What are your keys to staying organized?
Would you share some of your tricks of the trade? I'm sure some of our fellow organizers can benefit.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Cara on -
Another thing that I am obsessed with is making lists. I have to make lists of things to do and remember or they just don't get done. I was even talking to my mom and a friend about this tonight. Tomorrow is our grocery shopping day and I have made a menu plan for a month's worth of menus. Before making out the final list, I had to go through three copies! First I made a list with all of the things I would need, then one sorted by category, and my final list is sorted by how all of the items are in the store so there is no running around. Yep, I can be just THAT obsessive about it!! I also have to make lists (mostly mental, but sometimes they have to be written), of the things I must do the next day, or something I have to remember long-term.
Here's tip, though. I am a visual and repeating learner. I learn and rember better by things that I see, or by writing things a million times over and over again. For audible learners, those who learn better through hearing make lists into a tape recorder to play back to yourself; or even take a little audio note with your phone (since a lot have little clip recorders now).
This will even help with cleaning. Make a list one weekend of everything that you would like to clean that week. At the start of the week, do the smallest task, say cleaning the sink. Then, the next day, it will be easier to do a quick once-over to the sink, and then you can tackle the next thing to clean. The next, you have two simple things to once-over, and then your next big task. By the end of the week, you get the idea!
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Permalink Reply by Lori on -
GREAT Idea - I have a similar system. For instance, garbage cans go out to the curb on Thursday nights for a very early Friday am pickup. Thursdays are my "must" empty all the garbage cans day, change the cat litter; basically collect as much garbage as I can around the house.
KD said:I have a cleaning chart that I use as my goals for staying on top of the house eery week. I don't always get to it all but it is a great way to stay focused!
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Permalink Reply by gemma on -
blimey cara, im so glad im not the only one...im not quite there with the grocery lists but i write lists of everything i need to do lists of cds, dvd i have and want to buy, i always lose them though so when i finally find them i feel really good about maybe crossing one thing off them, i really need to get more organised.
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Permalink Reply by Vanessa on -
I made a chore chart to keep the family above what needs to be done. We each have our own little jobs that, together, keep our home neat & clean. For example, my husband cleans the bathrooms each weekend and empties the dishwasher in the morning. I clean the bird and mouse cage once a week and do four loads of laundry twice a week. On Saturdays, our daughter (11) sweeps & mops the kitchen floor, our 10yr old son vacuums, and our 6yr old son dusts. On occasion, the kids like to trade chores - we don't mind because this keeps them interested. If someone gets lazy, we all help get them motivated because only after the weekend chores are done, we will head to the park, a movie, or the beach.
Together
Everyone
Achieves
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KD said:I have a cleaning chart that I use as my goals for staying on top of the house eery week. I don't always get to it all but it is a great way to stay focused!
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Permalink Reply by Christine on -
One thing we do is have hooks by the door for our keys, work badges, hats and sweatshirts so we can always find those things when we are heading out the door. I even put a set by the back door for our shopping bags, we also hang all of our returns there.
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Permalink Reply by Lori on
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Great idea about the returns, that is one thing that I always seem to walk out of the house without - thanks for sharing!
Christine said:One thing we do is have hooks by the door for our keys, work badges, hats and sweatshirts so we can always find those things when we are heading out the door. I even put a set by the back door for our shopping bags, we also hang all of our returns there.
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Permalink Reply by Shelley Havens-Mills on -
I'm working my way through purging & decluttering right now...
next step is shelving & bins with labels for organzing what is staying...
a couple of ideas:
http://www.priceviewer.com/walmart_coupons/1528/$70.00_(Was_$79.88)_-_Badger_Armoire_Storage_Cubes,_White
http://walmart.ca/wps-portal/storelocator/Canada-HouseWares.jsp?sel...
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Permalink Reply by Kid Organizer on -
Before a person can borrow some organizing tips, they must first identify what type of organizer they are- visual, spatial/comfy, or chronological/sequential. Organizers with similar styles will benefit from swapping strategies.
