Comments on: How to Get Organized

on 9/4/2007 This is a great article, now I have to put it to use and stick with it.

on 8/31/2006 Anyone who has ever had kids knows that it's a battle to get them to help pick up around the house. I even had a problem with getting them to pick up their own toys!

But not anymore.

Now what I do is if I find any of their toys or personal belongings on the floor, I tell them to come and pick it up, and if they don't, I take it and hide it in a designated basket in the basement. They soon learn that if they want to keep their stuff, they had better take care of it! After about a month they started putting stuff away on their own, because it only takes 21 days to form a life-long habit!

on 8/8/2006 I have a single folder that is very visible. I use this when ever we have insurance approvals come in. I also place all receipts from the doctors, as well as upcoming appointments dates.

I keep a list of phone numbers and have copies of my insurance cards for each of us in the folder. You should also have a list of all current medications for each family member and contact info in case of an emergency.

This way whenever you have to fill out forms for the doctor you have everything available without forgetting anything.

on 8/8/2006 I used to be unorganized, so I made myself a daily planner and it really worked!

on 8/8/2006 Every year the elementary (and upper levels) require specific information for your child to update their record and prove eligibility for that district school.

I keep a green folder (The school color) with clear plastic sheets. I have the required shot records, birth certificate, social security number, as well as proof of residence for that year (our school requires a current utility bill).

I make sure to also have contact information for myself, my husband, the girls insurance carrier, doctors, and who (if anyone) is allowed to pick up my child if there is an emergency.

It is also important to have current medical needs or conditions that affect your child. If your child child has allergies, takes medication or has any special needs or chronic illnesses (asthma and inhaled medication procedures, for example).

These are all things the school requires updated each year for your child and it makes things go smoother when you have them all in one place. One year, I also had the school lose one of my daughters in the registration process. I was able to prevent delays and confusion, because I had everything right there with me in the folder to start over.

on 8/8/2006 The easiest way to store all those recipes you've cut out of the newspaper or magazine (because they sound so delicious and easy), is to buy a small or medium size inexpensive photo album with clear plastic sleeves and slip your cuttings into the sleeves. When you finally get the time to cook, leaf quickly through your recipe album to find something you like. If the recipe doesn't work, toss it.

on 8/8/2006 I take a makeup organizer bag, one with two or three compartments and keep it under the front seat of my car. I fill it with mini versions of Scotch tape, scissors, Post-it notes, permanent marker, stapler, tape measure, paper clips, rubber bands, Tylenol, needle and thread, dental floss, Brush Ups (those things that slip on your finger and you can brush your teeth), breath spray, tweezers, safety pins, extra pens, Band-Aids, antiseptic in a tube, mini nail file, clippers and super glue and anything else I've wished I'd had when a button popped, a nail broke, or I ate onions for lunch. For soccer Moms, I suggest a larger size, like a kids metal lunch box, since you're going to need those ice packs that turn cold when you snap the outer package, and Ace bandages!

on 2/14/2006 Most would consider this the junk or catch-all drawer. I finally got sick of spending so much time emptying the things that don't belong and missing the things that do. So this time I emptied the drawer completely, stuck in some dividers and holders, and wrote in big black marker (or use a label maker) exactly where each item belongs. Now, there is a home for specific items, and I can only see the label when something is missing.

on 11/22/2005 I took the time to write out a list of all of our staples or commonly purchased grocery items. Then one day I invested the time and labeled each item with it's appropriate aisle in our favorite grocery store. I typed up the sheet with the items from mustard to yogurt organized by aisle number.

Each week, I now just highlight the items I need and zip around the store. This has cut my time dramatically because I no longer needed to heft the cart from dairy to produce because I forgot the grapes that I wrote down next to the milk.

