A Final Tip for Organizing: Don’t be afraid to ask for help

Have you walked in the house after a long day at work and simply sighed at your cluttered home? Have you planned to organize one morning but don't know where to begin or are you simply not in the mood? Are you caught in a vicious circle: as soon as you organize one room a different one has turned to chaos? Perhaps you simply need to prioritize, find motivation, and invite help. Easier said than done, right? I hope that this series of blogs on organization has helped you to see the importance of organization and taught you ways to save time, money and peace of mind. As with most goals in life, you need to strive for progress and betterment, not perfection. Most of us don't have the time to accomplish perfection in everything we do and still live a happy, fulfilling life. When you set goals, make them accomplishable, attainable. When you make that progress, produce a visual way to track it or remind yourself of all you've achieved (i.e. stickers on a chart, a check list, a flower/penny/or other item to represent each task you've finished). Do you begin the day with the best of intentions to de-clutter the “bath” only to loose your drive because it's “simply not worth it”? What is worth it to you? What do you value? Why? These questions might not seem to have much to do with organizing, but they may be the key to your motivation. How much time do you spend on actions that relate to your values (i.e. spending time with loved ones, exercising, eating healthy, and so forth.)? Most of us would likely answer “not enough”. Then why would you ever spend time on an action not related to you values, like organizing? The answer: organizing helps you to focus more on your values. Organizing means less time searching for things, fewer arguments over who last used the scissors and didn't put them back, less time cleaning around the clutter . . . With less time wasted, you have more time to be with loved ones, exercise, eat healthy, and pursue those life goals that truly matter to you. Even if most of your tasks and daily routines are “value added”, they're not always fun and often too much for one person. Resolution: spread the responsibility among the whole house. What is boring to one person might be fun for another member. One individuals weak spot might be someone else’s strength. When you do invite help, simply remember to be specific or be prepared for “not precisely what you expected”. Letting other people pick what they want and find their own way, reasonably, might even make them more willing and productive. With younger children, having them help you may initially take longer, but in the long run, it teaches them the value of organization and as they get older and begin doing the routines themselves, it takes more work off of you later. The office is another place where sharing the load of organizing will help the entire company be more productive. This is the final installment of my short series on organization. I know it was short and not very in depth, but blog posts that are too long get tedious for me to write and for you to read. I would, however like to take this opportunity to let you know about this great book that has helped me get organized. If you liked the information and tips that I have laid out in this series on organization and you want more, this book will definitely be a great guide to help you become more in control of your time, your health, your relationships, and your peace of mind. Just click here to read more about this book or to pick up a copy.

Organization: The Top 100 Best Ways To Organize Your Life

There is also a great product that goes beyond reading and actually gives you a complete tool box on organizing every aspect of your life then Click Here!

Power Question: What is your next step? To start making your life more successful, what is your next step starting right now?

