—Henry Ford

Do you have obstacles standing in your way of getting organized? They can come in many forms:

• uncooperative family members
• procrastination
• perfectionism
• lack of time
• lack of resources
• undefined goals
• confusion about where to begin

If you want to finally make some progress toward getting better organized then you need to replace these obstacles with concrete goals and plans.

But don’t just think about your goals. Give them the importance they deserves and write them down.

Refer to these written goals frequently as you create an action plan for achieving your dream of getting organized.

You CAN do it. But you’ve got to start somewhere.

Why not start this week off with setting one concrete, realistic goal towards your organizing dreams. Write it down in a place where you can refer to it every day this week. For the sake of accountability, write it down in the comments section below, and then check back in with us at the end of the week to report your progress.

Ready, set, GO!

Simply yours,

Debbie

1. Delegate!
Contrary to popular belief (mostly our own), we do not have to do everything ourselves. It’s not “passing the buck” or being lazy to delegate items on your to-do list. It’s efficient.

Pass some of your chores onto other family members today. Kids need to learn that when you live in a community with others (in this case, your family community) everyone needs to lend a helping hand. As long as the chore is age-appropriate, go for it! Yes, the kids will resist. Especially if they are used to having you routinely complete the task they’ve been given. But it’s all in your approach.

This summer, I’ve given my own kids more chores around the house, but I present it as, “Here are the things Mom needs to get done around the house today, and we will not be going to the pool until the list is complete. If we all pitch in, we can get to the pool much sooner than if I have to do this all myself. So which of these chores can you each do for me?”

You may have to lower your standards in terms of the finished project (my Blue Eyed Jane often folds laundry according to her own special method), but is it really that awful if a few sections of the rug get overlooked when they try to vacuum, or a weed or two gets left behind when they help in the garden?

2. Choose NOT to do something on your To-Do list.
If your list is more than 10 items long, chances are there is something you can choose to let go of. On any given day most of us only get 1 t0 5 items checked off anyway. Think of how productive you’ll feel if you can tackle your entire list in one day, versus only half of your list. It’s all a mind game, but that’s what motivation is all about, right?

 As much as I would love to drop “grocery shopping” from my current To-Do list (it is definitely my least favorite chore!), my family does need to eat some meals at home. But do I really need to “stop at the Pet Store,” too? Wouldn’t it be more efficient to get the kitty litter at the grocery store instead and knock an errand off my list?

And what about “take bag of donation items to Rescue Mission.”  This weekend I plan to work some more on cleaning out my basement. If I wait until next week, I can just make one trip instead of two. BOOM! Another item off my list for today! What can you choose NOT to do today?

3. Make an appointment with yourself.
Most of us have no trouble keeping scheduled events. Whether it is a business meeting, a medical appointment or a concert we have tickets for, if the “thing” we have to do has a definite start time, it has immediate importance and priority in our day. So why not make an appointment with yourself from time to time?

As another personal example, I actually schedule my errands in my digital calendar. I work them around my other activities and I plan for them accordingly (my dentist is near the dry cleaners, so listed right after my Tuesday appointment I have “drop off dry cleaning”). Other activities are always scheduled around these errand appointments with myself, and as such, these little chores don’t get forgotten. It takes care of procrastination, over-scheduling, and it is one less item on my daily to-do list.

Try it for yourself! Take just one item from your to-do list, schedule a day and time to complete the item, and write it in your planner or calendar, just as you would any other scheduled event. For accountability’s sake, let me know in the comment section what you plan to do to reduce your list.

Here’s to reducing your to-do list, today and everyday! Good luck and let me know how it goes!

Simply yours,

Do not let your kids take a break from the organizational processes and strategies you have so carefully put in place.  Otherwise, come September, you will be starting from scratch retraining your kids on where and how to organize their “stuff.”

To keep everyone in the organizing habit, here are a few ideas for summertime organizing:

1. If garage space is at a premium, place the kids’ winter outside toys in long-term storage elsewhere in your house. Provide kids with SAFE and EASY access to all their warm weather toys and equipment.

Remember, it is easier to get kids to “dump” their things in categorized bins, than to have them line up or hang up items.  Avoid the aggravation, go with what works and invest in a few large but inexpensive tubs.

