Organizing Tools: Your Calendar/Planner

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There is nothing more important for organizing our time than a great calendar/planner.   You can use this tool to incorporate planning as well.  The strategy of not only recording dates can be the key to making your life more organized and less stressful. 

  • Choose a calendar/planner that works for you.  It’s a calendar/planner that makes it easy to record dates at any time.  It also helps you view time the way you think about time, at a month at a time, throughout  a week, or just in a long string.   Your calendar can be as simple as a yellow pad, very exact like Franklin Covey planners, or with technology on your smart phone.
  • Create a habit of recording dates as soon as possible.  There are always lots of dates swirling n your head for you and your family. By entering these on your calendar/planner  asap, you won’t have to remember them, there will be fewer conflicts of dates and activities, and you will start to grasp a greater sense of due dates and upcoming events. 
  • Refer to your calendar/planner diligently. How often? At least in the morning and evening, but also throughout the day to keep you on track with appointments and projects.
  • Use your calendar as planner for big and little tasks. Breaking down big projects with your own time line, creating accountability dates to complete a project, and adding in baby steps makes your planner a strategy to get things done.
  • Post a family calendar for your kids and partner to add dates.  Keeping everyone in the loop and keeping everyone communicating keeps your family organized. 
  • Have a weekly review to get ahead of the game. Once a week, make a date with your calendar to look ahead, see what is coming, prioritize and get in gear.

 Using a calendar/planner eliminates the mental clutter of remembering dates and times and helps you focus on completion of a project.  The more you use your calendar/planner, the more indispensible it will be!

Image courtesy of The Container Store www.containerstore.com

Setting Your Goals One Step at a Time

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Is making changes in your home or office are at the top of your list for the new year you are on target.  Getting organized is one of the top three new year’s resolutions every year.  Like any change, taking small steps get you to where you want to go. 

Be sure to set positive, specific, measurable, date driven steps to accomplish your goals.  Write it down, exactly how you will go about the change and the deadline you have.  A measureable goal helps you see what you have accomplished and making yourself accountable to a date makes your success assured. 

Here are some ideas to help your organizing and productivity this year.

If your goal is to declutter your home and get organized

  • I will declutter one junk drawer in the kitchen or other small space in my home in 2 weeks.
  • I will keep 10 pairs of pants and eliminate the rest by next Sunday.
  • I will spend 10 minutes every day going through my mail and eliminating paper.
  • My family will have a nightly 10 minute pick up time to get toys and clothes back to their homes.

If your goal is to work smarter and be more productive

  • I will add one hour first thing in the morning to work toward a project that is of primary importance.
  • I will add 10 contacts to my data base this week to grow my business.
  • I will have a 5 minute meeting daily with my assistant to set my plan in motion for the day.
  • I will spend 15 minutes at the end of the day writing my list for tomorrow, putting paper back into folders, and filing emails to get ready for the next day. 

If your goal is to be more organized about money, save money and improve finances

  • I will save $10 a week by automatically withdrawing to a savings account.
  • I will write down every expense for one month by category to determine where I can spend less. 
  • I schedule one hour every week for administrative time to pay bills and work with paper.

 If your goal is to improve your health

  • I will walk 30 minutes a day, five days a week.
  • I will drink 2 glasses of water each morning before I leave the house and 1 glass with each meal during the day.
  • I will be in bed by 10:30 every other evening.

Whatever your goal, whatever your steps, remember to establish these firmly in a spot during the day.  I like to do my baby steps first thing, early in the day, or otherwise the day gets away from me. If you miss a day, just get right back to it the next day.  We can’t do every goal and be successful.  Aim for one big area this year and see what you accomplish.  Tackle your goals in small bites and see the difference for yourself!

3 Simple Gift Giving Tips

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Giving meaningfully is part of the holiday season.  Follow your inner guide to give meaningfully.

A Guide to Giving Gift From Erin Carlyle

Homemade gifts from texascottage.blogspot.com

Gifts of Random Kindness from littlelucylu.com

 For more ideas for simple gift giving, visit my pinterest page www.pinterest.com/EllenDelap  Happy Holidays board!

Wishing you a season of meaningful sharing and gifting!

