensive or hard to get and you will have an occasional use for it, you could consider keeping it.
Do you have two identical items and if so, do you need both of them? If not, identify the one that is in a better working condition and get rid of the other.
If you have taken up the kitchen for organization, chances are there will be many food items to be organized. Check the dates on them and throw away expired items. Similarly, old clothing can be given away and expired medicines should also be thrown out.
Next, consider what you would do if you did not have that item in the house. How would it affect you or any of your activities? Would you need it so urgently that you may have to rush out to purchase one or can you just improvise on the spot and make do with what is available?
You should realistically assess how valuable the item is to you, both in terms of price and sentimental value. Are you keeping it only because you would feel guilty otherwise? Similarly, are you keeping gifts that you do not like only because you will feel bad throwing them away? If the item is something that you can put on display or use, keep it or else you should seriously consider throwing it out.
Hopefully, by the end of this exercise, you have sorted out all the items in the room into just two groups – those, which you need to keep, and those which you need to get rid of. The latter half is easy to take care of – decide what could be useful to other people and donate them to your local charities. Throw out the rest.
The organizational challenge is with the remaining items that you wish to keep. Here are some tips on how best you can organize the items in your home.
Always store stuff so that you can find it immediately when you need it. There is no point in storing soaps and detergents in the living room because there is more room there or keeping soccer balls and tennis racquets in the kitchen. Think of storage solutions that can be fit in the garage for storing balls and racquets and similarly in the bathroom or basement, for storing the soaps.
Always choose containers and storage solutions that can be covered completely. You might want to consider storage units that have drawers since that makes it easier to categorize stuff and store them. The other alternative is to use boxes and stack them one on top of the other but when you need something in the bottom most drawer, what do you do? You will have to remove all the top boxes before you can reach to the bottom-most one. It is also a good idea to label the drawers and the boxes. Before purchasing any storage solution, try to understand how easy it will be to access the items stored and how easy it will be to keep the container clean.
Once you have organized your items, you need to store them in a safe place so that they are not affected by the changes in weather, that no dust or dirt can get inside them and that they are safe from pests. This is why containers with lids can be extremely effective to store valuable items.
As we have mentioned earlier, while storing stuff, you might want to consider adding some extra storage space in the various rooms. Some ideas to create more storage space are as follows. You could consider adding shelves and racks; putting pegs, hooks or pegboards on walls and ceiling to hang cycles, hang racquets or hockey sticks; and using carts on wheels for carrying a hamper of dirty clothes or for carrying out garbage bins.
Try to label as many containers and storage units as you can, from small boxes to drawers. This can be very useful when you are in a hurry and need something right away. Since everything is labeled, you do not have to spend time wondering or looking through the contents, which is a sheer waste of time. A properly labeled box will tell you exactly what it contains, saving you time, energy and a great deal of frustration.
Another good organizing idea is to buy the very best of whatever item you will need. You may wonder what this has to do with organizing but consider the number of times you have bought something only to find that it does not work properly or does not work at all. You hesitate to throw it out and use it intermittently. In the meantime, you end up buying another item of the same quality and which gives you the same trouble. The end result is that you may end up paying more for an item that hardly gives you the results you were looking for. It is a much better idea to get rid of all low quality items and invest in a good quality one. You will reap the benefits for a longer time and at the same time, not have to worry about it not functioning.
You may be an avid do-it-yourself person and accordingly have tools to carry out small repair and restore jobs around the house. However, if you have a large collection of tools, you might want to consider buying some of the more sophisticated appliances or tools that can handle many jobs. They will be much easier to store and will cost far less in the long run.
Hopefully, by the end of this exercise, you have sorted out all the items from one room into things that you need and found or thought of ways in which you can store them better. Let us now turn our attention to the things that you do not need. You could either give them away to your immediate family if you believe they would like having them or you could give them away to charity if the items are still in working condition or if you do not think the items are of any use, you could just throw them away.