It's great because you know where everything is located. The initial time investment was well worth it.

on 11/22/2005 I took the time to organize the date due for all our monthly bills that arrive regularly (from electric and water and mortgage to the GAP card). Sort them out into three pay periods. On a sheet of paper I sorted them into the 10th, the 20th and 30th of the month (allowing time for mailing). Next to each bill, I left a blank line. I print out 12 sheets a year.

This way, I pay bills three times a month, I fill in the sheet each time I sit down. I always remember the dates now because it is habit.

This way you can keep track of what you're spending, if you misplace a bill, you know when it needs to be paid/sent (and if you paid it already) and now I don't have to stress about when what bills are due when.

Lastly, every bill that comes in, I immediately throw into a plastic shoe box so that when the 10th, 20th or 30th comes around I can find it easily.

on 11/22/2005 I made up an emergency kit which I store in my kitchen cabinet. It contains roll of guaze, gauze pads, tape, antibiotic creams, burn cream, band aids, k(nuckles and finger ones as well) scissors, tape, ace bandages and the peroxide is right next to it. Also, an emergency referral book is with it. This way when an emergency occurs, I just grab it. I don't have to worry if someone is in the bathroom. I also have a small one for my dogs with antiseptic creams and steptic powder.
And have a magnet on side of the fridge with the emergency control #'s for poisoning, etc.

on 11/22/2005 I live with 2 boys and they are a couple of slobs. My work schedule is such that I literally can only clean on the weekends. By then there is so much junk everywhere I'm thinking I don?t even know where to begin. I have come up with the pile system. Pick a room to start with. Don't start with the messiest room, it will be hard to feel like you've accomplished anything and you will have trouble staying motivated. I like to start with a moderately messy room, work up to the hard ones, then do the easiest ones last (cause your all tired and burnt out by then). Let's say you start in the living room - start at one side and work your way over. Anything you pick up that belongs near where you are that moment - put it in its home. When you come across something that lives in the dining room or kitchen, make a pile for that room. Now when you come across something that goes on a different level of your home, we use the bag technique. Same as the pile technique, except your putting stuff in bags to make it easier to carry. I get several of those annoying grocery store bags everyone seems to save. 1 bag for my husband, 1 for my son, 1 for the bathroom, 1 for the computer room, and yes, 1 for me, too (although my bag always has the least amount of stuff in it). If I have a variety of bag colors or styles, I grab a different one for each person or room. Then you (of course) have the most important bag - the trash bag. I love the trash bag! Once you throw something away, it goes out on the curb and you never ever have to worry about it again. If you haven?t used something in the last couple of months, and you cannot see a reason you'll need it in the next couple of weeks, get rid of it. Keep all of your bags together and start sorting through the junk. If something belongs on the other end of the living room, I literally throw it in the general vicinity of where it goes. I avoid running back and forth this way. It will get put in its proper place once you've worked your way over to where you threw it. This is of course assuming it won't break and it doesn't?t go on the half of the room that is already finished. When you finish the room, pick up your dining room and kitchen piles and put those in their respective rooms. Don't worry about sorting through it until your working on that room. Pick up your bags and bring them with you to the next room. Lather, rinse, repeat. It sounds complicated, but it's really not. There are several things at work here. By coming up with a process you won't feel overwhelmed. The piles and bags are a simple way to organize a lot of stuff quickly. By working from one end of the room to the other and throwing things near where they will eventually go, you are conserving energy and saving time by not running back and forth. You will feel motivated and get more done when you see results quickly. Once all of the clutter is picked up you can go back and vacuum, dust, and do the micro organizing. You can start anywhere and divide up the work to suite the layout of your home. I just used the living room as an example.

on 11/22/2005 Every time I pull off a pair of socks, I pin the toes together with a safety pin. There is no sorting needed.

on 11/22/2005 Reverse gravity to keep floors and tables empty. Buy plumbers' tape (a soft metal strip with holes).

on 11/22/2005 Number your items. For example:

CDR001 (or whatever you are organizing)
CDR002
CDR003

Make a database with the descriptions, or just make text files.