2. Let kids store away their backpacks for the season. In their place, each family member should keep their own pool/beach/outdoor bag.  Make sure to stock each bag with a clean towel, goggles, sunscreen, glasses, and whatever else each one needs for a day in the sun. You will always be ready for an impromptu day of summer fun.

3. If you are an avid gardener, establish a “center” for all your tools and supplies.  Check the dates on your fertilizers and pesticides, discarding appropriately if they are out of date, and keep them in sealed bins safely out of reach from curious little ones.

Simply yours,

Debbie

To create this bag system, first you need to establish a tote bag for each activity or event you participate in that is out of your home. This includes a bag for each volunteer committee that you may serve on, a designated bag for library visits, even a separate bag for regular meetings that you attend.  The bag will keep everything contained and ready to go out the door whenever you leave. This system will help ensure that you have everything you need for your trip (and the chances of you forgetting your favorite book when you are hanging out by the pool with the kids is a thing of the past!).

To make your system even more foolproof, you can hang notes on the wall with a list of the contents of each bag so you have a quick checklist to make sure nothing is missing before you lock the door behind you.

No more forgetting what you need when you are on the run, and all that is left for you to do is to just relax and enjoy the season!

 Simply yours,

Debbie

In his book Getting Things Done, David Allen  gives powerful insight into what goes on mentally when you procrastinate about working on your to do list.  He explains that when you mentally process a thought about a task that needs done, you will add it to the bottom of your to list regardless of how many prior times you’ve thought about doing that task.  So, you can potentially have a single task listed on your mental to do list 3000 times (WOW!). 

Learning this information can be very powerful as you prioritize your days and weeks. 

So, what should your next steps be to determine what items are listed on your mental to do list?  Here are a few ideas that you can use to free up your mind’s personal “hard drive”:

1.  Do a brain dump. 

Writing is the most powerful action you can take to move forward with your goals.  It is a simple but important step, and it will help you discover things that you are thinking, but have not fully realized or accepted. 

Sit down with a tablet and ask yourself what has been on your mind.  It could be something as simple as washing your car, but if you have been spending a lot of time thinking about it, it is time to write it done, get it done and clear your mind.

2.   Prioritize your tasks.

Put a star beside the tasks on your list that seem to jump out on the page at you as being the most pressing. When you make this decision, trust your gut on this.  Think about what items are urgent versus which ones are important (for a post on this topic, click here.)

3.  Schedule a time to complete your tasks. 

After you prioritize what you want to do (almost like a bucket list) then it is time to schedule it on your calendar.  If you are feeling overwhelmed, just take on one task at a time.  Schedule time every week to complete that task, work on it until it’s finished and then you can move on to the next one.

4.  Don’t try to do more than one task at a time.

The reason that you feel cluttered and scattered is often because you are trying to do multiple projects at one time and organize the information in your brain.  The more specific you can be on paper regarding each step of the process, the more likely you will be to complete each task. (Check out this previous post on how to accomplish more by attempting less).

5.  Celebrate!

Every time you complete a task, it’s important to keep a visual reminder that you are accomplishing your goals.  You could make a paperclip chain for each goal you’ve accomplished and watch it grow, or plant a flower in your garden.  Think of fun, visual ways to acknowledge your success.

Just remember that the first step in accomplishing any goal is getting clear on what you really want and writing it down. So, now the question is what do you want to do with your life after the clutter is gone?

Simply yours,

Debbie

Why should you bother organizing a pantry that is usually hidden behind closed doors? Well, for starters, keeping this area more efficient can make the dinnertime rush a little less stressful. It can also save you money (no more buying duplicates of items because you didn’t see something hiding in the back of a cluttered pantry).

Start at the top.

A systematic approach to your project will keep you focused and on track. Start at the top shelf and work your way down as you purge, clean, and re-organize.

Remove the invaders.

Remove all items that simply do not belong in the kitchen pantry and place them in a large bin or even a laundry basket. But do not take the time now to return them in their appropriate “homes.” The idea here is to stay focused on the pantry project and not get distracted with other areas. Once the pantry is complete, you can take a well-deserved break and return later to deal with returning the invaders to their rightful homes.

Purge! Purge! Purge!

Check the freshness dates on all your opened and unopened items, discarding those that are past their expiration dates or are questionable, at best. Next, remove any items you either do not plan to use or do not like anymore. Make sure that everything that is left is something you can see yourself using in the near future.