Organize Your Computer

One way that you can get organized is to make your computer an organizing assistant. You can print up schedules and also keep a calendar with a list of what you have to do each day. You can get email updates as to your daily activities and appointments. Once you get used to using the computer to be organized, you will wonder how you ever got along without it. You can also use your computer for your banking. You can arrange to have all of your bills paid online, which saves you time and makes sure that you are not missing any payments. It is safe to bank online as banks use a special security and encoding system to prevent hacking. Another way that you can use the computer to get and stay organized online is that you can keep track of your bank balances. Make sure that you have the money that you think you have in your bank account. When you get automatic payments to your bank account, the money is available right away. You do not have to worry about cashing checks, waiting for checks to clear or possibly using them. The computer organizer isn’t just for the office, you can print up schedules to hang on the refrigerator, menus for the week, chore assignments and even plan a party using these tools. You must make use of this technology in order to stay organized because it alleviates so much time and stress. Organizing your life is more than just being able to keep a clean house and keep things in order. It also involves planning. For example, you can print up a grocery list and check the items that you need when you go shopping. If you go grocery shopping without a list, you not only end up spending more money than you would usually spend, but you also spend more time rummaging around the store. Let’s not even mention the times that you get all of the way home and realize that you forgot something that invariably leads to another trip to the store. The computer is a wonderful tool for staying organized and planning out various aspects of your life. You can even go online and get quick and easy recipes, for free. If you have a business, you can do your payroll and organize your finances on programs that will help you figure your income taxes and business taxes due. You can also go online and find forms that you can use to apply for certain benefits. If you are on social security, you can use the website to find out where your checks are and other benefits. You can use a pin number and discover information that you would otherwise have to wait for by mail. Paying your taxes? It is easy to do right online. Not only will you be able to get your taxes sooner, but you will also get your return much quicker. And you can have the refund directly deposited into your bank account. This saves you time and helps you stay organized, especially if you have been using computer programs to help you keep track of your expenses and income throughout the year. You can use programs like Excel when you are trying to create spreadsheets. This is not a difficult program to learn and you can use it in business to create graphs and also keep track of payments due. Most offices require that their employees use this program. Take advantage of computer technology to remember birthdays and special occasions so that you can send cards. There are even websites that will send cards to those on your list automatically, mailing them for you and thus saving you even more time. By using the computer, you are taking advantage of the latest tools to stay organized. You can plan, print and do both home and business work right on the computer as well as keep track of your finances. This is one tool that you cannot do without when it comes to being organized. You will find that there are so many uses for the computer that can simplify your life and make it easier.

Organization: The Top 100 Best Ways To Organize Your Life

Power Question: What is one change that you could make to your lifestyle that would give you more peace?

How To Organize Your Office

Having an unorganized office can be a recipe for disaster in the business world. It can be very easy for things to get out of control and for your performance to begin to suffer. It is important to get things in your control and organized in your office as soon as possible. The main rule of thumb here is everything has a place and everything should stay in it’s place. Start by organizing your paperwork. Use file holders and make sure that your cabinets are all in order. Use labels and file paperwork accordingly. This is the first step towards organizing your office. You have to also organize your time when you are in the office. Your time is one of your greatest assets, period. Many people find that they waste a great deal of time when it comes to work because they allow others to dictate their time instead of making their own time count. You need to prioritize the work that you have to do and get done first before other work. If you work in any type of average office, there is always some sort of emergency arising or fire that needs to be put out. You often will have to stop working on a project to take care of these emergencies. This does not mean that you cannot be organized. To the contrary, you need to be organized so that you can effectively prioritize your work and get the job done. You also have to be able to be flexible in your organization. One way to do this is to map out your day so that you have a goal set of what you plan to do for the day. Leave some time open so that in case an emergency arises, you can take care of it. Have a list in front of you for what you plan to do each day and check off the projects as you finish them. Each day should begin with goals that will enable you to do your work. Keeping a list of these goals is one of the most effective ways to organize your time in the office. Leave out personal phone calls or at the very least, keep them to a minimum. People tend to waste time in the office talking to other employees or talking on the phone with friends and family. This not only throws you off kilter with regard to your organization, but it can also catch the eyes of the boss. If your employer sees that you are idle for a good part of the day, or wasting time talking, they may feel that you are not necessary to the staff. These days, it pays to be as productive as ever when it comes to work. If you are in the position of calling for meetings, make sure that they are short and to the point. Prepare ahead of time by using software like Power Point and printing up information so that everyone can be informed to your point and then keep the information for later use. Be sure to take your lunch and breaks as scheduled. Some people have the idea that they should work through their lunch that they will be more productive. This is not true. People who skip their lunch often get less done because they get burned out. You need to take a lunch break and a few coffee breaks during the day so that you can be more effective, especially if you are working at a computer. Eyestrain, carpal tunnel, and back fatigue happen when you do not take adequate breaks from the computer. Keep up to date with the latest computer technology that can also help you stay more organized. There are many office programs available that you can use for this purpose Make sure that you keep your computer free from dust and use a tool that will keep the keyboard clean. Keep coffee and drinks away from the computer so that you do not end up spilling it on the keyboard and harming your computer. By keeping your office papers organized, using the right organizational tools and making sure that you make the most of your time when you are in the office, you will find that you are much more productive. Keeping a list of goals and writing them down is one way that you can make sure that you are doing your job each day. Remember to be flexible enough so that you can help with emergency situations that arise during working hours.

