Put items back where they live (belong) right away! It usually takes only minutes. If you say “I’ll do it later” or “I’ll put it here for now”…it might not get put away.
Deal with your mail every day (ok, take the day off if you’re sick or on vacation)! Toss or shred what you can immediately as you are sorting through it.
Buy yourself one really good daily calendar and use the heck out of it. People think they need 2 or 3 calendars but that can actually mess you up. Then record your appointments immediately. If you can find one with room for your contacts and To Do list, that is even better.
Get a filing system! Make sure that filing system makes sense to you and who ever files the papers. Why do you think you don’t file? If you have a good filing system, you are more likely to file.
Create a TAX FILE for the current year and then make one for the following year. Then when the W2 information, interest & dividend, 1099’s, and charitable donations, etc start arriving, just file them in the Tax file.
Prioritize and plan every day, take 5-10 minutes in the morning or late evening to plan and priortize your upcoming day.
When you can’t face the room or area you want to organize, take a timer and set it for 15 minutes. We can do almost anything for 15 minutes. When the timer goes off, you can stop!
Think twice before you buy something new. First, ask yourself if you really need it and then mentally picture where it will live. If you don’t have a spot for it, don’t buy it.
Do what I call the “5 Things a Night Rule”…This is a great thing to do with the whole family. Every night after dinner or before going to bed everyone has to pick up 5 of their own items and put them away where they belong.
Hangers, hangers, hangers. This tip is easy. Get rid of all those mismatched hangers and buy matching hangers for your closet. Consider the slim line ones if your closet is too full. This alone will make your whole closet look better and your clothes will hang nicer.
-Kenneth L. LeMaster, Attorney At Law (Mercer Island)
