principles

...now browsing by tag

 
accountable benefits book review charitable donations closets clothes clutter declutter disorganization donate downsize efficiency efficiency. organizing encourage family home focus get organized get started goals howto inspiration L.I.F.E. learning styles linens motivation organizing Paper Management personality photos planning priorities procrastinate productivity quotes recycle reference files reuse simplify small spaces sorting storage strategy stress stuff time
 

Analyze Systems with 3 E’s

Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

At least once every other month, I try to visit my 3 grandchildren in Virginia. Oh yeah, I also go to see my daughter and her husband at the same time.

One of the things I admire about my daughter is that she has timing down to a science on meals, naps and TV viewing. I am having fun analyzing what systems are working for her.

The three measuring points of a system are:

  1. Easy – does it make the action simpler or more complicated/hard to remember?
  2. Effective – does it get the job done?
  3. Efficient – are resources used wisely?

Don’t we all want to get things done quickly, simply, and without using too much money or energy? That is even more appealing during the summer months when we want to go in, get it done, and get back outside for fun in the sun!

So pick one task that you perform on a daily or weekly basis. Evaluate by asking yourself the 3 E’s. If your way of doing that task fails in one area, ask yourself how you can tweak the process to get it done more quickly or easily.

Making one small change – relocating supplies closer to where used for example – can make a big difference.

I’m with you. Let’s conserve energy and enjoy easy!

Posted in Time Management | Comments Off
Tags: ,

Ins and Outs of Personal Storage

Friday, November 5th, 2010

Every person, and by extension every household, is different. Duh! We all know that, right?

But, have you ever caught yourself thinking, “Why don’t they just do it the RIGHT way?” That right way being what works for you.

This thought pattern is exactly what an organizer has to guard against! There is no one size fits all solution to clutter, storage, or containing stuff.

That is why it is essential to work with a client within the framework of his/her habits and preferences. After the owner decides what to give away or toss, the choice remains – how to contain and store the keepers.

Thankfully, we have more choices than ever on furnishings and storage units. Conversely, with so many options, it can be difficult to make a decision.

Two universal principles in organizing are:

  • Assign a home to every object/paper
  • Store items close to where they are most used

With these general principles in mind, there are a few questions that can help you think through where and how you will store your treasures:

  1. Where do I typically use this item?
  2. When and how often do I use it?
  3. Do I want this item stored with or near similar items I often use with it? [example: wrapping paper, scissors, tape, and ribbon]
  4. How essential is it that I have easy access to this item?
  5. What is problematic about where I currently keep this item?
  6. Even if my current storage system for this item is not ideal, what was the appeal about having it in this spot?

These questions will pinpoint your current habits. You will find it much easier to maintain a storage system that is customized for YOU!

Posted in Home Life, Paper Management, Tips and Tricks | Comments Off
Tags: , , ,

This is Your Life: Organized

Friday, April 16th, 2010

Do you embrace the words “priorities” and “goals”, or do they fill you with fear?

Are you afraid that if you took a long look at where your time is spent, you would be disheartened and disillusioned? You can’t see the merry-go-round of life slowing down, so you keep on running as fast as you can?

Credit: David Salafia/Flickr (CC-ND)

We Americans tend to fill our lives with so much clutter that we cannot see what is truly important. Even our children have sports and music lessons and are going in so many different directions that the parents have to go separate ways on the weekends to make it all happen.

The same principles that professional organizers use to help people dig out from under all the extra “stuff” can be applied to life choices as well. Rather than use the terms “priorities” and “goals”, think about going on a treasure hunt.

Priorities and goals: a treasure hunt

What are the top three “treasures” in your life; what do you value most? Some answers that come to mind are: family, spiritual life, making a difference, financial security, health. Write down your top three.

Now honestly evaluate your attitudes (the way you think) and your activities (the things you do) based on what you have just said are the most important things – the “treasures” – in your life. How do your attitudes and activities line up?

Treasure your priorities

This is the sorting stage of organizing. Putting the like things together and seeing “What you really have!” Sometimes just looking at your life clutter in the light of day is enough to toss some things.

Next is the painful part – purging. There may even be some good things in your life that must go to make room for the best. We all have the same 24 hours per day. After sleeping that amounts to 960 minutes. If you have a full-time job, only half of that is discretionary – 480 minutes per day.

Where do you want to invest your time and energy so that you are true to your values?

Get off the merry-go-round

There are more steps to the organizing process, but we will stop at this third one: assigning a home. Where in your life schedule will you make a place for the people, attitudes and activities you have identified as your treasures? Make appointments with yourself and others that honor your decisions.

One of my favorite childhood songs is titled “Horace the Horse”. Horace is a horse on the merry-go-round, always going up and down, round and round. He is sad because he is the very last horse, always following others. Then one day he looks around and says, “Gosh! Oh gee! I’m the very first horse on the merry-go-round, ’cause the others are a’followin’ me!”

Home is where your heart is

Your attitude, your decisions can influence the lives of others in profound ways when you take the initiative to identify what is truly of value and determine to follow your own path.

Posted in Personal Development, Tips and Tricks | Comments Off
Tags: , , ,