Organize to Revitalize: Enlist the Elves!

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I love sharing my thoughts on Organize to Revitalize too!

Holiday Organizing: Enlist the Elves is posted there at http://dallisonlee.com/blog/2012/12/03/holiday-organizing-enlist-the-elves/.

Who are your elves?

Deck the (Decluttered) Halls

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Holiday time is almost here! November begins our holiday celebrations with Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah and New Year’s Eve.  Our holidays bring amazing joy and lots to do at our homes.  Doing just a little decluttering makes it easier to decorate your home and helps you feel prepared.  Spend on hour on one of these four areas to help you get prepared for your most memorable holiday. 

•Declutter last year’s holiday cards. It is a powerful way to prepare for this year’s cards by collecting addresses and eliminating extra paper clutter. You will be prepared knowing the number of cards to order too!   Just a little less paper means a lot less stress. 

• Declutter the toys in your home.  There is no better way to prepare than by sharing your blessings with other’s less fortunate!  Your kids can be a part of the process in choosing what is donated.  They can choose 3 toys to donate and bless others.  If you have unopened toys or crafts from previous years, it is a great experience for you and your children to bring these to local philanthropies for gift giving. 

 • Declutter your decor as you decorate.  While you are decorating for the holidays, create an awareness of what has lost meaning or value to you in your home.  Whether it is a knick-knack or books, you can declutter while you decorate to create space for the holiday decorations and create a space for new decor after the holidays.  Thrift stores and consignment shops appreciate these items for upcoming holiday shoppers.

•Declutter your holiday decorations.  Keepsake decorations can be stored and marked to honor wonderful memories and preserve these items to share with your family.  Decorations that are in good condition are an excellent donation to local philanthropies and a special way to share the joy of the holiday. 

 Decluttering before decorating makes our holiday less stressful and more joyful.  Put on holiday music and get started on one of these small projects.  If you struggle with getting started or following through with your decluttering, give me a call to assist.

Organize Your Life Webinar Series

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Save your sanity and get organized in 2013!

Is getting organized one of your New Year’s resolutions? Then Join me this January for 10 amazing webinars from a dream team of presenters for Get Organized month. These classes will help you focus, plan, and organize your time, space, and information.
http://theprofessionalorganizer.com/events/organize-your-life-webinar-series/ …. get a special facebook discount with code “fbdeal” for 10% off all classes.

Webinar classes include how to organize your time, your paper, your kids, your students, your technology, hoarding and more!

  • Classes offered share specific tools and techniques to impact your daily life. 
  • Nationally known professional organizers and productivity coaches available to you in your home by webinar.
  • Affordable solutions to learn about organizing and take that next step in your home or office. 

 Classes begin January 3 and run all through Get Organized Month 2013.  Take a step to make 2013  your most organized year yet!

Organizing Your ‘Frig (refrigerator)

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Its one place in your home every person uses! Its one place that has very limited space with no option for expansion.  Doesn’t your refrigerator need to be organized? Yes it does! Use these 4 tips to get your ‘frig organized.

  • Think about where food keeps best in what temperature and what you need access to most frequently.  Milk keeps best on the top shelf in the back. Condiments can have a space in the door.  Make it easy to reach items you use every day. 
  • Think about categories to keep together.  Categories make not be all the same size and shape containers but consolidating in groups makes it easy to find items.  Categories can include condiments, dairy, vegetables, fruit, and leftovers.  Map out a plan for where categories fit best in the space.
  • Think about uniform leftover containers.  Having 3 sizes of the same shape of containers makes it easy to store leftovers.
  • Think about aligning your refrigerator clean out with trash day.  It is important to have a routine that allows for discarding leftovers after a certain amount of time. Having a dry erase board on the ‘frig helps with using leftovers too!

An organized frig saves you time, saves you money and helps you know what you have to get dinner on the table.  What does your ‘frig look like?

Items pictured can be found at The Container Store www.containerstore.com

Six Tips for Turkey Time

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Time for the turkey trot~ the time of year to get your turkey and Thanksgiving dinner in order! Families and friends gather to celebrate a day of gratitude and connection.  What will make your day focused on thanksfulness?  Here are a few organizing ideas.

