Organizing/Sharing Information

Jot down any notes, dates, ideas, or information that you want to discuss with your spouse and children in a small notebook and keep it next to the dinning room table or kitchen table.  I keep my notes next to the kitchen table on the counter.  This helps jog my memory and reminds me to address the issues before, after, or during dinner time.

Organizing E-mail

Read your E-mail with your calendar, date book or planner (whether it’s paper or electronic) right next to you so you can immediately jot down dates, notes and reminders.  This will make it easier to delete those E-mails, since the information will already be noted in your calendar.

Saving Time

Tip:  Time yourself when doing simple tasks, like emptying the dish washer, scrubbing the bathroom, or folding laundry.  This will let you know exactly how long it takes to do those tasks.  Then you can squeeze them into your day when you have 10 or 15 minutes to complete them.

Start Organizing

Tip: Start any organizing project with sorting items or paper into general, borad categories.

Memory Value

Organizing tip When downsizing or reducing, and making decisions on what to keep or not keep, take into consideration the real value of an item as well as the memory value.  Memory value is the sentimental value we personally place on belongings, either those owned by us, or by someone we know or knew.  The more personally significant an object is, the more valuable it appears to us.  Therefore, an item that may have a realistic value of $25.00 can be perceived as having a memory value of $125.00.  Come up with a maximum number for the quantity of high memory value items you can realistically hold on to.