Organization: The Top 100 Best Ways To Organize Your Life

Power Question: What do you really, really want out of life?

Top Ten Tips For Saving Time Every Day

Part of being organized is making sure that you are a good steward of your time and that it is just as organized as everything else. You will feel less stress if you use some time saving tips to help you throughout the day. Here are my top 10 tips on saving time that you can use every day to help organize your time: 1. Make lunches the night before Instead of rushing around in the morning, trying to get everyone ready for school and work, make lunches the night before and put them in the refrigerator. By doing this, you can also fix multiple meals at once so that all you need to do is pull it out and heat it up. 2. Lay your clothes out the evening before Another way to save time every day is to pick out your clothes that you are going to wear the night before and have them ready for you in the morning. This can save you time in the morning as you do not have to waste time in a groggy state trying to figure out what to wear. 3. Do errands on your lunch hour Take the time to do some errands and get some things that you need. This can save you a trip to the store after work and will help you stay organized. 4. Do your banking online You can pay your bills online and also have an automatic deposit of your check into your bank account. Most employers encourage automatic deposits and the good news is that the money is available for you right away. This saves you a trip to the bank as well as time when it comes to writing out checks to pay bills and mailing them. 5. Send packages Priority Mail You can have Priority Mail boxes delivered to your home from the post office and have any package picked up right at your home. You should have these boxes, which are free, available at your home so that whenever you have to mail a package. It can save you time in going to the post office. 6. Fill up your gas tank when you need gas I know, in the current economy, this is hard to justify, but instead of having to stop all of the time at the gas station for gas, fill up your tank. This saves you time and is much more of an organized way to keep track of how much gas you use each week. Since you are likely to use up the gas anyway, you might as well fill it up and save countless trips to the gas station. Another plus for doing this, is the average tank develops gunk after so much use; when you run your tank to under a quarter of a tank, this gunk gets put into your lines which makes it to your engine. 7. Put an extension cord on your vacuum cleaner This is a simple tip that can save you time in moving the cord of the vacuum cleaner when you are vacuuming. You can get to all of the rooms at once and minimize changing the cord into different sockets, thus saving you time. 8. Wake up 15 minutes early to exercise Not only will you be feeling more energized, but this can also save you time in going to the gym. If you like to go to the gym, this is another thing that you can do on your lunch hour if you can find one close to where you work. 9. Make dinners two nights a week Instead of trying to figure out what you are going to cook for dinner each night, make dinner in advance. Two nights a week, or on the weekends, you can make such things like casseroles that will keep in the refrigerator. There was a story about a woman a few years ago that cooked for an entire year and put things into a chest freezer in portions. This may be going to the extreme, but you can cook in advance and save yourself an enormous amount of time. 10. Have dinner out once a week Once a week, treat yourself and your family to carry out foods. This will save you time and give you a break from the kitchen. We always called this “Fast Food Fridays.” It was a nice way to start the weekend without having to cook dinner and everyone enjoyed the different foods. Each week, someone in the family got to pick the carry out of choice. There are other time saving tips you can use. For example, if you have to go downstairs to do laundry, do not go empty handed when you come up. Bring up something that you need and condense your trips. This can help you save yourself many trips up and down the steps. Saving time makes you much more organized. This can actually be the first step to getting better organized. As you continue to organize your time, you will come up with other time saving tips for yourself as well. If you come up with any, I would love to hear them.

Organization: The Top 100 Best Ways To Organize Your Life

Power Question: For your life to be perfect, what would have to change?

Helpful Gadgets To Make Organizing Easier

There are many gadgets and gismos out there that you can help you to better organize your home and office. These can stretch space and make it easier for you to keep things in a place where you can find them. Here is a list of some of the gadgets that you can use to help:

Cleaning caddy, Closet organizers, Shoe organizers, Vacuum sealed bags, Hooks, Lazy Susan, Storage furniture, Tool kits, File organizers, Computer software programs (for bank accounts, receipts, etc.), Stackable shelves and Laundry separation devices, just to name a few.