In a similar manner, you should go room by room and decide on which items you want to keep and which you need to throw away. You are not going to be able to handle everything in one go so give yourself 20 minutes to half an hour every day, at a time that is convenient for you. If you like to tackle things first thing in the morning, do so before you start your daily routine. If organizing helps you sleep with a sense of accomplishment, do so at night. For those few minutes, sort all the stuff into things that you need or do not need and very soon, you will find your life getting more and more uncluttered.
Finally, remember that this is not a job for one day or a few days. Staying uncluttered and organized is a continuous process and you have to work hard to ensure that all your hard work does not come undone because you are too lazy or because you give into temptation. Before any new thing comes into the house, think deeply whether you really need it and if you have a place to store it. Only if you answer yes, should you make the purchase. Follow these principles regularly and you will soon find them become a habit – a habit that will let you stay organized at home.
III. Organizing Your Life
Our home and the way it is managed have the most impact on our lives. It is therefore, very essential that we start our organizing campaign at home. But then we have to turn our attention to other important aspects of our life that need organizing.
Organizing Your Home Office
If you are running a home-based business or have an office at home, it is very important that you keep it organized so that you can work more efficiently and concentrate on running the business rather than spend time searching for a file.
It is highly advisable that you identify a room or an area in your house, which will be your office or work-area. While you may share the space in the rest of the house with other members of your family, this area is for you to access and use. Children and adults should be made aware of the importance of keeping your office undisturbed. In fact, even if you are at home but are in your work-area, your family members should know that you are not to be disturbed.
If you are fortunate enough to have an entire room to use as your office, then you can furnish it the way a good, efficient office should be. However, not many of us are that fortunate and have to make do with whatever little space the house has to offer. However, with some neat organizing tips, you can turn even a small corner in your house into an efficient office.
Your office area should preferably be near a phone. In fact, you are better off getting a separate line for your office so that your calls and messages do not get mixed up with those of your home. You will need a good, uncluttered table to work on and will require some wall space to hang a bulletin board. This bulletin board can be used to put up a calendar and any other information that you may need. Your table may have space to store some files but that may not be sufficient. If there is enough room you could invest in some storage solution to store all your files and you could keep only those you are currently working on in your table drawer. If there is not enough room, consider using a rolling cart that will store all your files. When not needed you could store it elsewhere and you can easily bring it to your table as and when you need a file.
Keep all the basic supplies that you will need in one, easily accessible place. This is probably the first thing that you would want to get organized. Some of the most basic supplies that you should have on hand are as follows – pens and pencils, post-it notes, glue stick, tape, scissors, ruler, stapler, paper clips, letter opener, mailing supplies including business envelopes and stamps of the denominations that you use most often.
If you use a computer for your office work (and you should if you are not already!), you should keep this too in your office area. Instead of keeping it on the same table as you work on, try to get a smaller table to keep the computer and other accessories on. There are many neat computer tables in the market today and you should be able to find one that meets your requirements.
When you work from home, it is very easy to mix things that need to be done for the home and things that have to be finished for the office. It is very important that you keep these tasks separate and concentrate on finishing the office work while in your office. At times, you may think to yourself that it is just one phone call and after that you will immediately get back to your work. However, the phone call does not end there or brings with it another job and before you know it, you are behind your work deadline. No matter how easy or trivial a task may sound, stick to your office work during the hours you have set for yourself. Only after you are done with them, should you move onto household chores.
Keep separate planners/organizers for your work. Instead of having small pieces of paper or post-its stuck all over the place, use a business planner to schedule your business meetings and appointments. Use your home organizer to make schedules and lists for home. Never use or let anyone else use your office bulletin board for anything other than putting up information related to your work.
