New Year's Resolution Idea: Time Management

As you consider what new year’s resolutions to make, think about adding better time management to the list. The one thing we can never get more of in life is time. We all only have 24 hours in each day of our lives and it is important to spend that time wisely. Consider where and how you are spending your time right now. If you are not using it in the way that you want to, here are some time management ideas that can help.

Have an Agenda
Both for your life and for each day of your life. If you spend your days aimlessly, that is how you are spending your life. To bring the best you that there is to each day, you need to have a sense of purpose in your life. Take some time to figure out what that purpose is. Once you have it, schedule your day so that you are working towards that purpose as much as you can. Set goals for yourself. Both life goals and daily goals.

Identify and Eliminate Time Stealers
Maybe you watch too much TV, maybe a certain task in your life, maybe lack of organization. Look at where you are spending your time. Every day for a week write down everything you do during the day and how much time it takes. You don’t have to get down to details like how much time you spend tying your shoes but do write down how much time it takes you in the morning to get ready. After that week, take a look at where you have spent your time and ask yourself if how you are spending it is moving you towards your goals. If there are areas where it isn’t, those are time stealers. Eliminate them from your life.

Home Organization Tips to Help With Your Holiday Gathering

As I struggle to keep up with holiday baking and shopping during these last two weeks before Christmas, home organization is one of the last things on my mind. But we are hosting the holiday dinner this year so getting my home organized before the big day is on my list. Here’s the home organization tips I’ll be using during the next couple of weeks to get things on track.

Cleaning in Advance
So that I won’t be scrambling around the house on Christmas day, I will be getting most of my cleaning done this weekend. I’ll do a spot cleaning a day or two before Christmas but the heavy cleaning will be done this weekend. All of my occasional cleaning chores will get done like dusting, cleaning papers off of my desk, filing, and tidying up the random odds and ends that always seem to collect in every room. Digging out and washing the good dishes and tablecloth goes on this list as well.

Preparing Meal Items in Advance
I will make as many side dishes and desserts as I can before Christmas day. Part of this has meant choosing side dishes and desserts that store well in the refrigerator for a couple of days. I will also be preparing ingredients and pre-measuring what I can the night before for those recipes that have to be made on Christmas day. This makes it much easier to get items ready in time and to have time with my family on Christmas morning.

Happy Holidays!

Closet Solutions for Your Bedroom

Often the most difficult closet area in the home to organize is the bedroom closet. Too many clothes, shoes, and accessories can pile up in the closet, leaving a mess that you can’t actually find anything in. Here are some closet solutions that can help you take back your closet.

Shoe Organizers
If you have a lot of shoes, getting a good shoe organizer can be a lifesaver when you’re trying to find those shoes as you get ready in the morning. These come in many different varieties from ones you can set on the floor to ones that you hang over the closet door. If you get one that sets on the floor, be sure to get one that is big enough to accommodate all of your shoes but is not so high that your clothes drag on top of your shoes.

Double Hanging Rods
These can double the hanging space in your closet. You can get ones that screw into the wall or you can get ones that simply hang on your existing rod. Leave some room for items that need the full length of the closet in order to hang up like dresses, robes, and full length coats.

How to Organize Your Kitchen for a Party

Many of us entertain family or friends at this time of year. And of course we want to make a good impression on everyone so how can we make our kitchen look perfect when company arrives? Here are a few tips to organize your kitchen to impress your guests.

Clean and Declutter
A good cleaning can make your kitchen sparkle. Clean the outside of cabinets, the outside of the refrigerator, light fixtures, counters, the table, chairs, sinks, and floors. Take the time to thoroughly clean any surface that the guests will see and be sure to get of any stains. Take the time to clean any clutter off of counters. Papers should be put away and appliances should either be covered or cleaned and tucked into a discrete corner. If your refrigerator is currently decorated with kid’s artwork, you might want to take it down or at least minimize it so it does not cover the entire refrigerator. You may want to temporarily move some items to make your counters look less cluttered. Survey your kitchen critically and remove anything that is distracting.

Touches of the Season
A nice cloth tablecloth and modest centerpiece help spruce up your table. The centerpiece shouldn’t overpower the table since you want your guests to be able to see each other over it easily. A few seasonal decorations like candles or small knick knacks in the corners of your counters adds a nice touch.