A cleaning caddy can hold all of your cleaning products and make it easier for you to find everything when you need to clean instead of having to haul out individual bottles, rags  and sprayers. You can store everything in this caddy and save time as well as space in your utility closet with this handy gadget that is available at most stores that sell buckets and other cleaning goods.

Closet organizers can be installed on your own and are available in most home improvement stores. If you do not have a closet organizer and cannot afford to make this investment, you can purchase stackable hangers that will give you more room in your closet.

For decades, simple shoe racks have been used as an organization staple. Not only for keeping your shoes all lined up and looking neat, but also keeps them from getting damaged. You can also purchase shoe organizers that allow you to stack your shoes in a box that is covered with a clear plastic cover that slips under the bed.

Vacuum-sealed bags can allow you to put all of your clothes into a bag and then seal it so that the air is removed. These are waterproof and compact the clothes so that you take up a great deal less space and can be used to store seasonal clothes as well as for packing suitcases.

Hooks can be placed on the interior of closets that can allow you to hang up certain items like cleaning brushes, mops and even tools. You can purchase stick on hooks at just about any hardware or home improvement store.

A Lazy Susan is an old organizing tool that used to be standard with some kitchen cabinets. You can still have this type of cabinet installed in your home today as it usually goes in the corner of the kitchen cabinets. The interior of the cabinet spins around, giving you easy access to everything and also making the most of your cabinet space. You can purchase these items in some home improvement and other stores that can go into your cabinet to make the most of your space, make your cabinets more organized and give you easy access to items.

Storage furniture comes in all shapes and sizes. As I said earlier, I put an old dresser in my closet to give me extra space. I have a cedar chest that I use as a coffee table. The more storage space you have in your home, the easier it is to keep things organized. You can use cabinets for storing collectibles that you can use for display. Make all of your furniture count so that you have enough storage in your home. The main reason people find that their house is unorganized is because they do not have anywhere to put their items. By increasing your storage space, you then increase your ability to get organized.

Tool kits are an easy way to keep your tools all in one place. Even if you do not have a lot of tools, you most likely have hammers, pliers and screwdrivers that you use for certain chores. By having a tool kit or toolbox you can not only store these items much easier, but you can also find them when you are ready to use them.

File organizers have been discussed previously as a way that you can store photos and papers. You can purchase these at any office supply store. You can easily find anything you are looking for when it is properly filed. You can also use these items to store bills and receipts.

Computer software programs can be used to store your financial information and allow you to be organized when it comes to your money. It can also help you prepare your taxes and keep track of all of your bills and other expenses. There are various computer software programs that you can use for this purpose. When it comes to being organized, you also need to make sure that your finances are organized as well.

Stackable shelves can be put in a playroom or basement for storage of toys and even seasonal items. There are bins that you can use with these shelves as well. This can make it easier for you to keep a playroom or basement much neater and will also keep the things off of the floor. One of the things that many people worry about when it comes to clutter is, “what do we do with the kids toys?” However, kids grow up soon enough and will no longer want these toys. Do your best when it comes to organizing them but never feel that kids toys make your home a mess - it is never a bad thing to have a home in which children play or even an office for that matter. Still, you can make it neater by using these stackable shelves.

Laundry separation devices can be an easy way to store clothes that are ready for washing. One of the best types you can get is one with washable hanging nets. These are relatively inexpensive and can help you keep clothes sorted by color or type that are ready for the wash. Instead of just leaving clothes in baskets, you can take them to the laundry area and wash as needed as they are all separated.

There are many more organizing tools that can help you keep your life more organized. Spaces saving devices are also space saving items that you can use to keep organized as well as have extra room. You can find many different tools to help keep you organized by going to a home improvement store or even shopping for them online.

 Have you had an opportunity to check this out yet?

Organization: The Top 100 Best Ways To Organize Your Life

Power Question:

What could you do right now that would really put a smile on your face?

Papers And Pictures

Papers and pictures need special care and once lost, are difficult if not impossible to replace. For this reason, I feel compelled to devote an entire post to cover this subject. 

