Organizing Life

New Year Organizing Plan: Week 1

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MailWeek 1:

Are you ready for lesson one of our organizing plan? What arrives 6 days a week no matter the weather. Sometimes it is only a small amount and other times it is a pile but each day it continues to grow. If left unattended it can cost you time, money and really add stress to your life. Know what it is?  That’s right it is the mail.

Leaving the mail in the mailbox until you have time to deal with it is NOT an option.

Rule #1: You must deal with it EVERY day.

Now that doesn’t mean that you have to handle each bill or invitation on the day it arrives, but it does mean that you have to separate the bills and invitations from the junk mail each day. So by following the next five steps you will be able to separate the important from the unimportant quickly and easily.

Step 1: Toss/shred/recycle anything that you know you do not need.

Step 2: Separate reading materials (including catalogs you want to browse)

Step 3: Separate bills and keep them together in one folder (To Pay)

Step 4: File anything you really need to keep (automobile title, insurance policies, etc.) or put into a TO FILE folder.

Step 5: Put what’s left into an ACTION folder.

There are several storage ideas you can use to house your mail. Vertical hanging pockets, desktop files or literature sorters work to separate and contain the mail until you can deal with it.

Mail  Rule #2: Deal with the ACTION items and BILLS weekly.

Step 1: Set aside 20 -30 minutes a week to handle the action items you have set aside and to pay the bills that have come in. I suggest weekly payment of the bills unless you already have a plan that ensures all bills are paid on time. This is the time to make that call, reply to that invitation, or send that email, whatever it takes to handle all the items in the ACTION folder.

file

Step 2: Be sure to mark all important dates on your calendar. Clear out this folder each week and you will never again forget to RSVP, pay a late charge on a bill or have to apologize to your child because you lost their permission slip to the museum.

Here is your assignment: Decide how you want to contain your mail and set it up. Whether you use labeled hanging folders in a desktop file or pockets hung on the wall, or a literature sorter, find something that will work for you. Sort the mail each day as it comes in. Pick one day that you will deal with the ACTION items.

Let me know how you do.

Happy New Year!

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Happy New Year!!!

I love January! The fresh start offered by those clean white calendar pages always makes me feel hopeful. This year I plan on being more conscious about the choices I make. Sometimes I quickly say “yes” when I really should say “no.” Has that ever happened to you? We may have the best intentions and want to be helpful (liked or avoid hurting someone’s feelings), but in the long run we only add stress to our lives and wear ourselves down because we have taken on more than any human should. Can you tell I am reading “The Art of Extreme Self Care” by Cheryl Richardson? That’s step one.

            Step 2 of my plan (I don’t make resolutions anymore) is to systematically go through my home and declutter, fix or reorganize anything that is bothering me. I like to call them “gnats.” Just like those tiny little black bugs that you can’t really see but feel buzzing around your face, these things “bug” me. They can be physical things that I have been tolerating for too long or an area where my current system is either not working effectively or is lacking. Some examples might be the pile of shoes in the entryway, creating a password manager list (you would think I could remember my Amazon.com password by now), planning time to visit with friends, and handling the constant influx of papers. Take a look around, find what is bugging you and write it down. Then join me as we attack and put to rest these “gnats” that have been bothering us for too long. Each week a problem will be discussed and I will provide you with several solutions. You’ll have a week to complete the task before the next one. Twelve activities, twelve weeks to a calmer, more organized life. Are you in?

 

 

For those readers in the Norwell, Massachusetts area or areas south of Boston you can learn how to Tackle and Tame Your Mountain of Paper by attending our free workshop.

 

Tackle and Tame Your Mountain of Paper

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

7pm

Norwell Middle School Community Room

328 Main Street

Norwell, MA 02061

Call or email to register

(781) 659-0513

laine@laineslogic.com

NO! NO! NO!

