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Welcome to the Plan-and-Organize-Life.com Newsletter. I hope you enjoy getting the newsletter and that it helps to keep you on track with your organizing goals. Remember, you can get a lot done in only 10 minutes of decluttering and organizing! Table of Contents -Introduction
Introduction I’ve started receiving toy and gift catalogs in the mail during the last couple weeks of October which can only mean that the holidays are fast approaching. I even picked up a couple Christmas gifts last month too. This meant it was definitely time to print out my holiday planning pages that I use every year to keep things in order. I have learned that it pays off in free time, relaxation and joy if I plan ahead for the holidays and break all the preparations into smaller tasks. You can follow along with me by going to the November monthly mission here. Since following my plan, I’ve definitely enjoyed the holidays much more. The other thing I’ve put some focus into is my desk. I have a “computer closet” (a closet that hides the desk area and the computers) that I share with my husband and it needs some attention. There is very little space and lots of stuff that piles up quickly. And then there’s my love-hate relationship with Post-it notes (see below). With just a couple of short sessions though, it’s looking much better. It just goes to show, it only takes a few minutes to make a big difference. Did you know… …that Post-it Notes were not intentionally invented? A scientist at 3M was trying to invent a super sticky adhesive, but came up with a very weak adhesive instead. Several years later, another 3M scientist used that weak adhesive to keep a bookmark in place in his church hymnal. Post-it Notes were born. To read more history and trivia about Post-its, go to
Post-it.com. The Monthly Mission – Holiday Planning It’s that time of the year to start planning your holiday season so that you can enjoy it stress free. If you typically rush around last minute feeling overwhelmed, please give some early planning a try this year. You won’t be sorry. To read about the monthly mission for November and to get a head start on your holidays,
click here. Recent Site Additions Here are some of the more recently added pages to the website you may have missed. Breaking the Post-it Note Habit My desk has been getting a bit out of control lately, and one big culprit is all the Post-it Notes I’ve written. I love Post-Its because they’re a great way to write down information that needs to be dealt with. For example, a small shopping list, a list of errands to run, someone’s phone number to enter into my phone, the name of a website I want to look into, etc. However, these post-its aren’t getting processed as quickly as they should be. They’re not even hanging up, they’re in a scattered pile across my desk. Besides, some of the information I’ve written down is research info that I plan to use at a later time, and digging through post-it notes isn’t an efficient way to retrieve that information when I need it! Post-it Note Reduction Plan Back when I worked in customer service answering phones, I kept a spiral bound notebook in which I scribbled down every call and what I needed to do to follow-up for the customer. I would draw a line down the center of the page to turn the page into two columns. I could write as much as I needed and then draw a line across the column to enclose that call. Once I resolved that call, I could cross that square off. I would know it was completed, yet it was always there as a record for myself if I ever needed to go back to it. (Nowadays, there’s software to help with a lot of that.) At home, I have a spiral bound notebook that I use in a similar way, though I haven’t been using it as much as I should, or I wouldn’t have all these post-it notes on my desk! As I’m toodling around the computer and find information I want to remember or do something with later, I need to write it down in my notebook for later reference. This kind of stuff is NOT post-it note material. “Call Mom on Wednesday” is more suitable for post-it notes. However, the notebook could get a little messy as well, trying to find something later on and trying to remember what day I wrote it in my notebook (if I keep everything in chronological order). Today I split my notebook into sections that are useful to me. (Your notebook would be different and suitable to your needs.) I used a Post-it Note (ha ha) to make tabs for the sections I felt I needed, based on what kinds of notes I was keeping. I made a section for notes about my website, a section of to-dos and follow-ups, and one for reference materials (things I’ve been researching). I then transferred all of my post-it notes into my notebook quite easily. I can now go to my notebook and find information, more readily. Or, I can flip to the “to do” section and see what needs to be done while I’m at my desk before getting sucked into nonsense on the computer. I will keep my notebook out and handy at my computer and do my best to use it before grabbing for a post-it note. Everything will be located in one active folder. And now, when I really do need to use a post-it note, it’ll actually be visible instead of being one of many in a jumbled mess. What are your thoughts about Post-it notes? How do you manage? I’ll keep you posted next month on how this seems to work out.
Until next time, happy organizing! Sincerely, Tracy Greene
P.S. Sometimes links to website pages get broken. If a link doesn't work, you may need to copy and paste the entire link into your browser.
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