Organization Tip of the Week #15

Use a Basket In Your Car to Help You Stay Organized

Do you have any baskets lying around your home that are not being used? If you do, give them a new life and use one in your car.

Place a medium-sized basket by the door you use to leave the house every day. Anything that needs to go out the door with you gets placed into the basket. When you leave the house take the basket with you and put it in the car.
As you run your errands, anything you receive goes into the basket, such as receipts or dry cleaner slips.

When you get home, anything else in the car (cups, wrappers, etc.) go into the basket and you take the basket back into the house with you. Unpack the basket put all the items into their proper place.

When the basket is empty it is placed near the door and the process begins all over again.

Organization Tip of the Week #14

Mount a long magnet along the back of your medicine cabinet to hold tweezers, little scissors, clippers, and other small metal objects.

Organization Tip of the Week #13

Don't rely on your memory. You run the risk of letting tasks fall through the cracks. The best way to never forget an appointment, a deadline, or a detail again, is to write everything down.

Organization Tip of the Week #12

Here are 13 essentials for completing your spring-cleaning according to Heloise:

1. wet mop
2. dry mop
3. vacuum cleaner
4. step-ladder/stool
5. trash bags
6. paper towels
7. sponges/scrubbing pads
8. all-purpose cleaner
9. bathroom tub and tile cleaner
10. abrasive cleanser
11. chlorine bleach
12. white vinegar
13. fabric-softener sheets

Organization Tip of the Week #11

Heloise, the Queen of Clean, says the secret to spring-cleaning is to keep your focus. Gather your tools and supplies. Then go into one room to clean and don't leave the room until you're done.

Organization Tip of the Week #10

Before you start anything, determine its goal. If you don't know where you're going, how will you ever get there? Set mini-goals and reward yourself for successes.

Organization Tip of the Week #9

Plan ahead. Make a schedule allowing for more time than you think is needed. It is better to have a few extra minutes than to run behind schedule.

Organization Tip of the Week #8

Use labor saving items. Permanent press clothing is a good example since you don't have to iron the clothes which saves time and electricity.

Organization Tip of the Week #7

Do two jobs at the same time, such as exercising and watching TV.

Organization Tip of the Week #6

Be flexible. This may be the key to survival.

Organization Tip of the Week #5

To use your time wisely, don't just list what you need to do. Write down what you actually accomplished each hour today.

It can be eye-opening to see where your time is really going.

Organization Tip of the Week #4

File every day. If you only have one or two pieces of paper to file, you likely wouldn't see the task as so daunting.

Organization Tip of the Week #3

Keep a basket on the stairs for items that belong upstairs.

In our house, everyone has to check the basket prior to going upstairs to make sure there is nothing in the basket that belongs to them. Anyone going upstairs is responsible for getting their own items back to their room.

Organization Tip of the Week #2

When I hosted a baby shower a few years ago, the attendees while at the shower filled out envelopes with their own name and address. When it came time to for the mother-to-be to send her thank you notes, poof, the hard part was already completed for her.

This could be done for a bridal shower also. This simple system can be a great help to a bride-to-be or expectant mommy!

Organization Tip of the Week

As a busy mom, occasionally we have to swing through a drive-through for a quick meal in appointments and evening activities. Eating in the car can be hard for kids to manage a drink, sandwich, and fries without making the backseat a total mess.I keep a couple of shoe boxes in the backseat for this purpose. They can lay a napkin on the bottom and it holds their food nicely in their own little tray. Spills of ketchup or crumbs remain in the box--not on my seats. I use plastic shoe boxes that I purchased specifically for this purpose. It is nice, since it can be easily wiped out when you are finished and reused.