Top 10 Organizing Tips

  1. Purchase a fire proof safe for all of your important documents (passports, birth certificates, titles, insurance, wills, etc). Always be in the habit of putting things back immediately after you have used them. Each family member (including pets) should have their own file inside to keep their paperwork.

2. Have a mixed paper recycling bin in your garage (or wherever you walk in the door with the mail) and throw away junk mail immediately. This will save on so much distress down the road I assure you. Imagine having only half the pile of mail to sort and/or deal with rather than the entire stack!

3. Purchase a shredder and shred (almost) everything. Purge your files at least once a year or on an ongoing basis. Every time you have the file in your hands, look through it and toss what you can. January is perfect for purging. Anything that you don’t need from last year can go right now! Just purge/shred and let it go…..

4. Do your least desired task first… you will feel better just getting it out of the way. Returning phone calls is my hardest task but of course it’s a hugely important part of my job. I designate one time/AM and one time/PM for follow up and generally make a cup of tea and sit down quietly and make my calls. It helps immeasurably to “set the mood” and your caller will hear it in your voice that you are relaxed and focused.

5. Pay your bills twice a month. Every two weeks should suffice without worrying about late fees. You don’t have to pay everything as it comes in nor do you have to wait until there is a huge pile on your desk. It’s better to have a few done twice a month rather than just once as you will more than likely take the time to peruse the bills more closely and pay attention/double check your charges.

6. If you know something is not possible it is best to just say “no” in a nice way immediately upon being asked. This is one of the hardest life lessons I have learned (many would say I’m still not very good at it) thus far. It also helps if you consider the way that you say “no”. Instead of saying “I can’t do that” simply say “thank you so much for thinking of me for this task/project, etc. but it’s just not possible right now given my schedule limitations”.

7. At the end of the day (preferably the work day, not 10PM) be sure to clear off your desk so that you aren’t waking up to a mess the next morning. This is true for the rest of your house too. If you put things away as you use them, you will find that your house/office/life stays much cleaner and it really doesn’t involve that much more effort to keep up rather than pile up.

8. If you use a PDA or other computer related calendar, always print out a copy of the weekly schedule for your family. Print it daily if there are often changes. This will help even the littlest soul in your home feel like they know what is going on and it takes the pressure off of you to feel the need to keep everyone updated.

9. Backup your computer/hard drive regularly

10. Keep Greeting Cards on hand.

I’ve decided to do 10 new Organizing Tips on my blog each month. Remember, you can find my Tips M-F on Facebook & Twitter as well as a recap if you sign up for our newsletter on the website. Click here to sign up! What Organizing challenge are you facing right now? Comment below or shoot me and email & let me help you think it through!