Tips for Holiday Organization

With Thanksgiving tomorrow and the start of the holiday shopping season, Black Friday, the day after, we could all use a little holiday organization to help keep us on track. My own list is filled with things to bake and items to buy for family and friends. And since Christmas always arrives sooner than I think it will, I am resolved to do a better job of planning this year.

Making a List (and checking it twice)
I am big on making lists and do them for just about every aspect of my life. It helps keep me organized, focused, and on track. The holidays are no exception. I make a list of all of the baking I need to do and all of the people I need to buy presents for. If there is a party or other event, that goes on the list too just so I don’t loose track of it. If I need to make something for the party, that gets included as well.

Scheduling Time
This is the area that often is a problem for me. I never seem to realize how little time I have to actually get everything done in. This year I am scheduling my baking and Christmas shopping. I will bake two to three things every weekend until Christmas and I will schedule my shopping so I get it done before the last minute. Any parties will be on my schedule as well along with what I need to make for it, if needed. I have a planner that I look at every day so all of this will go in the planner just to make sure I don’t loose track of anything.

Wishing you a happy holiday season!

Help for Home Office Organization Challenges

If you work from home, your home office serves at least two different roles. One as a space for your work and as where you conduct business for your home affairs. This dual purpose can make it home office organization challenging and difficult. Here are some tips that can help.

Separate Your Files
You have work files and home files on your computer and probably for your paper files as well. Separating these files into different folder can help you more easily find what you are looking for when you need it. On your computer, create folders for work-related and home-related business. If you have a lot of folders, it may help to put a W at the beginning of the folder name for those folders that are work-related and an H at the beginning of the folder name for those folder that are home-related. This way you can easily tell folders apart from each other and your work and home related folders should all show up together. For your paper files, have separate drawers for work and home files. Labeling the drawers as work or home can help too.

Separate Your Workspace
It can be difficult to try to keep your home paperwork off of your desk because it needs somewhere to go. Try reserving a specific area of your desk for home-related paperwork and the rest of your desk for work-related paperwork. If that does not work, try getting a small box or crate for home-related paperwork and leave it near the desk. This way it is easily accessible but it is not distracting you from your work during your working hours.

Simple and Cheap Garage Storage Ideas

With the economy still struggling, we're all looking for ways to cut costs where we can. Luckily, there are garage storage ideas that you can implement in your garage cheaply and easily.

Open Shelving
Whether you chose to buy or make your own open shelving, this is one of the cheapest and easiest garage storage solutions out there. If you buy, these are typically easy to setup and install. The bonus of these is that they are easily mobile and can be moved from one part of the garage to the other when they are empty. Check to see how much weight they can hold before putting items on them. If you like to easily see what is in your garage, this is a good option.

Old Cupboards
Check online classified sties like Craigslist or Freecycle.org for people getting rid of old kitchen cupboards or old cabinets. You should be able to get these for very cheaply, even free. These can easily be converted to garage storage. You may need to install a thin board on the back of them so they can be used in the garage. You may also need to add blocks of wood to the bottom to stabilize cabinets for the garage floor.

Tips for Getting Organized at Home

You can find a ton of tips for getting organized at home all over the internet. These are some that I have found to be the most useful in my professional and personal life.

Dedicate Time to It Daily
Getting organized requires that you develop new habits. The best way to do this is to incorporate organizing into your daily routine. It takes, on average, about a month to develop a new habit so commit to spending at least some time every day organizing something in your home. It doesn’t have to be something huge. Maybe it is that you commit to opening the mail and filing it appropriately every day rather than throwing it on the kitchen counter. Maybe you devote 15 minutes every day to starting to organize a room in your home. Whatever you decide, make it a daily commitment so that you don’t get tempted to “take time off.”

Clean Out Junk
There is a difference between saving something for a rainy day and simply having too many things. Most of us collect too much stuff. It may be because of a hobby, gifts you receive, or a simple reluctance to throw anything away. While it is true that saving some things for “just in case” is valuable, saving a lot of these type of items is not. Take the time to go through all of the boxes hanging out in storage and ask yourself if you really need the items and plan on using them or if they are simply taking up space.