  • Get ahead with a list.  Having a plan makes all the difference. The list begins with who, what, where, when and how. Who will be attending? What will be needed? Where will it be held and what time? And HOW can everyone contribute?
  • Get the goodies.  Assign everyone a job, no matter if it is bringing the canned cranberries and rolls. Everyone wants to contribute so be a team player with assignments or step up and volunteer.
  • Get going.  Get ahead with your shopping list by going through your cabinets for supplies, including plates and utensils.  Shop early for items that are non-perishable. Shop in the evening early in the week to avoid crowds.
  • Set up ahead.  You can set up your food stations early in the week as well as tables and chairs.  If you are going out, call for reservations early too for best seating.
  • Time it all out. There are lots of goodies and only one oven so create a timeline for how you will cook. Remember that turkeys take time to thaw so plan on extra time for this.
  • Take time to be thankful. As you are preparing and enjoying your time together, spend a few minutes talking about gratitude.  

Happy Turkey Time everyone!   What helpful hints do you have for your family’s turkey trot?

10 Ways to Stay Organized While Moving

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ways to stay organized while moving

 

Everyone is on the move now, finding new homes that suit their needs as work-from-home and virtual schooling continue. Though you may be excited about moving to a new place, you may not be looking forward to the move itself. The organization will help you get through it.

 

  1. Declutter first.  Go room by room and eliminate what you have not used, what’s broken, and what’s trash. It saves you money to have less to move.  Donate the items you don’t want to the local Goodwill or have a garage sale to make some extra money for your move. Remember, what may be trash to you may be someone else’s treasure. Getting organized before you sell makes a difference in the speed of your sale.
  2. Take inventory. Create a spreadsheet to list your items.  Specify which room will be used for what use.  Assign furniture to the room for use and storage.  As items are packed and unpacked, you will be sure all your items arrive and are placed appropriately.  This is also valuable information for your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance.
  3. Start packing early. Pack by room or by use.  It will take longer than you think to get all the odds and ends as well as the big items packed safely.   Pack a “last out, first in” bag. It can be packed in overnight bags and kept apart from items going on the moving truck.
  4. Label everything. Yes, everything!  Label the box on 3 sides, including the top.  Write what the room is and what the items in the box are. Have plenty of sharpies or colored tape to write this on the boxes.
  5. Use plastic bins. Bins can be reused once you are in your home or office for other storage as well.  This is especially helpful for seasonal decorations.  Purchase the bins with lids, pack your seasonal items in those, and then stack them in the garage without worrying about the elements ruining everything.
  6. Update your address.  Start early by letting others know your new address by email.
  7. Organize your papers and bills. You may have 2 sets of bills and papers when you move for a short time.  It’s a perfect time to update your online bill-paying system with new account numbers and addresses.
  8. Research and choose a well-established moving company. Review online reviews to be sure you have a reputable company to move.  Find a company that fits your budget and your move date.
  9. Work as a team. Write a list of all the tasks related to your move and divide up the responsibilities with your family.  Check-in each evening to check off what has been accomplished.
  10.  Get plenty of rest and take care of yourself. A move is hard work! Getting a good night’s sleep is important for your best self.

Getting organized for a move makes all the details fall into place!

10 Tips for Student Time Management

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Our students have a lot on their plates! There is homework, sports, homecoming, church and more! Time management is an important skill for them to develop early on to be sure they feel successful academically and personally. Follow these tips to help you do your best!

  • Write in your assignments in your planner in each class. Check your teachers’ websites to be sure you have all your assignments too.
  • Check your planner each afternoon, write in what you missed.
  • Review your out of school activities and write these in your planner.
  • Keep your papers in your homework folder that need action, keep your papers in your binder that are reference
  • Prioritize and plan the week out. What is most important to do on what day? Anticipate the next test.
  • Plan your week by working around existing activities. Wednesdays are especially busy!
  • Break big projects into baby steps. For example, flashcards written, study for short periods, review with someone.
  • Get started and work hard during homework time, from 6 – 9 pm. Take breaks when your concentration stops, but get back to work in 5 minutes.
  • Pack your backpack and your homework before bed.
  • Wind down and get in bed by 10 pm. A good night’s rest makes all the difference.