10 Things I Know About Organizing

10. Evolve

Develop the mindset “I can be organized”. If you think, “I could never be organized”, you are setting yourself up for failure. To succeed, you must first believe that you can.

9. Plan

Keep a detailed, written daily schedule. You can avoid overextending when you can clearly see if you have time for other commitments. Failure to write things down can lead to confusion, over or double booking and forgetting important appointments.

8. Prioritize

Not everything you have on your to do list is equally important. Define: what is urgent, what is important versus what you would like to do if you have extra time. Leave time for unforeseen problems or events.

7. Action

Projects cannot be completed all at once. Every project has a series of logical steps that need to be completed in a certain order. Schedule the project one step at a time and put them in your planner with an estimate of the amount of time needed to complete them.

6. Schedule

Schedule your day to take advantage of your peak performance time. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Intersperse tasks that are sedentary and physical throughout your day.

5. Share

Share your system with coworkers and family so they can help you to maintain the system. If you are the only one who knows the system, you will be in charge and others will not be able to effectively help you.

4. Mail

Handle mail daily; get rid of junk mail, sort the rest of the pile into bills to pay, reading material, letters or items for someone else. Put the important mail, like the bills in a consistent spot so you will be able to find and manage them regularly.

3. Products

Don’t buy containers until you know what are storing. Go through the area you are organizing and get rid of the trash, items that belong elsewhere, and the items you no longer need, use or love. Now that you know what you have to store you can buy containers for these items.

2. Measure

Be sure the containers you select fit into the area you plan to use. By measuring carefully you avoid having containers join the clutter because they don’t fit.

1. Reward

Plan an activity that you will do to reward yourself for a job well done. Go for a walk, read a book, go to a movie, go out for coffee or call a friend. Now is the time to do what you told yourself you would do when you finally “got organized”.

Plan Ahead for Summer Fun

Memorial Day is almost here, so summer is just around the corner. As the temperature rises, our thoughts turn to outdoor activities, time off and summer fun. We at All Ways Organized have these suggestions for making this your best summer yet:

1. Many people take their vacations during the summer months. If you have not planned yours yet, it's time to get started. The earlier you plan, the more options you will have for flights, hotels, etc. Consult travel agents, travel websites and travel literature for help in planning your trip.

2. If you are planning a trip out of the country, check your passport to make certain it has not expired, or apply for one if needed at least 4 to 6 weeks before your trip. Applications are available at the Passport Office at many other local postal offices If you apply too close to your departure date, you will need to pay extra, or travel to the Passport Agency in Boston. http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/ERC/travel/passport/p6.html

Read more: Plan Ahead for Summer Fun