I have lost many important papers over my lifetime due to not being organized. Many of these documents could be replaced, such as birth certificates, social security cards and marriage certificates. However, this caused me a great deal of stress and I had to pay for them to be replaced. Some papers are lost for good because they were not recorded instruments and merely letters of agreement. Some things I wanted to keep and are gone because I errantly threw them away or lost them somehow. I can give you a list of the many papers that I lost due to disorganization, but I think you get the idea. 

Pictures are usually irreplaceable. At least the older ones anyway. You know, those, which were not downloaded to a computer and are not on some flash drive somewhere. Pictures are often all we have of a memory, except what is in our minds. Who doesn’t like looking through old photographs and reminiscing? 

The secret to making sure that you do not lose pictures and papers is to keep them in a place where you know where they are and, if possible in the case of pictures, in some sort of album. If you have always wanted to make a scrapbook and have a bunch of loose pictures laying around all over the place, gather them up and put them in boxes that are labeled and store them for future use. You can purchase boxes that are made for this purpose or just use some re-purposed shoeboxes. Make sure that the boxes are clearly labeled and that the pictures are all stored in a dry, dark place. 

One item that may help you organize both pictures and papers is a portable filing cabinet. You can purchase these at any office supply store and get folders as well as file separators to help you organize everything. This way, at least you know where everything is and you can get to it when you need it. 

Many of my pictures are in photo albums, but I still have many loose pictures that I mean to put in photo albums. But although I keep putting this project off, I still have the photos organized by the approximate years, vacation settings or holiday settings in a file box. I have another file box for pictures that were handed down to me from others. They are easy to get to because they are all stored in one place and organized. 

If you have a digital camera and take pictures to download to your computer, it is a good idea to get a flash drive that you can label for the pictures. You can also have these printed at your local do it yourself print facility. Walmart, Staples, Kinkos, the list is huge of how many places you can go to have this done. You should organize your pictures so that you have them as a keepsake of a moment in time that you cannot recreate. 

If you take videos of your children or family, you also want to make sure that they are clearly labeled so that they are not accidentally tossed out. 

A note to those who may not know; VHS, undeveloped film and audio tapes, even if properly stored and not bothered will still degrade over time, so print the camera film and copy everything to digital media formats.

Be sure to properly care for and store photos, videos and important papers in a safe place where you can have easy access to them and be able to retrieve them when you want them. At the time you get back a bunch of pictures, you will most likely look at them and put them on a counter where they will eventually move to a drawer and then possibly lost. You may not think of them at the time, but someday, you will want to see those photos to remember that event. 

There are numerous ways to get organized when it comes to documents and photos. The best way is to use a waterproof file case where you can have everything at your fingertips whenever you need it. It can take you a while to sort through your papers and pictures to organize them, but it will be time well spent.

If you would like further help with getting organized, check out this:
Organization: The Top 100 Best Ways To Organize Your Life

Power Question:

Is now the right time for you to make a commitment to achieve the goals that you want to achieve?

The Importance Of Routines

 

Organization is like any other positive habit, it involves developing routines when it comes to cleaning out clutter, closets, and drawers as well as cleaning your home in general. You are better off to have a schedule or some sort of date in mind when it comes to cleaning or your work will never be done. If you get into a habit of cleaning and organizing on a regular basis, your home will not only look cleaner, but also you will feel much more relaxed. This is also true for the office, or at least your section of the office should you be in a cubical type setting.

 

Whether you are cleaning by yourself or with a partner (or partners), you should develop a routine as to when you do your cleaning. You can take one job a day to make it easier, or you can clean your entire house from top to bottom in one day.

 

I have found that the average house can get cleaned to the point where it looks pretty presentable within two to three hours. Start with the basics by dusting and sweeping. My room of choice to start in is always the kitchen, emptying things out of the refrigerator before they become science experiments, cleaning the counters, sink and wiping down the cabinets. Then I take the mop out and clean the floor last. The entire room can be done in a half an hour, usually.

 

After that, I go to the living room, straighten the couches, dust and vacuum. This is another project that only takes about a half hour. I , then, move to the bedrooms and then head off for the bathrooms last. The reason for this is that the bathrooms have to be scrubbed down and disinfected. With the use of proper cleaning supplies and doing this on a regular basis, the cleanliness will easily last a week.

