Organized for Life » Personal Development

Drowning in Paper? Do the Perennial Paper Purge!

Martha — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 15:08:34 +0000

Most small businesses and family units use the calendar year as their fiscal year for tax purposes. That makes December the wrap-it-up month (no pun intended) of the fiscal year.
Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas or another holy day, the pace at the office and at home slows that last week of December. Perhaps it is because your colleagues take vacation, school activities are on hold, and the kids are busy playing with new toys. As of this writing that week will be here in 8 days!
Take advantage of the slow down to shake out files from 2011. Here are a few ideas to get your reduction juices going.

Weed out articles you thought you would read, but never got around to.
Finish recording new addresses and recycle the holiday cards.
Enter automobile expenses into a spreadsheet and ditch the gas receipts and repair bills.
Make files for your hobbies and fill with those good ideas that you have floating around.
Donate any magazines you have not read to a doctor, dentist, or senior center.
Take all newspaper piles to your nearest animal shelter.
Print out record retention guidelinesand write in bold letters next to each category the earliest month and year that should be kept. (Ex. Pay stubs - JANUARY 2011, until verified with W-2, Auto records – AS LONG AS OWN). See:
- The ABC’s of Important Papers – Julie Morgenstern
- What Financial Records to Keep and How Long to Keep Them – Bankrate.com
Shred documents in each category that are have dates prior to your cut off.
Get a head start on tax preparation by pulling together all your charitable receipts and business expenses. A couple hours of work now can mean a speedy refund by March. Be aware that your accountant has the last word on which documents you need to complete tax forms. When in doubt, do NOT throw it out!

Have your paper shredder handy for sensitive documents, along with a box for papers you can recycle.
Paper purging is best done with a refreshing drink in front of those Bowl games, while watching the kids play on the floor, or with soothing music in the background. Think of it as a “paper purging party!” You will be that much ahead going into the New Year!

Related posts:

Drowning in Paper? Do the Perennial Paper Purge! Most small businesses and family units use the calendar year...

Six weeks and counting…

Martha — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 23:53:35 +0000

We are entering that transition from Fall to Winter; Halloween/Thanksgiving to Christmas.

Of course, retail stores, radio stations, and television commercials feature a conglomeration of every possible seasonal or holiday advantage.

My top 10 suggestions for the next couple of weeks to keep it fun instead of hectic:

Make a lunch date and invest your time with a good friend.
Change out your fire alarm batteries now and on Mother’s Day (two “thank you” holidays)
Buy an orange 22 quart plastic tote to store the fall décor you take down.
Update your holiday card address list. Mail cards early.
Choose a craft or baking activity to share with the children in your life.
Order a turkey or spiral ham rather than cook on the BIG day.
Purchase some toys to donate to a shelter, Toys for Tots, or Angel Tree.
Call someone you haven’t heard from in a long time.
Rent a couple of movies for an In-House movie night with popcorn.
Buy a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle to put together during family visits.

Life is too short to stress yourself out by building unrealistic expectations into one or two days of the year.

With you in keeping it S-I-M-P-L-E!

Time Management : The Power Hour

Martha — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:45:26 +0000

A time management tool I have heard bandied about lately is the “power hour.” The idea is to decide on one essential task you must get done and set a timer for one hour.

Take phones off hooks or turn down the ringer sound, don’t check email or texts, get a drink and go to the bathroom before your hour starts. Then use that hour to take a huge bite out of that task.
This works for me. I do my best thinking when I am immersed in a project. I feel like I am diving deep under the surface and don’t even come up for air.

These are two of the timing tools I like best:

Click the image for a larger view - focusbooster.com App

Focus Booster– a free app that you download, then use as a timer on your computer. Note: when setting the time, moving the cursor to the right adds time, moving to the left gives less time.

Click the image for a larger view - Digital Hourglass Timer by Polder

Digital Hourglass Timer by Polder – This is a funky clock and timer with digital “sand” timing up to 99 minutes. Useful when you are working around the house, or as a limiting factor in meetings or workshops! Also available at selected Target stores.