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guilt freeToday’s message is just say NO! I am sure you know exactly what I mean. Those invitations and “special” activities that you really don’t want to do, but feel obligated to do, can really put a damper on your holiday spirit. Are you finding that you have less patience, are more tired and a bit crankier than last year? Well some of that could be the constant negativity we are hearing on the news each night about how bad things are. Hearing how many people are out of work and the fact that we haven’t hit bottom yet is very disheartening. At the same time the media is emphasizing that people are doing things differently this year. Even if you are lucky enough to have not been affected by this economic downturn, take advantage of the situation to change some of the “rules” you have been following for your holiday preparation and celebrations.

 

I am giving you permission to say no to those things that you cringe at as soon as you think about them. For you it may mean the big holiday dinner, writing a long family letter to include in your cards or the hours you spend at the mall searching for the “perfect” gifts (which don’t exist). Now don’t get me wrong I am a strong believer in tradition or in at least having some traditions, but I also believe that each year is a chance to start a new tradition. Our life situation is constantly changing (the young kid stage, teen stage and grown up kid stages, empty nest etc.) so why cling to old traditions when making a new one might work better for all concerned?

 

This year, I especially like the “unstressed mom” tradition. Being a professional organizer comes with its own pressure, the pressure to do it all and make it look easy. Many of my organizer friends finish their shopping before December even begins-but not me. I crave that adrenaline rush that can only come at 10:30pm December 23rd at the mall. This year though everything will be bought and wrapped by the 15th and the house will be decorated (I am going to make this one too!) The dinner for 35 people on Christmas day will also be simplified (wish I could do pizza but no one will deliver). Who says everything must finish cooking at the exact same time when there is only one oven and a microwave? After all I am THE ORGANIZER! I can simplify and set up systems for handling this dinner just like I can organize any space in the home.

 

The point I want to make is that YOU are in control. You can say no, you can do things differently as long as you are happy and your family is happy. Talk to them, they want you to be happy too. Work together and make this your best holiday ever.

Wishing you a peaceful, unstressed, organized holiday season.

The Magic of Containers

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Do you have mail and papers spread out all over your counters or in separate piles throughout your home or office? With the holidays fast approaching, here is a quick tip to save you time and make your home look “organized.” Ready?

Get a decorative container or basket large enough to hold all those papers and put them in it. There doesn’t that look better? By “containerizing” you are transforming several piles into one and:

·         you’ll know where to look when you need something (saving you time searching each pile)

·         your home or office space will look neater (reducing your stress)

·         you are able to quickly move the container to clear the counter (saving you energy and time)

·         others in the family know where to look (reducing the blame game and your stress level)

In general, containing papers holds them in place until you can deal with them. It takes less than five minutes and can make a big difference in how neat and organized your home looks. One warning though, do NOT put bills in this container! Bills should have a separate home and should never land in a pile (unless you like paying late fees).

Want to learn how to deal with this container of papers? Next “Tackle and Tame Your Mountain of Paper”  workshop is being held January 14, 2009 at the Norwell Middle School Community Room in Norwell, MA. It’s full of helpful tips and it’s FREE (but you must register to attend by sending your name and email or phone number to laine@laineslogic.com

As always, I welcome your comments. Thanks for reading.

Laine

Postponed Decisions Find New Life in Tickler Files

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Do you have piles of papers cluttering your desk, table or countertops? Paper piles are often the result of postponed decisions. There are many reasons why you may put off a decision. Do you need more information and need to make a phone call or send an email? Or do you need to check your calendar, check with another person or just need time to think about it? Rather than making the decision do you set these papers aside “for now?” The more postponed decisions you have the higher your pile of papers becomes.

 

A Tickler File can serve as a holding place for those papers waiting for the next action or a decision that you are not ready to make right now. It can also be used to hold information for a date in the future. For example, tickets to the theater next month can wait silently in the tickler file until they are needed. Birthday cards, reminders, directions to that party, and other date specific items can be safely kept in a tickler file until needed. Want to place an online catalog order but don’t have time until the weekend? Then place the catalog in the tickler for Saturday and it will be there when you are ready.

 

The most common type of tickler file is made up of 43 pockets or file folders. The numbers 1-31 are used for the days of the month and the other 12 are used for the months of the year. The ready made ticklers work well when placed in a desktop file. This holds them upright and keeps things from slipping out of the open sides. If you prefer to set up your own you can rotate the file folders so the current day is in front and you can use a desk drawer or file box of your choosing.

