Don't Put It Off!

So very often, disorganization is a result of procrastinating--putting things off until a later date. Part of being organized is realizing that if you just do it now, you can save yourself a bunch of time later on.



1) Put it back. Once you're done using something, always put it back in its designated home. Avoid putting it down someplace temporary, like the kitchen table. Very often, these temporary homes turn into permanent homes. Keep adding more stuff to those areas and you'll end up with tons of clutter. Then you'll have to spend tons of time putting it all away. As soon as you're finished using it, put it back where it belongs. It only takes a second, and clutter will never have a chance to form.



2) Do it daily. Many tasks, if left undone, end up turning into mountains of clutter or hours of wasted time. For instance, if you sort through your mail each day, it will take less than 5 minutes. Let it go for an entire week, and it can take an hour or more. If you wash a load of laundry each day, it will never grow. Let it go for three or four days, and you'll have so much to be laundered, you may not even know where to start. If you lightly clean the bathroom after everyone showers each day, it will never require a deep cleaning. If you wait a week or more, intense scrubbing and quite a bit of time will be required to get it back to a sanitized, clean state.



3) Handle it once. Paper shuffling--picking up the same sheet of paper two times or more--wastes both time and energy, and can result in mounds of paper clutter. When you pick up something that requires an action, such as responding to an invitation, instead of putting that paper down on the kitchen counter for later, perform that action right away. If a sheet of paper requires filing, rather than placing it in a To Be Filed tray, get it into your filing system. Realistically, you won't be able to handle every action immediately, but if you keep paper shuffling to an absolute minimum, it won't get out of hand.



4) Make a note. Even those people who are good at remembering things, occasionally forget. The average person can only keep so many thoughts in his or her head. Why take a chance? When you have to remember something, write it down into a planner or a notebook. Don't put it off, because other thoughts are bound to take over and there's always a chance something will be forgotten.

28 Uses for Everyday Items

Here are six excellent helpful hints for everyday needs. "The many hidden talents (both new and tried-and-true) of inhabitants of your kitchen and bathroom."

Rubber Bands
1. Open jars with ease. When a small lid won't budge, wrap a rubber band around it several times to give you a better grip.

Toothpicks
5. Label meat. Are these burgers rare or well-done? They all look the same on the outside. Identify just-off-the-grill meats with different-colored toothpicks and they won't get mixed up.

Salt
10. Clean up a cracked egg. Cover the mess with a handful of salt, then wipe up with ease.

Post-It Note
14. Clean a keyboard. Run the sticky side between the keys to collect crumbs and bits of lint.

Felt Circles
19. Secure slinky garments. Stick a felt circle onto each arm of a hanger to keep clothes from sliding off.

Clear Nail Polish
26. Avoid rust stains in the bathroom. Coat the bottom of a shaving-cream can to fend off rings on the ledge of the tub.

Check out all 28 fabulous ideas on:

http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-home/cleaning-organizing/staticslideshowrs.aspx?cp-documentid=17174610

Enjoying the Chill

Garden Getaway

Thanks to Heather Jondle, Salem, NH, for sharing what she does whenever she feels a hint of the winter blues. "I go to my local garden center and visit the greenhouse. It's like a mini-vacation for the senses. The quiet beauty surrounds me, and the warm tropical air and scents of gardenias make it a great place to linger."

To prepare for spring gardens, take a field trip to to your local nursery and enjoy all the colors of spring. Be careful though. Are you just going to look or buy? Have a goal in mind, a time line, a location, and/or a budget. I know I've been over zealous and bought more plants than I could plant in a given time and a spring snow storm or heat wave have gotten the best of my new baby plants, and my money has gone down the drain.

Take pleasure in awakening your senses. Happy Spring!

Procrastinate NO More!

Do you have a "To Do" list? Whether it be written down or in your head, we all create lists of hopes and aspirations. Whether is be personal, work, family, or home related, we all have goals we'd like to achieve, but something holds us back from fully attempting the task at hand.

Today's the day. What have you been wanting to accomplish? Go write your goal down, with a BIG BLACK PERMANENT MARKER, on a HUGE piece of paper. On the back side, write down everything you think of that is keeping you from accomplishing your goal. Now rip up the paper and throw it in the recycle bin (feels good already!).

They're ALL EXCUSES. Get out there and attack the most difficult task first! It may be emotional, physically demanding, or time consuming, but get OFF the computer and get to work. YOU CAN DO IT!!! What an immense sense of pleasure you will feel when you've completed your goal, and all the other "To Dos" will be a piece of cake.

I'm off to accomplish my undesirable task! Have FUN!