Ten on Tuesday: 10 Ways To Be More Organized

Ah, organization ... it is something I strive for, yet seldom achieve. At least not in my own frame of reference. To be sure, if I take on a job, I get it organized & get it done ... so I have the appearance to others of being organized. Yet my inability to lay my hands on that note that I wrote yesterday, that lies amongst the other notes on my desk, says otherwise.

1. Make a list ... you know what has to be done, sure! But if you make a list, you won't "forget" that one thing that would really be better off completed! Same goes for the trip to the store ... while it's glaringly obvious while standing in your kitchen that you have no milk, on the walk around the grocery store perusing the delights on each shelf, it's easy to forget that mundane staple.

2. Prioritize ... some things are just more important than others. Like ordering the gift certificate for the wedding you need to attend in a week or two! Using the canned air on the keyboard can wait while you finish up that more important task ... just sayin'!

3. Chunk it down ... lots of tasks become intimidating if we let them. Cleaning the garage/basement/playroom ... OMG, how can I possibly accomplish that? Yet if I spend just 10 minutes tidying up at intervals throughout the day, a dent is made. I use the 10-minute (or 15-minute if I'm feeling particularly ambitious) rule ... and I bribe myself ... it's much easier to tackle something I hate for 10 minutes if I know I have 10 (or 20) minutes of a rewarding activity on the other side.

4. Put everything in its place ... yeah, yeah, yeah. My desk is a monument of piles and folders. So much easier said than done, yet if you think about it, isn't it easier to take the extra 10 seconds (or 10 steps) to put that item in the correct file/drawer/shelf space than it is to move it 50 times during the day while you're looking for something else you didn't put away?

5. Menu-plan ... lots of other things seem to get more attention when I take care of this one tiny (monumental) detail. If I know what I'm making for meals throughout the week, I'm able to create shopping lists and pare down the stress level. It also saves money, since at 4pm I'm more apt to actually cook the chicken I took out of the freezer at 8am than I am to order pizza!

6. Throw things away. It's easier to find that piece of paper w/ the important info on it if you have thrown away the other 100 pieces of paper that came across your desk today! It's easier to find those comfy black pants in your closet if they're not crammed in with the velvet dress you bought for a wedding 10 years ago (and probably no longer fit into, nor will ever fit into again)!!

7. Keep a central calendar for important dates and appointments ... whether it's hanging on the wall in the kitchen/office, in a date book in your purse, or an electronic version on your computer or phone, if everything is kept in once central place, you're less likely to miss that doctor's appointment you don't want to go to anyway.

8. Spot cleaning works! Who knew that if you just used a cleaning wipe on the sink & toilet several times per week, it would eliminate the need to hire a hazmat crew once a month! It's so much easier to go through the living room each night before bed and pick up/throw out those scraps of paper from the craft-making-marathon than it is to wait until it looks like a preschool art program threw up in your house!

9. Set limits on the things that drain your time/energy ... this can be either the things that you dread doing (like cleaning the basement or garage, or purging your closet & dresser of all the clothes that you won't wear) or the things that you love doing too much (like playing on FaceBook, or answering e-mails or (gasp) knitting)! Sure, it'd be great to finally get the basement in order and be able to walk through without a map ... but if it means that you won't do anything else for several weeks, then wouldn't it be better to space it out? If you open FaceBook at 9 a.m. to 'just check in and see what everyone is up to' and then wonder how it got to be dark so quickly, then you need some limits! Try only allowing FaceBook while you drink your first cup of coffee ... or answering e-mails only AFTER you accomplish your first to-do list goal ... anything that enables you to get to what really needs to be done!

10. Shine (clean out) your sink! Yes, fly-lady works (if you keep at it) and I really do feel better each morning if I don't have to get up to face an overflowing and dirty sink. So take 2 minutes at the end of each day, put the dishes in the dishwasher (or, gasp, wash them) and suds up that sink ... you'll feel better tomorrow :)