 

The key here is that for the next 30 days you will need to remind yourself to look in the tickler file and to put things into the file. Connect the time you want to look in the tickler file to something else that is already a habit. Do you sit down with your second cup of coffee and plan your day? Then place the file near the coffee pot until it becomes a habit. If you use Outlook or a PDA then set a reminder. Then remember when new items show up that you will need in the future you can file them and forget them until they show up again. Remember the tickler can’t tickle your brain if you forget to use it or check it each day.

 

So if papers are taking over your life and you find yourself revisiting papers over and over again before making a decision then try using a tickler file. David Allen of Getting Things Done and Elizabeth Hagen of Fearless Organizing are just two of the many successful people advocating use of a tickler file system.  If you Google it, you will find over 89,000 entries with more information. Let me know how it works for you.

Rain, rain….come again!

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Put a couple of rainy days together and what happens? Outdoor plans change for indoor plans. This past week I had planned to move some flowers in order to get ready for the new front walkway and weed my vegetable garden, trim some bushes, etc. You get the idea. Then the rain came…..now I don’t mind a little drizzle but this was a torrential downpour with thunder and lightning to match. No hope of getting any of those things off my “to do” list. So while I was reconsidering my plan for the day, I happened to glance at a photo on the wall that was crooked again!  I decided to handle it this time once and for all. So, I used that magic hook and loop stuff called Velcro™ to make sure it never moves again. That felt good! Then I tightened the loose door knob, changed a light bulb and removed a blotch of paint on a curtain (don’t ask). I was on a roll.

 

These little things had been bugging me for some time, yet I had continued to tolerate them (some for longer than I care to remember). As I took care of each little thing, I felt better and better. So just like unfinished to dos, these tolerances were draining my energy.

 

Monica Ricci’s blog today mentioned that disorganization is about “TRYING to control what you can’t, and NOT controlling the things you can!” This is something we can control and you’ll be surprised at what a big difference it will make in your life! Let me know what you have been tolerating and how you feel when you take the time to take care of it. I’d love to hear from you. Now I can’t wait for the next rainy day!

 

To leave a comment just click on the blue word “comment” or “leave a response” if the reply box is not seen below.

Holiday? What holiday?

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Happy 4th of July!! 

I hope you are enjoying the holiday….really enjoying it. It seems that many people see a “holiday” as just another day to get more things done. We work hard enough the other five days of the week and yet continue to work away our weekends and extra days off. Why is that?

 

Yes, I admit there are times when I shop on a Sunday but if the stores were not open, my world would not fall apart. I try to make a point of staying away from commercial businesses especially on holidays. The one thing you can depend on is that the post offices, government offices and banks will be closed. Stores, auto dealers, and restaurants will all be open offering bigger sales…what about the people that have to work in those places? Don’t they deserve a holiday too?

 

 Webster defines a “holiday” as, “a day on which one is exempt from work; specifically : a day marked by a general suspension of work in commemoration of an event.”  I hope you take the time to celebrate this Independence Day in the way that it was meant to be celebrated. Take in a parade or some fireworks and wear your red, white and blue. Running low on patriotic spirit? Bristol, Rhode Island has the longest parade I have ever seen and the whole town really shows their colors weeks in advance. Sit back and enjoy and forget about that “to do” list. It will still be there tomorrow.

 

Found this fitting quote on Monica Ricci’s blog  “Plenty of people miss their share of happiness, not because they never found it, but because they didn’t stop to enjoy it.”

William Feather
American Author and Publisher
1889 – 1981

Multi-tasking Myth

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Organizing Myth #1: Multi-tasking leads to being organized and productive

Are you a multitasker? If you are trying to do two or more things at the same time you are multitasking. Now, you may think that by doing that you are getting more done in a shorter amount of time but actually that is not true. New studies have shown that the more we juggle, the less productive we really are. Some studies have shown that our IQ goes down by about 10 points when we multi-task. That is about as much as skipping a night’s sleep. Can you imagine? Dr. Gary Small, a memory specialist at the University of California, Los Angeles explains, “When we’re multi-tasking, we don’t focus our attention. So information never gets into our memory stores, and so we think we don’t remember.  We just never learned the information to begin with.” So maybe those “senior moments” aren’t so senior after all. Slow down and do one thing at a time and let me know if your productivity goes up. You might find you remember more too. Organizing Fact: Multi-tasking is not more productive.