If you have been using a computer for your work for some time now, chances are you use it for almost every important thing – from communicating via email, for planning and organizing to keeping track of your business finances and tax matters. It is therefore crucial that you learn to back up your files on a regular basis. You may be aware of the importance of backing up your files but could be doing it only sporadically. Fix a specific day and time and discipline yourself to take backups or else use special backup software that can do the job for you automatically. If you also work at a remote location, then it is important that you synchronize your work at home and at office. It might be a good idea to keep two sets of backups for all your important files. Keep one at work and bring the other one home. The next week, you can take the second set to work and leave the other one home. This way you can ensure that you have the latest backups one set and that they are synchronized. If you run a home-based business, having a backup that can restore all your important data in case of a fire or some other natural disaster, can mean the difference between your business surviving or going under. Another excellent option to consider would be that of a commercial off-site backup service. These services are reasonably priced and take care of backing up your important files at regular intervals. They even make it very easy for you to restore any or all of your files in case of an emergency.
If you use computers on a regular basis storing files and information both on a desktop as well as a laptop, you may want to store all information in one place, preferably the laptop. Also if you are using personal organizing software, you may want to store it in one central place. Whatever option you use to store your information - laptop, Blackberry, desktop - make sure that the information remains updated in all devices.
How Does Organizing Help Me With My Life?
So far, all that we have talked about may have made complete sense to you. However, when we state that organizing will help you with your life, you might be a little skeptic. After all how can organizing help you with your relationships? We are here to tell you exactly how.
You may think that it is easy to look at an item and decide whether you need it or not. However, besides taking care of all the physical stuff, you will also need to analyze another important aspect of your life – your relationships. If you do not prioritize your relationships, chances are that they will take up a lot of your time and energy. You will therefore have to spend some time looking at various relationships, identify which ones are the most important to you and what you are willing to do to build and grow that relationship.
When you start looking at relationships, you should start with yourself. Surprised? Don’t be. The most important person in your life is you and the way you feel about yourself will go a long way in determining the kind of relationship you will have with others. If your self-esteem and self-confidence are high, you will have healthy relationships with your family, friends, co-workers and your partner. You should therefore understand if you are doing all that you can so that you feel secure and confident.
Next, take a look at the different people in your life – some are your family members, some are your friends and some are just casual acquaintances. Identify those relationships that matter most to you and then work hard on them. It is not going to be easy but unless you learn to focus on people who matter to you, chances are your relationship will not grow. In fact, more often than not, people who are the closest to you are the ones you tend to take for granted. They do not make any demands on your time or your feelings and as a result, end up being ignored.
We keep hearing how modern technology is wonderful and how it has made it possible for us to stay in touch and connected at all times. Though we are now able to get in touch with friends and family at any time, it does not mean that we are actually connecting. You do not need technology to connect to people you love and understand what your relationship needs to make it stronger.
Make it a point to start devoting some time and effort to make those closest to you understand that you appreciate their love and support.
Get Organized to Get Fit
We now move from one important aspect of our lives to another. Just as we could get our relationships on track using organizational methods, we can use the same techniques to ensure our physical health and well-being. There are many things beyond our control when it comes to health and fitness, but by staying organized and disciplined, we can make sure that our health is our top priority.
We can again understand your skepticism in the matter – how can getting organized help your health? Well, the fact is only if you are organized and disciplined enough will you be able to take all the necessary steps on which your physical health depends. For example, it is considered very important that a person exercises on a regular basis and stays stress-free. If you are not well-organized, you will not be able to manage your time well, which in turn can lead to stress and you not having enough time for regular workouts.
The very first thing that you need to do to get organized is to understand what your fitness goals are going to be. Start by weighing yourself and identify if you are overweight and how many pounds you should lose to get in shape. Consult your doctor and go in for regular check-ups. Decide if you are eating right and if you are resting well – if you are waking up in the morning feeling listless and lacking energy, you are obviously not sleeping well. Look at how much exercise you are getting now and consult a fitness expert in understanding what you need to do to attain your fitness goals.
Now use your planner to write down your specific fitness goals and what steps you need to take to achieve them.
Include all exercise details in your planner.
Include appointments with your fitness expert and doctors in your planner.
Try to attend special weight-loss workshops or meetings.
Try to note down as regularly as you can what you eat at home and what you eat outside so that you can avoid all high-calorie and low-nutrition food items.
