Holiday Time Management Tips
- Make a list. – Create lists for who you need to shop for, what you will buy them, where you will buy it, etc.
- Plan your days. – Schedule time for everything you need to do to enjoy the holidays. When will you shop, clean, cook, etc.
- Allow extra time. – Always allow more time for tasks than you think it will take. This goes a long way in reducing stress.
- Prepare in advance. – Prepare cookies, snacks, meals, gifts, etc as far in advance as possible.
- Say goodbye to perfectionism. – The season is a time to enjoy family and friends. Nothing has to be perfect. Not the food, the gift, the wine, the outfit, etc.
A Gift Doesn't Have to be Stuff
Don’t be sucked in by the great holiday sales you see this year. Sales can be a great thing, but not if they cause you to buy something you (or your family and friends) don’t need. Why not give gifts this year that won’t add clutter to your family and friends home or office? Think of some creative ways you can celebrate the season together instead.
Yikes, it's December 1st!
Once December rolls around, the stress and frenzy of the upcoming holidays begins to bubble up within us. As hard as we try to fight it, we usually end up succumbing to it eventually.
What? Do You Think I'm Crazy?
If you think it’s a crazy idea to hire and pay a professional organizer to help you with your clutter and disorganization, think again. It costs you alot more if you don’t hire one. Here are just a few of the ways you’ll “pay” for not de-cluttering and getting organized.
Ask Yourself the Hard Questions
If you’re like most people, you probably struggle with what you should and shouldn’t keep. Part of what Professional Organizers do is help our clients think through whether or not they should keep something by asking them a series of questions.
Weed Constantly
A very big part of getting, and staying organized, is weeding constantly – everywhere. Rather than looking at your entire house or entire office and thinking how you have to weed all of it, break it down into manageable pieces. This way you can tackle it in little bits rather than thinking you have to give up an entire day to weed out unwanted stuff.
Three Common Organizing Mistakes
- Buying the container first. – People tend to see a really cute organizing product that they just know is going to work perfect for something. Chances are it won’t get used. It’s important to organize and purge your belongings before you decide what you’ll contain them in.
- Keeping paperwork without thinking it through. – Life is busy. We’re all in a big hurry. Because of that, most people feel like they’re in too big of a hurry to deal with the papers that come into our home or office and so we keep them just in case.
- Not determining a home for everything. – Everything that comes into your life needs a home where it will live. This way you know where everything goes and can find everything you need, when you need it. When you don’t have a home for everything, things land anywhere. Especially in places you’d never think to look for them.
Buddy Up
If you have small children and have a hard time finding “alone time” to work on getting organized, why not buddy up with a friend? Pick a specific weekday and time and then every week, take turns keeping each other’s children for a couple of hours. Your children will have fun hanging out with someone else and you’ll be a happier, more focused Mom when they return.
Just the facts, Jack.
When you think of being organized, you most likely think of a picture out of Better Homes & Gardens where everything looks perfect. Without a doubt the picture shows shelves lined perfectly with cute baskets or a desk with nothing on it. In all honesty, these pictures are not realistic. Being organized does NOT mean being perfect. Being organized means setting up your home or office to function more efficiently and effortlessly.
Organization 101 - Day Four
After completing all of the steps we’ve discussed already, you’re finally down to what will actually stay in the space. Now it’s time to figure out what containers to use for the items that are staying. Thank goodness in this project we already know what containers we’re using thanks to Rubbermaid. They gave me a set of drawer organizers to try out and want to gift a set to one of my blog readers that leaves a comment…hint, hint. The winner will be selected Monday.
Organization 101 - Day Two
Step One
The first step in getting organized is to determine what your vision is for the space or system you are working on. My vision for the junk drawer is to be able to quickly find what I need, quickly retrieve it and quickly return it so I can easily find it next time I need it.
What is a zone?
A big part of getting organized is determining the zones for each area you are working in and then only allowing those things that belong in that zone to live there. What do I mean by zones?
Quick tips
Simple quick tips to tackle any small area in your home or office this weekend.
- Pick a small area to start in.
- Sort like items with like items.
- Purge those items you don’t need or that don’t belong in that space.
- Find homes and containers for the items you’re keeping based on their use.
- Label, label, label!
About the Author
Sue Anderson, CPO®, Owner of Simplified Living Solutions, is an expert in the professional organizing field, specializing in paper management (aka paper piles) and messy, unproductive desks, offices, home offices and filing systems.
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