Try the “power hour” with one of these or any timer you have on hand. See if it works for you. You may need some background noise if you are more of an auditory, sensing type.

If an hour is too long, start with 10 minutes of concentrated effort and lengthen the interval as you get more comfortable.

Now is also a good time to use your “power hour” to start on that thing you have been putting off for forever!

Related posts:

Takes Time to Make Time Time is really the only capital that any human being...
How to Find Your Time Leak Do you feel like you were busy all day long,...
Time Management Principles for Moms Since our condo has two bathrooms, Jeff and I split...

Are You Competent, Capable, and Efficient?

Martha — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:43:05 +0000

If I had to name the most important consideration in setting up an organized workspace, or work flow, it would be efficiency.

When a system is efficient, that means the least amount of resources will be used to get the job done.

The resources you save can be:

Time
Money
Raw materials
Equipment life
Energy – physical or fuel
Range of motion
Manufactured supplies
Number of steps to completion

When you work efficiently, you are considered well-organized, good at your job, not wasteful, economical, proficient, competent, capable, professional, and ecologically aware. You sound pretty good, huh?

In the corporate world, efficiency equates to higher profit margins.
At home, efficiency means having more time and money to do the things you love.
Let me give you an example of efficiency from my adolescent years. As the oldest daughter, I was stuck doing dishes by hand for a family of 6. I soon learned there was an art to washing and stacking those dishes into a single dish drainer.

First, scrape and rinse off the worst of the leftover food particles.
Then, wash plates & bowls and stack compactly in drying rack slots.
Next, wash glasses and utensils, finding nooks and crannies to stand them vertically to dry.
Last, wash larger bowls and greasier pots and pans by size from smallest to largest in order to nest in succession. Then pray it all stays on top!

You see, I wanted to be done with dishes as soon as possible, with the least amount of energy expended. That meant no stopping to replenish dish water and no drying by hand to make room for more.

Only a person who never was the sole dishwasher, stacker, and putter-awayer (this person shall remain nameless) would wash greasy pots and pans first, then wonder why the drinking glasses felt greasy to the touch. Contrary to popular opinion, NO, Dawn does not take grease out of the way that well! Needless to say, the glasses have to be rewashed… a waste of time and resources.

I often say that organizing is not an end in itself, but a means of getting something else you want. That may be finding more time to do something fun, saving money to spend on a vacation or shopping spree, or simply eliminating the frustration of always searching for things.

When you develop an organizing system that is efficient, you will be saving precious resources that you can use in another way. Soon you will be rewarding yourself with the very thing you most desire, and looking doggone good at the same time!

Product Review: My Favorite Weapon

Martha — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:13:12 +0000

Those of you who have been in my small group Clutter Management Program, or have been a Simple Changes reader for a while know that I LOVE the Freedom Filer paper management system.

I have helped quite a few clients set up this system in their home to corral paper so they can find what they are looking for in 10 seconds or less. It’s kind of a “no brainer”. You purchase, set it up like in the picture, and it is so easy to use you don’t have to think. Love saving those little grey cells…

The best part is the “maintenance free” or as I like to call it “self-purging” aspect of this system. The color-coded categories not only tell you when to purge, but practically force you to do it!

What I usually do with clients is have them purchase the system online. I put the basic system together, then show up ready to customize and train on how to best use all the additional features. The client hands me the copy he/she ordered and pays only for materials and the training time.

The benefit of ordering directly from Freedom Filer is that the company will then email you reminders on when to update and purge. Love it!

Make the decision today to break free!

Related posts:

Product Review: Packing and Grocery Checklists I love these ready-to-use checklist pads! They were perfect...
Product Review: Holiday Planning Tool Can you believe it is already the 26th of November? ...
Product Review: Life Facts Book Get your Really Important Stuff together before “It” happens. Recently I met...

Benefits of Organizing: A Baker’s Dozen

Martha — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 14:28:15 +0000

Organizing isn’t only about downsizing possessions, developing filing systems, and creating easily-accessible storage.
Getting out from under visual clutter and overwhelm can have a much deeper impact in our lives, both physically and emotionally.