Share your goals with your more positive friends and family. They will be supportive and encourage you every step of the way and a fear of failure will motivate you to keep going.
At regular intervals, look at what progress you have made and what goals you have achieved. You should set yourself short-term and long-term goals so that you can reward yourself whenever you achieve a goal. Reward yourself with something meaningful so that you can keep going.
Being organized thus helps us to manage our time and our energies in a more efficient manner helping us to take control of our life. In the next section, we provide you with not just a handful but 77 organization tips that will help you get your life back on track.
IV. Let’s Get Organized - 77 Life Organization Tips
Consult any management expert or pick up any book on organization and you will be given a few useful tips that are aimed at getting your home or office organized. However, as we have seen we can be organized in many more areas of our life, each with its own benefits. We give you below 77 life organization tips that will help you live a more complete life.
1. When you first start to organize things, you might feel overwhelmed at the sight of all the things that you have collected and may wonder how it ever got to this stage. Try not to feel guilty or worry too much about it. You are now taking positive steps to clear all the clutter and get yourself organized. So, from now on, spend your time and energy in focusing on the future and not repenting about the past.
2. Keep a bag of supplies handy as you go around sorting and organizing. This bag should typically contain the following – different sized Ziploc bags, a tote bag, garbage bags, timer, labels, notebook, pen, post-its, empty boxes and a large bin with handles. Start your campaign by creating a master plan that contains a list of all that you want organized or done in the house. Take a quick tour through the house and start noting down the jobs to be done in your notebook. These could range from cleaning bathroom drawers, sorting out toys, clearing newspapers, thinning your clothes closet and so on. This will remain your master list of short-term and long-term goals.
3. Some people find it less stressful to deal with one room at a time perhaps one a month. This is still OK, as you would have met all your deadlines within a year.
4. One good idea to keep you going is to take before and after photos of your room and various areas just so you can see the effect your organizing efforts are having on the house.
5. From your list of tasks to be done, identify those that are creating more problems for you and make those your priority.
6. Do not shop for anything new till you are done organizing. Only if you are convinced that there is a need for the item and that it will be used, should you purchase it.
7. Do not go to any more sales or discount stores till you have organized what you own.
8. If you are unable to stop thinking about an item that you want to buy, keep the picture of that item in a folder so that you can come back to it once you are done organizing.
9. Sort and organize all visible clutter first. Seeing some empty space where there was clutter first will give you a sense of gratification and keep you motivated.
10. Set realistic deadlines for organizing various rooms and finally the whole house.
11. Break up bigger goals into smaller, intermediate goals.
12. Before you start organizing your home or office, you should know what you are trying to achieve. Take a few minutes and list out the top five reasons for you to start organizing.
13. Share your goals with your friends or family members. The thought of losing face before them if you do not finish your work in time will spur you on to getting things done.
14. Never do marathon sessions while sorting or organizing. Chances are you might take hasty decisions and throw out stuff that you actually needed.
15. After attaining every goal, reward yourself with something that will give you satisfaction - could be a dinner outside or just a nap.
16. To truly test whether something is organized or not is to find out how easy it is to access something in that space.
17. If an item is being used regularly, it should have a designated place for it. If it does not have a place for it, it is not being used regularly and can be considered clutter.
18. Only keep those items that you are going to use and things that you value; ruthlessly discard the rest.
19. If you have been holding onto something hoping to get it fixed, fix it within a certain time else throw it out.
20. If you are holding onto something hoping to donate it to a charity at some stage, do so right away. Keep the contact numbers of a few charities in hand so that you can donate stuff to them right away.
21. If your closet will not close because of too many clothes or you need to push on the stuff in your drawers to close it shut, you need to desperately thin down your clothes.
22. Try to sort things into categories as they are easier to organize and hence easier to find later.
23. Often you collect clutter because of indecisiveness. You are not sure if you want to give away a tea-set you got as a wedding gift and whether you should retain your child’s first drawing. Make a decision and get rid of what you do not need.
