When it comes to getting organized, we are our worst enemies. We hold onto things we think we may need – even when we haven’t used them in the last five years. Must of us need to emotionally separate from the possessions we no longer need and that clutter our minds as well as our space.
Since I am obsessed with organization, I would like to share some tips I have learned along the way:
Mark all appointments down on a calendar. Google offers a free online calendar that you can share with other members of the family. (My husband and I use this all of the time – and love it.)
Create a meal plan for the week with all the necessary groceries—so that you won’t need to go to the grocery store all the time. Set a specific day of the week to do the grocery shopping.
Shred everything with your name, address, and any personal information, especially credit card offers and anything with your social security number.
Get virtual: anything that you can keep as a document on your computer, do! Do not print out anything—unless you will need it outside your home or office. Always back up important information from your computer onto backup drive!
Get over the emotional roadblock to getting organized. You must be willing to throw things out! There is no one’s home where something can’t be thrown out—including mine! If there’s an item you haven’t used in six months, chances are you won’t ever use it; it’s only taking up space.
Go through your items quickly and make snap judgments—that first inclination is generally a good one. Then repeat the process. Often, you will find more items that you can live without. If you are holding onto something in case you “might” need it in the far off future, get rid of it! You can always buy whatever it is when you actually need it.
If you really can’t throw things out, I suggest staging those items out of your life. Put the items in a box with a destroy date written onto it—generally about six months from now. If you find yourself needing to go into it to find something—and you end up actually using that item, not just taking it out of the box—put it with the items to keep. Anything left in the box at the end of the time should be thrown out.
If you are a frequent traveler, have a travel bag all ready to go, with toothbrush and miniature toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, liquid body soap.
Create a To Do or task list. Prioritize items and assign all a due date. If a task needs following up, set a date to take further action.
Do not get overwhelmed. Pick one thing that needs to get organized—the smaller the better—papers, computer files, clothes, linen closet, kitchen, mail, children’s room, and work on that one thing until you are content that it is sufficiently organized. Then move onto the next item. Never attack the whole house at one time.