Kitchen Spices

Now that all the holiday cooking and baking are done, it is time to give your spices an overhaul. While old spices will not necessarily spoil your meal, they certainly will not provide maximum flavor. Visit the McCormick Spice Company’s website,  for advice on how long to keep various spices and help deciphering expiration codes and “best by” dates. Their annual T.O.S.S. program, “Toss Old Spices Seasonally,” can guide you through the process.

I recommend this pull-down spice rack from ($19.99 at The Container Store) to try and maximize your higher pantry shelves or add more functionality to a tall kitchen cabinet (I have one in my own kitchen, and I wouldn’t store my spices any other way!)

If you have a spare drawer in your kitchen (preferably near your stove or work area), you might want to consider moving your spices out of the pantry and closer to where you actually use them (freeing up some space on your pantry shelves at the same time). This clear in-drawer spice rack ($11.99 at The Container Store) keeps spices easily accessible on its three angled tiers.  

Store things how you use them

Once you go through all the shelves, arrange your items in categories, or stations, that make sense to you and your family and how you cook and eat. Maybe you have baking, canned food, and snack sections. Maybe you get more specific and have a cookie section, a cake section, a soup section, a canned fruit section, a candy section and a cracker section. It is your pantry, so make it work for you. This Deluxe 4 Tier Pantry Baskets Door or Wall Mount organizer ($94.99 at Organize.com) is a great way to categorize your food, while also adding more shelving space to your pantry.

Containerize

Not all items need to be placed in containers, but for some items, it preserves their freshness and can maximize your space. For example, storing flour and sugar in airtight plastic containers makes them stay fresh longer.

Individually wrapped items that come in boxes (i.e., granola bars, instant oatmeal packages, microwave popcorn) will take up less space if you designate a basket or bin for the items and empty the contents of the boxes into the container. This allows you to both view your supply and know when it is time to replenish. It also helps avoid the common problem of partially empty boxes of fruit chews or granola bars taking up valuable shelf space.

Check out my review of the Rubbermaid Easy-Find Lids for some container ideas to keep some of your pantry staples fresh, easy to find, and well organized.

Re-stock your supplies

Once you’ve got your pantry clean and organized, make sure it’s well-stocked . . . there’s nothing worse than being half-way through a recipe only to find out you’re missing a key ingredient (and yes, I’m unfortunately speaking from experience ) A few months ago I featured a post by guest blogger Kelly Whalen from  the ¢entsible life who detailed everything you need to know about How to Stock the Pantry. Check it out for a list of ingredients you should have on hand.

There are many more organizational strategies you could implement in your pantry project, but if you manage to get the simple steps above completed, consider yourself one step closer to completeing your spring cleaning.

Simply yours,

Debbie

Thanks to busy and chaotic schedules, we’re all short on time these days, but if you can spare just 15 minutes every day this week, I guarantee you will be amazed at the changes you can make. So get your timer ready, kick your motivation into high gear, and let’s GO, GO, GO . . .

Day 1: Beat the Clock

Grab an empty laundry basket and set your timer for 15 minutes.  Starting in the room that bothers you the most and then moving around the house, begin collecting the clutter.  Dump in items that belong in other rooms, knick-knacks that are taking up space but are not very special to you anymore, and broken items that need to be repaired or thrown out.

Day 2: Decision Time

Now it’s time to deal with the items you collected in your laundry basket on Day 1.  Go through the  things, item by item and make a decision about each one. To make sure you stay on track, don’t put an item down until you’ve made a firm decision about it and acted on that decision (waffling back and forth between items will only waste your 15 minutes.) So what options do you have with this collected clutter? Well, you can:

1. Return items that belong elsewhere to their rightful “homes” (if the items do not already have a designated home, now is the time to assign one.)
2. Box up the knick-knacks you have lost your fondness for and take them to your car now to drop off at a donation site.
3. Decide if the broken items are worth your time and energy to repair.  If not, throw them out.  If you choose to repair them, give yourself a deadline.  If you do not make the repairs by that date, out they go, too. (You do not need to feel guilty about yet another project on your already busy to-do list!)
    

Day 3.    Purge the Periodicals

Collect all your monthly, weekly, and daily magazines, newsletters and newspapers.  Keep only the most recent issue and recycle the rest.  Make a promise to yourself that each time a new installment comes in you will replace the older version with the most recent copy.  If you do not already have one, designate a home for your current issues (a basket, a corner of your coffee table, a folder labeled “to read”).  While you are at it, re-evaluate your subscriptions:  Do you really read them all?  Can you subscribe to an online version instead? (saving money, eliminating clutter, and preserving a few trees.)