24. Keeping stuff that you do not need only creates day-to-day problems. Would you rather care for just a few important things and spend the rest of your time meaningfully, or would you rather spend all your time cleaning a whole lot of junk stuff?
25. Not managing your time well, will mean missing important events like a close friend’s wedding or your father’s birthday party.
26. If you do not take control of your life, chances are you will end up feeling stressed and frazzled, the effects of which will be seen on your health. Clearing clutter will help you devote more time to things that matter.
27. Your children are bound to learn from you – if they see you clutter things around, they are likely to do the same.
28. Clutter can also keep you from focusing on the future and dragging you into the past. Getting rid of unwanted clutter will help you think more positive thoughts.
29. Being organized will also help you increase your creativity.
30. Stay on top of all the financial commitments that you have made – like paying school fees, credit card bills, mortgage payments or payments on any business loans. Defaulting on these payments will result in you having to pay interest charges and being left with a bad credit report.
31. Being organized also means staying on top of routine matters. If you do not attend to routine matters like taking the car for a tune-up or visit your dentist regularly, you may end up needing emergency care that will cost you far more and take up more time.
32. Store things so that you can see them clearly. Else you may end up buying a duplicate of something that you already have.
33. Getting organized is important in your workplace as well. Your office may evaluate you based on your performance and also on how organized your work area is.
34. Keep a notebook handy so that you can note down all that you need to do. If you do not note them down, you are more likely to forget things. Noting down things to do will help clear your mind and relieve you of stress.
35. Have a designated place to keep your to-do notebook. If you are stepping out, carry it with you and put it back in its place once you return home.
36. Keep this notebook updated. Strike out things that you have managed to finish. This will also give you a sense of accomplishment that will help you stay organized.
37. Note important dates and schedules on a calendar put up in a prominently visible place.
38. Good time management starts with noting where you waste your time. For a whole week, see where you waste your time and what can be done to speed up some processes.
39. It may help to duplicate some items in the house like having pens and a notebook near each telephone in the house. This will save time running up and down looking for a pen.
40. Morning hours are always rush hours. It may help if you organize yourself the night before by filling the coffee maker, keeping the breakfast items out, packing lunch and charging your cell phone.
41. Keeping a small table near the exit where you can keep all the things you need in a hurry in the morning will save you a lot of time.
42. Keep the tote bag that you most often use, outside, near the door. If there are any library books to be returned, videos to be returned, tickets or letters to be mailed, you could keep putting them in this bag so that when you step out the next time, you have everything you need in the bag.
43. Ask your children to help you with small chores. They can help you load the washing machine and dryer, vacuum in smaller spaces and dust awkward corners.
44. Lay down some ground rules to manage your time better and to avoid clutter. For example, you could say that things that need to be fixed should be taken out within forty-eight hours or else gotten rid of. Similarly, only clothes in the dirty clothes hamper will be washed – the rest will have to wait till the next cycle.
45. If yours is a large family, it may help to run the washing machine at night. In the morning, you just need to put them in the dryer.
46. There are always small repair and restore jobs in the house and if they are not taken care, they could lead to bigger problems. Set aside some time on a weekend to take care of these small jobs.
47. Keep the operating hours of stores and places you go to handy. Like the laundry, video store, superstore and so on.
48. At times, you need something urgently and rush out to the store only to find that they do not have it. Always check up before hand if the store has what you need before you drive up till there.
49. If you are heading to a place where you know you may have to wait, like while picking up your child from school, you might carry some work with you like returning phone calls, writing out thank-you notes or even balancing your check-book.
50. If your children and their friends have a lot of common activities, instead of each family driving the child to the same place, you could consider car pooling with parents taking turns dropping and picking up the kids.
51. Learn to say no. When you are asked to volunteer for any activity, do not feel guilty about saying no. You should offer your time only when you can spare it.
52. Practice what you will say when you have to turn down any request. This will save you a lot of mental aggravation when you actually find yourself in the situation.