When I started listing the life-changing results I see as an organizer, I couldn’t stop at an even 10 as I had planned, so you get a baker’s dozen.

Clearing the clutter and organizing those things you need/use or love/find beautiful will…

Give you hope for the future; you don’t have to stay stuck in chaos and defeat.
Set you free from the burden of clutter (of things, their past, negative emotions) so you are able to move on.
Let you know you are capable of maintaining order with the system that matches your personal bent.
Give you a safe and healthy environment so you can thrive.
Allow you to pass on a legacy of order to your children.
Affirm your competence on the job when you can find info quickly, get started on today’s projects, and reach for tomorrow’s opportunities.
Empower you to take back control of life and your environment, one area at a time.
Make you feel valued for the unique individual you are, not based on some preconceived notion of what you should be or do.
Boost your self confidence knowing you will remember appointments, be on time, and have what is needed at that moment.
Allow you to experience a calm retreat at the end of a fast-paced day.
Enable you to accept less than perfection, while striving for “good enough.”
Free up time for you to fulfill your dreams.
Underline the truth that we each fail at times, but that each mistake is a new chance to start over.

The great thing about organizing is, when you clear a path in one area of your life, the positive feelings ripple outward and you are energized to repeat the process for even greater success. That is what my clients see and experience. Love it!

Getting That Project from To Do to DONE!

Martha — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 14:10:58 +0000

My husband, Jeff, is a Project Management Professional (PMP). He oversees Information Technology (IT) projects for the State of Ohio.

You and I are project managers, too. Without thinking about it, we go through certain steps to make sure something gets done on time. Sometimes we miss a step, the project falters, and we are scrambling to catch up. Perhaps we can learn some tips from the experts.

First, let’s make sure we agree on what a project is. This is the short definition in Project Management for Dummies by Stanley E. Portny, PMP:

A project is a temporary undertaking performed to produce a unique product, service, or result.

In plain English, that means:

A project has a beginning, middle and an end with specific start and end dates.
The result or product is well-defined and measurable.
Resources are necessary to complete the project (ex. people’s time and effort, money).

There are 5 steps that constitute a complete project cycle. Let’s walk through the steps and apply them to a summer project. Say, for example, you want to take a trip to see the Grand Canyon.

Initiating – Starting the project by clarifying needs/desires, expectations, budget, who will be involved.~~ Decide you are actually going to take that trip to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon. Invite
people to go with you, ask what else they want to see. Estimate how much the trip will cost
and whether you can afford it.
Planning – Working out details on what is involved (scope), resources available, timing, and what can go wrong. Decide who will do what and when in order to be done on time.~~Check out airfares to see where and when you will fly out west. Plan how long you will stay based on available resources. Map out what you will see and where you need to book overnight stays. Look at the extended forecast for an idea of what to pack. Think about what could go wrong and plan for contingencies.
Executing – Taking action; work as a team.~~Book flights, rental car, hotel rooms. Have mail and papers held. Pack suitcases, get spending money and meet at the airport at the appropriate date and time. Delegate some tasks to make other traveler(s) feel invested in the process.
Monitoring/Controlling – Tracking performance to stay on time and budget.~~While vacationing according to plan, be flexible to account for unexpected delays or expenses. Adjust your itinerary accordingly to stay within your budget and get to the airport on time to come home.
Closing – Get approval on final results. Do a post-project evaluation to acknowledge what did well, lessons learned on ways to improve.~~Pat yourself on the back for checking that wish off your bucket list! Jot down a few notes on what you will do differently next time.

My Request to You

Take a piece of paper. Identify one project you are thinking of starting or are in the middle of.

Write the 5 steps on your paper. Next to each one, brainstorm what tasks/actions will be needed.
Assign a start and an end date to your project. Then work backward asking yourself, “When will I have to get this particular task done in order to finish my project on time?”

You will be amazed at the solid plan you end up with! Call this your “skeleton” and flesh it out as you walk through each stage. Don’t you love having a plan on paper so you don’t have to waste brain cells rethinking all the time? Now, just do it!