 

I am often sorely tempted to clean my daughter’s room as she often leaves her room like a tornado whipped through it, but as this would not be teaching her anything, I bite my lip and my wife or I will go in and ‘help’ her do it. Never do it for them if you can help it. No matter how old they are, it they are at least helping in the efforts to clean their room, it develops independence as well as a sense of accomplishment.

 

The main thing is to have a routine. I know just how to get started and when it is over. By developing this routine and doing it in a repetitive way that I come to expect, it gives me a great satisfaction when it is all over, the house is clean for a while and I know that next time, I will do it again.

 

If I just cleaned whenever I felt that the house needed it, I could be cleaning all of the time and my work would never be done. I would find myself cleaning certain areas more than once while not touching other areas but every two to three months. The routine gives me a sense of accomplishment and also allows me to relax and not worry about cleaning again until the next week, unless something happens to interrupt the routine - like someone spilling something on the floor.

Routines are not just about cleaning your house, they are a way for you to maintain order and organization in your own life. In addition to cleaning, I also have a cooking routine. I plan out my meals when I go to the grocery store. By organizing your menu for the week and having an idea of what to cook, you not only save time, but save money. Eating out all of the time can be expensive and who wants to fret over what they are going to eat for dinner every night?

 

In addition to helping you with the house, routines will also help you when it comes to raising your children. Little kids thrive on routine. You know how important it is for babies to be fed regularly and changed. Babies thrive on routine as it gives them a sense of security. The same goes for children. I wouldn’t ever be too strict when it came to mapping out each second of their lives and never would them to live in an environment where they had no time to just play or be kids, but a healthy routine teaches them that there is a time and place for everything.

 

Set a bedtime early on for you and your kids. Before bed, have a routine for settling down. This was something that your children will look forward to every night. When they are younger, this is a good time to read to them and get them to enjoy reading. As they get older, begin to have them help read the books. This inspires a love of reading and allows a steady transition into them reading to you which then moves into them reading on their own. You are probably wondering how and why I moved on to this rabbit trail, but setting up routines that lead to your children being self efficient, will lead to you having more time to yourself later which leads to you having more time to organize your own thoughts and prepare for the next day.

 

People with dogs also know the value of routine. If you have a dog, the secret to getting it housebroken and becoming a well-behaved dog is routine. Dogs, like children, thrive on routine. Cats don’t care as they are in a world of their own, although it does matter to them that you regularly feed them, change their water and clean their litter box.

 

Kids and dogs, however, are not the only things that thrive on routine. Adults also feel a sense of comfort at enjoying routines. It does make them have a more organized life as well as a healthier life. If you go to bed the same time each night and wake in the morning at the same time, it is better for your body. If you watch a certain program on TV before you go to bed or read a certain amount of time, you will feel as though you have something to look forward to each night. Most of us all have an innate desire for some sort of structure in our lives.

Routines, however, are not etched in stone.

 

There are times when routines are broken. This happens now and then and you should not get anxious about it. Simply fall back into the routine when whatever situation drove you out of the routine has calmed down. For example, bedtime routine are going to get broken on many occasions such as holidays, parties, overnight trips and vacations. While you want to establish a routine that will make everyone feel more secure and yourself more organized, you also do not want to feel like you are running a boot camp. Becoming so rigid in your routine that you cannot alter it now and then will not make anyone feel more relaxed as you will be so worried about the routine that you skip things that break into your schedule.

 

So, while the secret of good organization is routine, it should not be one that is so rigid that it defeats the purpose and actually causes anxiety. Learn to try to stick with a routine as much as possible, but do not pop a vessel if something happens to upset the schedule. Just go with the flow and get back into the groove when you can. The routine should be a tool you use to stay organized, not a prison that confines you to a rigid schedule.

 

The purpose of these blog posts is to help you strive to be more successful and to create a life worth living, so I never want to end a post without giving your some sort of “power question” to ponder over. Answering these questions will help you to take action.

 

Power Question for the day:.

What’s one thing that you would love to do before you die?