53. Plan for your meals well in advance instead of stopping at the store everyday to pick up something for the night. Do not complicate the process – keep it simple and healthy.
54. When you can spare the time, try to get as many things you need for cooking ready. Chop some vegetables in advance for a day or two and store some partially prepared items to make cooking meals easier.
55. Plan on shopping just once a week. Prepare a master list of groceries that you will need for a week – revise it over a period of a month so that you do not need anything before the end of the week.
56. Place your list on the refrigerator or some such visible place so that members of your family can put in what they need.
57. Try to go shopping first thing in the morning or in the late evening when the crowds are less and you can shop more quickly.
58. Before you head out for your shopping, make sure you plan your meals for the week. This way you will know what groceries you need for the week.
59. Where you can, mention the specific brand name and type of item you want on your list. Else you will waste a lot of time deciding what kind of shampoo you would like.
60. A whiteboard in the kitchen can be used to write down the meals planned for the week and the snacks available. This will make it easier for the kids to choose what they want to eat and ensure that all the food is consumed.
61. Try to see what things you can get delivered home. Dry cleaning, prescription medicines and so on can be easily delivered home leaving you more time to do your shopping.
62. Using a timer is a great way to alert you to an appointment or to start on a task. Set the timer to go off ten minutes before you need to start cooking or getting ready. This will give you enough time to pack up and save anything that you were working on.
63. Organize similar tasks together so that you can finish them all in one go. For example, pool all the phone calls that you need to make in one place, all the bills that you need to pay in one and so on.
64. Before you head out for an appointment, check up if that is still on time or if it has been pushed ahead. This will give you time to finish up a few other chores.
65. Try not to pick up items that need special care. Some examples are clothes that need to be hand-washed or silver and brassware that need regular polishing.
66. Avoid time-consuming beauty treatments. Stick to what it is natural on most days.
67. Combine only those tasks that will allow you to focus on each one without any problem. For example, your child could do his or her homework as you fold the laundry.
68. Give up trying to be perfect – let others help you put away things so that the house stays organized though it may not be done in the exact same way that you wanted.
69. Before taking up a task, keep everything that you need for it handy. Do you know what you need to know to complete the task and do you have sufficient time to finish it? Only if the answer is yes, should you get down to doing it.
70. If you are wondering where you are spending most of your time, you could try wearing a watch for a week and then clocking the time that most of your activities take. You will be surprised to find that what you thought took only twenty minutes takes forty and cleaning the room when your kids pitch in takes only half an hour, instead of one hour when you do it alone.
71. If you are in the middle of completing a task, do not let anything interrupt you. Do not let the phone disturb you, let it go to voice mail; do not open the door for any neighbor and do not reply to any email right away. Concentrate on finishing your work.
72. Note things down in the manner and in a place where it is convenient for you. If you prefer a simple calendar to a more hi-tech Blackberry, that should be your choice. It is more important to note down the things that need to be done and then get them done.
73. Before you start noting down things in your new calendar, note down all the important dates like birthdays and wedding anniversaries.
74. Whenever you note a date in your calendar, you should also note down any action that needs to be taken before the date. For example, if your child’s friend has a birthday party on a certain date, note down that you have to pick up a gift for the child a few days before.
75. Identify a time of the day when you are more fresh and can concentrate more. Set this time aside to do tasks that require you to focus more like working on your taxes or finishing up some office work.
76. Never schedule things too close to one another. You should always keep in mind that factors like the weather, traffic and others running late can affect you.
77. One of the simplest ways of keeping things organized in your home or office is to do things right away if it is not going to take more than a few minutes. If you need to file a paper, do so right away. However, if you need to work out something and then file it away, keep it for later.
V. How to Keep It Going
If you have managed to stay disciplined and focused enough to get your home, office and your life sufficiently organized, it is indeed a major victory for you and you should certainly reward yourself for achieving the goals you had set out for yourself. However, keep in mind that this is just the beginning. You now have to work as hard if not harder to keep things organized and not let the clutter monster attack your life again.