Day 4: De-junk the Junk Drawer

We all have at least one junk drawer (some may have more than just one, but we’ll save that topic for another day!).  While I personally believe in the virtues of this space, let’s face it, if we call it a “junk drawer,” where’s the incentive to keep it organized?  Give this much-used space the respect it deserves and start thinking of this drawer as more of a “Utility,” “Necessity,” or “Tool” drawer. Take 15 minutes to dump the contents, sort the items into categories, and, using dividers or re-purposed containers that fit the space, assign homes to the different categories within the drawer. (For more tips and pictures to help you with this project, check out my recent post,  ”Conquering Your Junk Drawer.”)

Day 5: Conquer Computer Chaos

Digital clutter can be just as disruptive as tangible clutter.  Take 15 minutes to clear off your PC’s desktop.  Make sure your file folders are descriptive and specific.  If you like to keep multiple files on your desktop, designate certain zones for the different categories of files.  Delete multiple files, and archive older files that you need to keep, but do not use regularly.  If multiple family members use the computer, give each one a desktop folder to store their files. 

Day 6: Update the Medicine Cabinet

Out-dated medicine will be of no use when you really need it.  So empty the cabinet, check the expiration dates, and safely dispose of those past their prime.  Make a list of prescriptions that need to be re-filled, commonly used over-the-counter medications that need to be replaced, and other personal care items that you need to re-stock.

Day 7: Relax and Enjoy!

Take this day to sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Evaluate if you were you able to fit in 15 minutes a day to get some real results. If you find it easy to fit in, keep up this new habit by devoting just 15 minutes a day to either maintenance or new organizing projects. If you find it hard to work these 15 minute sessions into your schedule, try making them more of a priority by actual scheduling them into your planner.

Simply yours,

Debbie

To create your working file, begin by clearing off your desk of all the random papers.

Next, grab a tablet to use for your to-do list.

Finally, gather up all of the miscellaneous papers you have throughout your office and add them to your initial paper pile. If you have a lot of paperwork, make sure you have about 2 hours to spend.  If not, consider working on this in smaller sessions.

Now, the real work!

Go through your pile of papers one by one. As you pick up a piece of paper and work your way through the pile, make a decision about what you want to do with it. For example, if it is a party invitation, respond immediately and put the date on your calendar. If you need directions to the party, put the invitation in a file labeled “working file” and write “call about directions to the party” on your to-do list.

For papers that need permanent filing, set them aside in a “to be filed” pile and make this a project for another time.

After creating your working file, you now have a place for the paperwork that you still have to work on. From now on, don’t pile your papers, put your action items on your to do list and file the papers in your working file right away. Bye-bye random paper piles!

Simply yours

Debbie

This week’s link of the week is a unique resource for getting your kids to do their chores.

chorewars.com

Chore Wars is a free online site that lets you claim experience points for household chores. Recruit a party of unsuspecting family members adventurers from your household, and whenever one of you completes a chore, you can log it and claim points. Nothing like a little friendly competition to get things done!

Kids love it because of its video game appeal. Parents love it because chores actually get done!

Let me know how it works for your household!

Simply yours,

Debbie

On the other hand, many times the reason that organizing attempts fail is that when we try to change our habits we  simply meet too much resistance, either from ourselves or from the people we are trying to organize. In that case, we need to work with our habits rather than against them.

For example, if you find yourself always dragging your checkbook and bills out to the kitchen table, find a space in your kitchen where you can store a little basket for bills, your checkbook stamps, envelopes, etc. Your efficiency will increase, and you’ll be more likely to put everything back when your done with this chore.

Analyze your habits and work with them rather than against them. Observe how your house looks on a daily basis. If you always lay your keys, mail backpacks, etc. in a specific location, decide what piece of furniture would work to help avoid this pile up and make this space more functional.

(For more tips on how to organize shoes and a family Launch Pad by working with your kids habits instead of against them, check out my post “Every Morning is Organized With a Family Launch Pad.”

Organizing is a process. You’re going to have to change things as life changes, but sometimes the old habits can be molded for good, rather than for evil. 

Simply yours,

Debbie