by Maria Gracia Along with Spring comes thoughts of crisp, fresh air, newly budding flowers, singing birds and a sense of renewal. Getting organized and doing a bit of spring cleaning, helps to bring that wonderful fresh feeling into your home and office.Here are 10 tips to help you start the season off right.
- ASSIGN YOURSELF A DIFFERENT TASK FOR EACH DAY.
Make yourself a schedule that is comprised of one hour and one task each day. Your schedule may look something like this:Monday: Decluttering
Tuesday: Dusting
Wednesday: Vacuuming
Thursday: Scrubbing
Friday: Organizing and Rearranging
Saturday: Laundering
Sunday: Decorating
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posted by Jan Ferrante at 12:00 am
by Maria GraciaIn the words of Henry David Thoreau, Simplify, Simplify. Here are the Get Organized Now!â„¢ Top 10 ways to organize and simplify your life.
- LESS IS MORE. It’s more important to have a few nice things that you truly enjoy, than to just have lots of stuff. Say goodbye to things that don’t fit, are out of style or are unflattering. This goes for clothing, furniture, knick knacks, and other possessions you’re not happy with.
- CONSOLIDATE CREDIT CARDS. Most stores take Visa, MasterCard and American Express. Pay off your other credit cards, and in the future use only one or two of these major credit cards. Or, if possible, use cash or your ATM card for purchases.
- COOK MORE. Don’t spend more time cooking. Just make more when you cook. Rather than cooking enough for one dinner, make enough for at least two dinners. Refrigerate and freeze the extra portion and you’ll have another meal another night, with no extra work.
- SCREEN YOUR CALLS. Let your answering machine take all your phone calls, and return calls on your time.
- DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF. Don’t allow trivial matters to aggravate you. If the milk spills, wipe it up and move on to more important things.
- GET HELP. Don’t try to do everything yourself. Split up household responsibilities among family members. Delegate to your staff. Outsource projects, repairs and so on.
- DON’T TRY TO REMEMBER EVERYTHING. There’s no need to store it in your memory. Write it down, and write it in one place so that you can find it easily.
- WATCH TV ON YOUR TERMS. If your favorite program isn’t on at a convenient time, use your VCR and record it. Then, watch it when you want to–without all the commercials!
- DON’T OVER-SCHEDULE YOUR CHILDREN. Too many activities can cause a strain on your children, and you!
- PLAN EACH DAY. Spend 10 minutes each night, planning for tomorrow. You’ll be focused and ready to take on the world each morning!
by Maria Gracia - Get Organized Now!â„¢
Want to get organized? Get your FREE Get Organized Now!â„¢ Idea-Pak, filled with tips and ideas to help you organize your home, your office and your life, at the Get Organized Now!â„¢ Web site
http://www.getorganizednow.com
posted by Jan Ferrante at 12:00 am
by Maria GraciaHave you ever heard the old saying ‘time is money’?To be perfectly honest with you, that saying is incredibly misleading.
Time is not money. In fact, time is really more valuable than money could ever be. We can always acquire more money, but we can never acquire more time. All of us get the same amount of time in a day, 24 hours, that’s all.
While we can never have more than 24 hours in a day, we can certainly choose how we spend the time we do have.
An hour or more per day can easily be saved by eliminating the tasks and activities that are eating away at precious time.
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posted by Jan Ferrante at 12:00 am
by Maria GraciaAlmost every kitchen has appliances, oversized servers and pots that are seldom used.Obviously, items that are never used should be donated, sold or tossed.
However, some of these items may be important to you at certain times of the year, so getting rid of them may not be your best option.
In fact, you may really want to keep these items, but they’re taking up valuable space on the kitchen counter or in your kitchen cabinets.
Maybe you have several large cookie sheets, but you only use them during the holiday season. Or you only use the bread machine when Aunt Sally visits once or twice a year.
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posted by Jan Ferrante at 12:00 am
by Maria GraciaThe wonderful, sentimental Pack Rat. So nice. So loveable. So out of space!Pack Rats desperately need more room, but can’t bear to part with their stuff.
There are boxes of old records, books since grade school, reams of old, outdated paperwork, various decades of clothing, piles of magazines, calendars and planners more than 10 years old, old board games gathering dust, toys from children that have moved out on their own years ago, plus that horrible artwork from dear Aunt Martha, taking up every last nook and cranny of space. I’ve known Pack Rats that are literally possessed by their possessions!
The Pack Rat keeps everything–and won’t get rid of anything. There’s an inconceivable abundance of opportunities to acquire things in our lives.
Here are 10 ideas to help Pack Rats free themselves from clutter and stress:
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posted by Jan Ferrante at 12:00 am
by Maria Gracia Getting organized does not have to be an expensive task. You may think that you have to go out and purchase all sorts of organizing baskets, bins, holders and cabinets. In other words, you may think you have to spend lots of money to lead an organized life.But, the truth is, organizing is a PROCESS, not a PRODUCT. It takes skill, application and motivation. And yes, tools certainly help–but there are many frugal ways of getting and staying organized, without breaking the bank.
- DE-CLUTTER. Chances are, you have available storage space in your closets and cabinets. But, perhaps they’re currently filled with clutter.Empty them out this weekend, and dump or donate things you don’t need and no longer want.
