We usually get called in for organizing help over a fairly limited problem: a cluttered garage, a pile of papers, or to-do’s not getting to done. It’s good to have a starting point, because it means that you have chosen a priority. However, to make the organizing last longer requires reaching a little further.
After we have purged the excess stuff from a client’s home, we have a conversation about how best to organize and store what’s left. This involves a discussion about the showroom vs. stockroom approach, which I have written about before. This time, I want to revisit the showroom vs. stockroom approach, with the aid of two useful images.
If the conclusion you are drawing from the combination of this title and this photo, is that your Time Management System is missing Post-It notes, then go ahead and laugh. There’s a little more to it than that, but I stand by my Post-It’s. There are a lot of time management systems out there, both paper and digital, but I have found that NONE of them facilitate prioritizing, especially sudden RE-prioritizing.
Getting organized is a very popular New Year’s resolution, but like so many resolutions, it can be a very difficult one to keep, without some simple guidelines. Here are some simple guidelines.
When I have a long list of to-do’s, there is a technique I use on the tougher ones that makes them easier. I call it taxi to takeoff.
Being organized makes even the worst events in life better. It just requires a shift in thinking. In fact, it is quite possible to find organizing easier, when there is true adversity. I’m always surprised how often clients greet me with apologies that they haven’t been able to stay organized because of emergencies that come up.
I know what you’re thinking. “Really? Those nasty little notes that litter my husband’s computer monitor and desk?” No worries. I don’t like that look either and I don’t like what it represents: inaction. What I do like, no, LOVE about the mini Post-Its is when they are used well. They are used best when they facilitate flexibility.
If you find that your biggest organizing challenges come from the trials of being a mother, A Mom’s Guide to Home Organization is a great resource. It’s written by Debbie Lillard, a mother of three children and a professional organizer since 2003.
I don’t like most organizing gadgets and for one simple reason. They aren’t simple. The Time Timer, however, succeeds in simplifying your life because it is actually simple. Very simple.
When all is said and done on the topic of Time Management, I believe it can all be boiled down to two pains: 1. You don't have enough hours for all the things that need to be done. 2. No matter how hard you work, you feel that life is just passing you by.
Originally from Matt Baier's Organizing Works Newsletter, August 2008 THE TO-DO DELUGE Last month I stated that ultimately all paper demands just two imperatives: 1. Act upon it 2. Find it