Here are a few tips that will help you keep your life organized.
Keep this simple rule in mind. If you have something in hand, do not just put it down but put it away. If you have a glass in hand, instead of just leaving it on the coffee table, take two minutes and put it in the sink. If you have a bill to file, file it away immediately. Of course, if you need to make a payment, keep it in your ‘to-do’ folder and take care of it later.
Take what time you have and organize. It is never going to be possible for you to find blocks of four-five hours when you are going to be completely free so that you can organize your closet. Instead use the time that you have to organize how much ever you can; it may be just one rack or just one toy container.
If an item needs fixing, do not put it away. Take it for repairs as soon as you can and only then put it back in its place. Similarly, if clothes need a button or two, stitch them on before you throw the clothes for washing. This way you do not have to worry about them once they are out of the washing machine.
Try to make as much use of the walls and vertical space available. If you start running out of space, put some hooks, pegs or poles to hang purses, toys and pans.
Always put things back in their place once you are done using them. If the item you are using does not have a place, it is probably not being used enough and you should consider throwing it away. Inculcate this habit in your children and instruct them to put their toys and books back in their place once they are done.
Schedule some time on a weekend or a few minutes every morning to stay organized. You are not going to get too much free time on any single day and so you need to make the most of whatever little free time you get everyday.
Always use clear boxes so that you can see at a glance what they contain. Continuously update your labels if things inside a container change.
Make sure you continue to keep things that you use frequently, in easily accessible places.
If you are trying to move all your organizing methods to the computer then you should get all your financial statements and bills in the same way. This will help you keep track of payments owed and payments made more easily.
You could consider modern solutions like online bank payments or credit card payments to save you all the trouble of writing out checks and then mailing them.
Assume that all your creditors have to be paid on a single day and then make the payments on a single day.
If your family is in the habit of sending out thank-you notes weeks or maybe months after the gift has been sent, make a rule that says you can open the gift only after a small thank-you note has been written or a phone call to say thank you has been made.
Instead of being given gifts that have to be stored, request for gifts that can be used up like tickets for a movie or a dinner treat – even a basket of chocolates is fine.
While organizing, always leave room for more, especially if you have growing children in the house.
If there is any item that interests you, think about where you will store it. If you cannot find a place to store it, note it down and whenever some space is cleared, you could consider buying it.
Once you have cleared an area, declare that it is clutter proof. Under no conditions is anyone to leave anything there. Even if kids may leave a toy or your partner may leave a book, remind them to clear it as soon as possible.
There are going to be times when your home is going to look less organized, with bills piling up and clothes remaining unwashed. Do not be too hard on yourself. Take some time to relax and then jump right in with more energy.
Always look at the positive side and see how much you have accomplished, instead of bemoaning how much still remains to be done.
Expect the unexpected. There will always be set backs and emergencies that need to be taken care of. Your child may fall sick or you may need to finish up a report urgently. Just worry about taking care of business on hand first.
Once you have sorted things out and organized them, request everyone in the family to maintain the same organization.
If your home is organized enough, it should not take more than five minutes to clean up any room and it should certainly not take you more than one minute to find anything. Make sure that your home stays that way.
Whenever you feel tired to tackle the collecting clutter, remind yourself of why this is important to you. This will help you stay motivated.
Having less stuff means having to clean less and having more time to do fun things like play with your kids or go out with your partner for the evening.
You should ensure that there is progress in your home and that things are getting more organized than before. Do not aim for perfection.
Being organized is a continuous process and is not a destination in itself. If you think that you will reach a stage where you will be completely happy with the way the house is organized, you are only letting yourself in for a lot of frustration. Aim for a general understanding of what is needed to be organized and give yourself some time to get a majority of things done. From then on, it is an ongoing process – a journey in which you will face many set backs but most of the time you will be moving forward, in full control of your life.
We hope that this book will serve as a constant companion on your journey as you continue to find ways of being more productive and of enjoying life to the fullest.