Having an organizing style sounds a bit strange ? Well, think back to when you were younger and your mom trying to help you keep tabs on a certain item. Remember how she would tell you to " keep your key on the key hook in the kitchen". It may have worked for a day or two but unfortunately, you went back to your old ways and soon lost the key again. Your mom was giving you HER strategy for remembering the key. The key hook in the kitchen worked for her not you. Maybe you were more of a visual organizer and need to SEE the key before you left the house. If so, if the key hook was hung by the front door , at eye level, you may have seen it and remembered to take it. For me, I always had to leave my key where I could GRAB them- the table closest to the front door.
There are so many strategies for the 3 diffierent styles. Here are some characteristics of the styles
Visual
• Think of missing items as to where they last saw the item.
• Need to have all their items in front of them so they can see them.
• Have a hard time finding items they cannot see.
• Respond well to color, pictures, and other visual cues
• Feel disorganized when their work area is visually overloaded.
Spatial/Comfy
• Think of missing items as to where they last used the item.
• When doing work, need to have all supplies within reach.
• Need to have their work area cleaned off.
• Work area has to “feel good” to them before they can start work.
• People will like dance, music, and drama.
• Sensitive to self and how others are feeling.
• Feel disorganized when their work area is a mess.
Chronological/Sequential Order
• Think of missing items as to when they last had it.
• Access information chronologically.
• Think with numbers.
• Remember dates, time of events, and the order of events.
• Can remember sequential steps in some sort of personal order.
• Keep stacks of paper on their desks that may appear messy, but there is a certain order to the pile.
• Look at detail.
• Memorize best through repetition.
• Feel frazzled when there work area is not in “order.”
Hope this helps
Marcella- www.organizingthedisorganizedchild.com
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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Tankersley on -
ListPlanIt has over 400 printable planning pages including daily and weekly to do lists, monthly calendars, yearly planners, and pages for just about everything else in life! I use the very wonderful Notebinder from Mead to store my pages in so that they are portable, but I also hang the Menu Planner on the refrigerator so I can see what's for dinner.
Lori said:Me too. But I not only DEPEND on my planner, I actually use MS Outlook on my computer. My whole schedule is in Outlook and I print out my daily calendar using daytimer printable sheets. I also print out a monthly calendar to hang on the fridge so everyone knows where I am, when I am available, etc. I actually use 2 daytimers, one that stays on my desk so if I get a phone call, I can check everything at a moment's notice; the other that I carry everywhere with me (it contains my business cards, note paper to write those little things done that I think about as needed).
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Permalink Reply by Kid Organizer on
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Anyone ever try the Post It calendar? It's nice and easy to use but very hard to find. They usually show up in stores around back to school shopping. I highly recommend them.
Marcella
www.organizingthedisorganizedchild.com
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Permalink Reply by MagneticSilvia on
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I'm just wondering whether anyone can help me set up outlook on my computer... I just can't figure it out... I appreciate your help!
Lori said:Me too. But I not only DEPEND on my planner, I actually use MS Outlook on my computer. My whole schedule is in Outlook and I print out my daily calendar using daytimer printable sheets. I also print out a monthly calendar to hang on the fridge so everyone knows where I am, when I am available, etc. I actually use 2 daytimers, one that stays on my desk so if I get a phone call, I can check everything at a moment's notice; the other that I carry everywhere with me (it contains my business cards, note paper to write those little things done that I think about as needed).
Another thing that I do is Yahoo sync my desktop to Yahoo (online) and then sync Yahoo (online) to my laptop...so my schedule (and my contacts) really do go with me. I am also working on remembering (haven't gotten used to using) syncing it with my PDA too.
Vanessa said:This is so me. We have three children, 6, 10, and 11yrs, and I work at home. I know some of you MUST have a planner/datebook. I'm absolutely lost without my highlighters!
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Permalink Reply by Paula Constable on -
I also work at home with 2 children (5, 7) and one on the way. I find that I am most productive when I take time the night before to take a look at the next day. What do I want to accomplish for my business and what tasks am I going to tackle at home? If it's a busy day, I try not to put too much on my to-do list.
I also help my family stay on track by posting a week view print out from Outlook.
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