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WEEKLY ORGANIZING TIPS
Here you'll find some of my most favorite organizing tips and thoughts. Take the ones that speak to you and practice them. Mental rehearsal has been proven to be a very effective tool to create change.
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WANT MORE ROOM?
When organizing a space - a drawer, a desktop, a shelf - take everything out, then sort. This causes you to make a conscious choice about which things go back in. It also improves how you utilize the space when you put the things back. Almost like magic you get more room.
SAVVY SORTING
A key step of getting organized is making decisions. To
make this easier, divide what you're sorting into 3 parts; Absolutely
keep, Absolutely get rid of, & Not sure. Then, put back the keeps,
donate or recycle the get-rid-ofs, & put the not-sures aside.
Coming back to the not-sures later can help you decide just how
important they are.
THIS WEEK...CLEAR YOUR COCKPIT
Think of a pilot - do you want YOUR pilot to walk to the back of the plane to get something he uses every flight? Do you want YOUR pilot distracted by things she hardly ever uses? Take the zone you do most of your work in (a small space - perhaps the surface) and clear it - I bet you'll have a much more enjoyable week.
THINK ABOUT NO DIFFERENTLY Depression Era thinking coupled with Information Age availability is a recipe for disaster. If you read everything you could read, did everything you could do, and kept everything you could keep, life would be overwhelming. Enjoy life more by saying no to the unimportant things.
"THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE AREN'T THINGS" -- Art Buchwald
RUTABAGAS OR SWEET POTATOES? Life is like a Thanksgiving plate. If you put things on your plate to please someone else or because you think you should, there might not be room for what you really want. Wishing you a fulfilling holiday week with your Thanksgiving dinner plate filled only with the things you love.
FREE ISN'T REALLY FREE. I went to a wonderful party yesterday with lots of free party favors. I saw people taking and taking and taking. I kept thinking "Where are they going to put it all"? Free isn’t really free. It takes time to put it away, space to keep it, and energy to maintain it. If you wouldn’t spend money on it, think twice before taking it!
DO YOU REALLY NEED THAT PIECE OF PAPER?
80% of filed papers are never looked at again! Can you get the information elsewhere? If you keep it, will you ever think to look for it?
HOW MUCH IS YOUR PIECE OF MIND WORTH?
The key to successful organizing, is making decisions about where things go and putting them there. Not just some things, all things. If there isn't room for all of your things you may want to consider that there is greater value in your peace of mind than in your stuff.
WHY GET ORGANIZED? Look to your reasons to get organized as motivation. Do you want your space to feel open, and clear, and energizing? Are you tired of looking for things you know you have but can't find (and then spending money to buy them again)? Are you stressed by feeling out of control? Now may be the time to change.
FOCUS ON WHAT YOU WANT. Remove distractions to focus on what you want - what you want to do, to use and to treasure. When you take away the things that don't matter you are left with the most important things. Life becomes easier because you are now choosing among your favorites. Decisions are made faster and are going to be better too.
THINK OF THE POSSIBILITIES. "Productivity is being able to do things that you were never able to do before." Franz Kafka What new thing would you do if you could figure out how? How would life be better? What would it take for you to step up and learn something new? If you were more organized, could you do something you've never done before?
PLAN ACTION. Wishing you were organized doesn’t get you organized. Action is the first step to change. With Summer winding down you may be thinking that Fall is the perfect time to get organized. How will you make that happen? If you don’t think about it until September you won’t be taking action until October. Plan now.
DONE IS BETTER THEN PERFECT. Sometimes DONE is better then perfect! Do you wait for the chance to do it perfectly and because that time never comes you don't accomplish much of anything? Some things are fine when they are done "good enough." Get it done and celebrate!
MEASURE BEFORE YOU BUY. Take a walk around the Container Store. It's one of this Professional Organizer's favorite spots. Look for ideas on how to get organized. See what's new in home organizing and office organizing. We are lucky to have the Container Store in Southern New Jersey - right here in Cherry Hill! Just remember to measure before you buy!!!
There are times we need to create some space and see what fills it.
Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non- essentials. ~Lin Yutang Instead of having an endless to-do list this week, make a priorities list - a list of 5 things you really want to accomplish. By focusing on these priorities you will not be side-tracked by the non-essentials.
Once you decide what is important, making choices becomes easier. Being clear about what is important is the first step in bringing order and control to your work, your home, and your life. Identifying what your priorities are, helps you to organize so that you can best focus on the things that make a difference in the quality of your life. Ellen Faye, CPO®
Remember that you are procrastinating if you work on a trivial task while a more important one remains undone.
You can't fill your pockets with gold if they are filled with junk. Simon Aslanian
You can't have all you want and keep all you have.
Lost time is never found again. |
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Contact Ellen to see how we can help you save time, reduce stress, & get organized: ellen@ellenfaye.com  (856) 524-7006 |
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