Prioritize! List the top three things that must be finished by the end of the day in order for you to feel happy and productive, and do them first thing in the morning. I list my top three priorities in my date book, and tackle my number one priority before I read or respond to any emails, or answer any phone calls. This helps me prevent distraction and procrastination.
Are you a list maker? I am. I make lists for a large variety of things, because they help me stay organized. Besides being a great way to document the information that collects in my head, lists are helpful in prioritizing information and providing visual queues for what needs to be done. Below are 6 of my most used lists.
1. To Do List
Creating a master To Do List that contains all the things I want to get done, need to accomplish, and have to address, provides me with peace of mind. By writing all these things down, I release myself from worrying that I will forget something. By having the list to check and work from, it’s easier to organize and prioritize what I do, and when I do it.
2. Daily Tasks List
Working from my master To Do List, I write 3-5 Daily Task items on each day of my calendar. It’s important to prioritize my Daily Tasks and to make sure I have enough time during that particular day to get the item done. If I don’t complete a Daily Task item, I indicate it with a colored tab, but only if I think I can get to it within the week. If not, I cross it out and write it on another day in the future. It’s very rewarding to check off the items, and see what was accomplished in the day and the week.
3. Shopping List
A magnetic note pad and pencil on my fridge are what I use to create my shopping list. My husband and I write down what we need to pick up at the grocery store whenever we think of an item, or whenever we run out of something while preparing meals. The placement of this list needs to be easy and convenient in order to encourage everyone in the household to write items on the list. A basket on top the fridge holds all of our coupons, discount cards, and any gift cards marking the fridge as our shopping ‘center’.
4. To Bring on Vacation List
Creating a list of what I want and need to bring on vacation provides me with time to organize my thoughts an plan ahead. This prevents me from forgetting important and necessary items. Creating one location where I can collect the items on my list, until it’s time to pack them in suitcases, is also a helpful component to this vacation list. I use my dinning room table as my collect location.
5. List of Important Dates
Having a master list of important dates, that I transfer into a new calendar at the beginning of each year helps me stay on top of important dates and time lines. I keep a birthday and anniversary list by month, a taxes and bill payment schedule by month, and a membership and license renewal list by month. For large bills and membership renewals, I note on my calendar two weeks in advance to payment and one week in advance to payment. Referencing these lists when setting up my yearly calendar is very helpful.
6. Honey Do List
My Honey Do List is a list of items that my husband needs to address or that we need to discuss. This list is kept by the kitchen phone (or is waved in front of his face while he’s watching TV). Any action items that need to be planned for a specific date are put on the calendar.
©February 2015 Janine Cavanaugh,CPO® All rights reserved.
Proud member of NAPO
Schedule time on your calendar to organize. Treat it like an appointment that you can’t reschedule without a large rescheduling fee. Then pick just one target area to work on, and tackle one flat surface in that area. For example, if you’re working in the kitchen, start with items on the counter. If you’re working in your closet, start with items on the floor. If you’re working in your home-office, start with items on the desk.
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If you’re like me, you like decorating for the holidays. It gets me in the holiday spirit, and I enjoy adding sparkle and cheer to my home. However, taking those decorations down, packing them up, and storing them until next year is an entirely different story. That part of the process always seems like such an unwelcoming chore. So, I’ve done my best to simplify the process and make it as painless as possible.
The first suggestion is to have a designated location in your basement, attic, garage, or other storage area, for the holiday decorations to live undisturbed until next year. This prevents them from just being shoved anywhere, everywhere, or wherever they’ll fit. My designated location is on plastic storage shelves in my basement.
The second suggestion is to use clear bins and large easy to read labels. This allows you to easily spot what is stored inside and where it belongs. I print large color coded labels, and tape them to the inside of the clear bin. This allows me to easily read the label because of the large size, and to easily recognize the holiday because of the label color. It also prevents the label from falling off, fading, curling, or becoming illegible. I place two labels in the bin on opposite sides, so that no matter how the bin is placed on the shelf, I can view the label.
The third suggestion is to store holiday decorations in layers with bubble wrap in between each layer. This is much faster than wrapping each individual decoration. It works best if you put decorations that are similar in width in the same layer. Also, place plush and soft decorations in between wooden and breakable decorations, and only store fragile or collectible decorations in their original boxes.
The fourth suggestion is to store holiday decorations based on where they are placed inside or outside the house. For example I have bins of Christmas decorations for each room in my house. This way I can easily decorate one room at a time, and pack up one room at a time. It helps me streamline the processes.
The fifth suggestion is to keep all decoration accessories in the perspective holiday bins. I keep the extension cord, the light timer, extra light bulbs, tree ornament hooks, and the tree skirt in the same bin as the tree ornaments. This way I’m not searching for these items when it’s time to decorate each year.
I understand that putting away holiday decorations can be a drag, but I hope these suggestions will help prevent procrastination.
©January 2015 Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer® All Rights Reserved
Proud member of NAPO
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