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posted by Jan Ferrante at 12:00 am
by Maria GraciaIt starts off as small as a sticky note. Soon, it’s a pile of stuff. Then, just when you least expect it, you discover that the clutterbug is running amuck, all over your home and office.If you don’t watch out, you’ll get bit. The consequences are stress, lost time, lost productivity, embarrassment, arguments, depression and environmental chaos–just to name a few.
Swat that clutterbug now, and take back control!
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posted by Jan Ferrante at 12:00 am
by Maria Gracia Feeling overwhelmed at the thought of organizing your home? Start on a smaller scale instead and it will be a whole lot easier. For example, instead of starting with the entire house, commit to starting with one room.Follow these 11 steps, and you’re well on your way to an organized home:
- PICK A ROOM–ANY ROOM. Decide on what room to start on. Write it at the top of an 8 1/2 x 11 inch sheet of paper. This will be your Action Sheet.
Example: BEDROOM A
- CHOOSE AN ENTICING REWARD. Designate an appropriate reward to give yourself on the Dumping portion of the job. The reward concept serves as your motivation, so be sure to choose something that you’d really enjoy! Write this reward on your Action Sheet.
Example: Treat yourself to a massage or go out for a nice dinner — whatever it is that you love to do. Write it on your Action Sheet.
- SET A DEADLINE. Set a specific Dumping Completion Deadline for this one room. Write it on your Action Sheet.
Example: DUMPING DEADLINE: APRIL 30
- SCHEDULE TIME TO DUMP. Schedule 3 specific dumping dates (one hour for each). Hopefully this will be enough to complete the dumping portion of the job. Write it on your Action Sheet. Then, post the Action Sheet in a prominent place where you are certain to see it every day, like your bathroom mirror. It will serve as a reminder of your goal, deadline and pending reward.
Example: DUMPING DATES: APRIL 18 from 8-9A, APRIL 21 from 8-9A, APRIL 24 from 8-9A
- KEEP YOUR APPOINTMENT. When the 1st dumping day arrives, keep that appointment, just as you would any other important appointment. Bring a bunch of large garbage bags. Play your favorite music in the background.
- TIME IT. Set a timer for 1 Hour — one that sounds off when the hour is up.
- SORT THROUGH IT. Pick up one item at a time, and start dumping. (If you come across items you want to give to charity, designate a special bag for those items) Whatever you are going to keep, just put to one side of the room.
- DO IT UNTIL THE TIME IS UP. Continue doing this until the timer goes off. If you prefer to continue, keep going. Otherwise, stop and follow the same procedures for your next two scheduled dates. Don’t let the garbage bags sit there. Make sure they are thrown out now (or donated), or on Garbage Day at the latest.
- CELEBRATE. Once you’ve managed to dump everything you don’t want or need in that one room, it’s time to celebrate. Take advantage of that reward you designated.
- KEEPING IT ORGANIZED. Now that everything in that room that you wanted dumped is gone, you’re ready to begin putting everything you are keeping back in an organized manner. Be very careful not to put anything else in this room that you don’t want.
- REPEAT. Repeat this process for each of the other rooms in your house.
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posted by Jan Ferrante at 12:00 am
by Maria GraciaA friend called me the other day and said: I really have to organize my basement and attic, one of these days.There’s that old, one of these days, phrase once again, rearing its ugly head. I’ll be honest with you. The only way that one of these days ever comes, is if you schedule it on your calendar, and keep that appointment with yourself when the day rolls around.
Here’s some of the advice I gave to my friend. Perhaps it will help you tackle the basement or attic organizing project.
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posted by Jan Ferrante at 12:00 am
by Maria GraciaHave lots of clutter? Start busting it with these 4 simple options:
- STORE IT, IN ITS HOME. Everything in your home or office should have a home–a consistent and appropriate place where that object is normally kept. Some items that you use every day, may be on display and/or readily available for frequent use. Other items, like holiday decorations or out of season clothing, can be stored in an out-of-the-way area until needed.When an object strays from its ‘home,’ it can easily be misplaced, thus causing stress and frustration. Clutter build-up naturally occurs when items are not kept and/or returned to their homes.
- GIVE IT. When you have something that you never use, giving it to someone who will make use of it can really brighten your day. Give it to a friend. Pass it on to a relative. Or put it in a special ‘Charity Box’ and make a donation to a favorite organization once per month.
- SELL IT. Need a few extra bucks? Consider selling those things you don’t use. Hold a rummage sale. Sell them to a consignment shop. Or, try an online auction company, such as E-Bay.
- DUMP IT. Items that are outdated, faded, broken or otherwise unusable can often be dumped. If you don’t want it, and you don’t know anyone else who wants it, dump it today. You’ll be freeing your space–and your mind!
by Maria Gracia - Get Organized Now!â„¢
Want to get organized? Get your FREE Get Organized Now!â„¢ Idea-Pak, filled with tips and ideas to help you organize your home, your office and your life, at the Get Organized Now!â„¢ Web site
http://www.getorganizednow.com
posted by Jan Ferrante at 12:00 am
the reward.