 

 

Organization and blogging – how you can help

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For those of you that are reading this from the link I provided in your email, I would like to explain the differences between the HOPE newsletter that you subscribed to and the new Laine’s Logic Blog. As you have noticed, you are not notified each time a new blog is posted so you either have to remember to check the site weekly or you can subscribe to an RSS feed which will let you know each time I post something new. Directions for that are at the bottom of this post.

 

So, let’s begin. What is a blog anyways? Well according to Wikipedia, the word blog is short for web log. It can be a journal, diary, or commentary that is created and put on the Internet. It may contain text, video and/or graphics related to any topic. This one is related to organizing your life and helping you work smarter and not harder.

 

The fun part of blogging is that the discussion can be ongoing. Writers of blogs (bloggers) can provide information, comments or simply their opinion. Readers can then comment and ask questions and have them answered directly in the comment section or addressed in the next “post” (blog entry). This is the social side of blogging and it assures that the blog continues in the direction of its readers due to the interaction between writer and reader.

 

That’s my vision for this blog. Helping you solve organizational and time management problems that matter to you so you can save time and put more fun in your life. If you have an idea, topic or concern you would like to see addressed in this blog please send it to me by using the comment link at the bottom of this article. (It is in blue and may say no comments or a number and the word comments.) When you click on it a response box will show up. Fill it in and hit submit and it will go directly to me. I will then post it or save it for a future blog. As always, thanks for reading and thanks for your input.

 

Directions for automatic notification:

The easiest way to check for new content is to go to http://www.laineslogic.com/blog each week or you can subscribe to an RSS feed by following the link at the bottom of the blog page. If you use igoogle for your homepage you can add a link that will notify you of new content by using google reader. It is listed on the Google tool bar under “more.” It is easy to “add subscription” and paste the URL( http://www.laineslogic.com/blog ) into the box and then add the Google reader link to your homepage. Then each time you open igoogle you will see the blog listed – just click and it is ready to read.

The two minute gnat attack

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Gnats, those tiny, black, pesky bugs that seem to have innate radar for flying into eyes and mouths are out in full force this week. They are annoying and persistent not unlike some of the tasks on my to do list. I know that if I run I’ll have a moment of peace or I can wave my arms wildly swinging and clapping at the air and maybe decrease the population by …two or three. The same technique doesn’t work with my to do list. Running doesn’t make it go away and smacking the page only wrinkles it. What’s a girl to do?

 

As a David Allen (author of Getting Things Done) fan, I like to use the two minute rule. David says, “If the Next Action can be done in 2 minutes or less, do it when you first pick the item up.” Even if that item is not a “high priority”, because it takes longer to store and track any item than to deal with it the first time it’s in your head. (p. 131, “Getting Things Done”)

Every now and then I let those two minute tasks pile up usually because something else more important needs my attention. That’s when those little tasks begin to feel like a swarm of gnats. You can’t really see them, but you know they are there and they really “bug” me. So today, I set out to see how many two minute tasks I could complete in 30 minutes. I worked for two minutes on my email inbox, responding with a few quick replies, and then two minutes on deleting emails. Then it was on to sending a card, paying a bill and making a phone call. Two minutes of filing was followed by refilling the printer paper and clearing my desk. Then I had to fit in another two minutes deleting emails since it was so much fun. You get the idea, the more I did the more I wanted to do and having that timer go off every two minutes and switching to another activity made it much more like a game than work.  The result – I crossed off a number of tasks on the list, freed up some “psychic ram” (brain space) and probably lowered my blood pressure. Cost = 30 minutes, resulting feelings = priceless. Give it a try and let me know how you do by clicking on the comment link below. Ready, set ….go!