{"id":6415,"date":"2016-03-08T06:00:01","date_gmt":"2016-03-08T11:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/professional-organizer.com\/WordPress\/?p=6415"},"modified":"2016-02-22T19:19:17","modified_gmt":"2016-02-23T00:19:17","slug":"4-rules-organized-living","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/professional-organizer.com\/WordPress\/4-rules-organized-living\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Rules for Organized Living"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"organized<\/a><\/p>\n

My own personal mantra has always been \u201cKeep it simple sweetie.\u201d<\/h3>\n

No matter the situation or the conversation, my life works best when I keep it simple. What happens when it\u2019s not simple? Stress from clutter, frustration from lack of time, or feelings of being overwhelmed are common when life is complicated. A focus on simplicity brings life into balance.<\/p>\n

How do you keep it simple?<\/h3>\n

\u2022 Ruthlessly look for ways to cut down on clutter.<\/h3>\n

Set up a bag to drop in unused items to donate to our local philanthropies every week. Keep a shopping list of only what\u2019s needed. When something new comes into your home, let go of something else. Simplify by letting go of MORE than you think you can.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Prioritize you and your family\u2019s commitments.<\/h3>\n

There are lots of \u201cgood\u201d things we \u201cshould\u201d do. Know what\u2019s most important to you and your family and align your activities with these priorities. Keep up to date on your personal and family calendars to know what your commitments are.
\n\u2022 Know what papers to keep, what to shred and what to recycle. Set up a command center for papers that come in and triage paper daily. It\u2019s a station in your home and office where paper is kept and categorized. Each day you go through paper and file, shred or recycle. Once a week have an administrative time to go through the remaining paper, pay bills, and do what\u2019s needed.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Host a weekly meeting for you and your family.<\/h3>\n

Building your team makes your efforts easier. Having everyone talk through upcoming activities and plans makes for good communication. Add time to your personal calendar for your own weekly planning as well where you consolidate information from papers, kids, email and more.
\nHave simple systems and routines in place to reinforce your new mantra. Your sense of efficiency, productivity and positivity will grow as a result too!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"organized\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My own personal mantra has always been \u201cKeep it simple sweetie.\u201d No matter the situation or the conversation, my life works best when I keep it simple. What happens when it\u2019s not simple? Stress from clutter, frustration from lack of time, or feelings of being overwhelmed are common when life is complicated. A focus on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1361,9],"tags":[1574,1576,1575],"class_list":["post-6415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-most-organized-year-ever","category-organizing-skills","tag-4-rules-for-organized-living","tag-how-do-i-get-more-organized","tag-living-an-organized-life"],"yoast_head":"\n4 Rules for Organized Living - Ellen's Blog, Professional Organizing for Kingwood & Houston<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Get clear on what keeps you organized! 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