Table of Contents

-Introduction
-Monthly Mission – Kids Stuff
-Check Out These Pages! – Relevant pages and new site additions
-What Causes Clutter?

Introduction

Hello Friends! It’s September and there is definitely change in the air in more ways than one. The kids are back in school, the weather is starting to get a little cooler in the mornings, and there is a new job on the horizon! Yes, I have not “worked” since my youngest was born and he is now 12 years old! I am taking on a part-time job starting at the end of the month. I am interested in seeing how this affects the ability for things to get done around the house and whether or not it will make keeping organized easier or harder. One would think that with being home all day, the house must be in perfect order, right? But there is always the feeling that there is lots of flexible time to get things done “later”. I’m actually thinking that with LESS free time, things that need to get done will be better prioritized during the time available. I would be interested in hearing from people who have done the stay at home thing and the work outside of the home thing and how things were managed in each situation.

Also, a little while back I talked about learning how to time block my day. I'm now finding it quite helpful. For one, it shows me just how quickly a day can fill up once you schedule it with errands, chores and appointments. It also points out that realistically, you can't do everything in one day, and I can see that easier now. No more writing down a daily "to do" list that's not even close to realistic. I can see where there is a chunk of time to do larger things, and also where I can slip in some quick tasks. I pull from a weekly list and place items into the daily time block plan. Time blocking also keeps me focused on what I intend to do on a certain day and I'm getting better at sticking to the plan. Has anyone else been finding success with time blocking their day?

If you love to shop online and you're not using Ebates, you're leaving money on the table! Earn cash back for your online purchases you were already making! I have received several "Big Fat Checks" over the years! Check it about. Click on the Ebates logo.

The kids are all back in school and producing lots of homework papers and arts and crafts. What are you going to do with them? What about all their clothes and toys? For more information on September’s monthly mission, click here.

If you prefer to go digital, you might enjoy the Cozi Family Organizer. You can sync everyone's schedules together at no charge.

If you’re in a hurry to put some order back into your home, perhaps Mimi Tanner's unique method will give you that jumpstart. Check out her method at Declutter Fast: How To Get Your Home In Order Almost Immediately.

Here are some pertinent pages on the website you may have missed along with any new pages.

Organizing Kids Rooms - Help your kids help themselves to be better organized. One can hope!

Grocery Shopping Tips - Do you need to streamline your shopping trips? Learn how to get in and out in less than an hour, once a week.

Morning routine - Make your morning go smoother by planning ahead for your day.

Meal Planning - Plan ahead for meals to reduce trips to the grocery store and save time.

Time Savers - Here are a few quick time savers to make your day run more efficiently.

What Causes Clutter?

A couple weeks ago I was purging an old file box and found an article about what really causes our clutter. The main cause behind all clutter is bad habits, which is also why doing a single organizing purge doesn’t work. You need to change your habits too, or the clutter is going to come right back. Here are four bad habits contributing to your clutter.

• Bad habit #1 – Not letting things go. You might need something later, right? But what if you don’t. Then you’ve stored it for several years taking up space. How much is it worth? Can you replace it easily should you need it later? Ask yourself these questions and then let things go!!
• Bad habit #2 – Not taking care of tasks that need to get done. Hmmm… how about not putting away your cereal and orange juice when you’re done in the morning? How about seeing that the garbage needs to be taken out, yet everyone just ignores it? (This is my house.) This is where chore assignments need to happen. Everyone needs to have responsibilities and there should be consequences when they’re not done. (We’re still working on this one.)
• Bad habit #3 – Procrastination. According to Lorie Marrero, professional organizer and author, this is the worst habit. Failing to make a decision about an item and then failing to follow through with your decision causes things to sit around waiting to be dealt with, and becoming clutter. Listen to yourself and stop when you say “I’ll just set this here for now.” We all know it’s going to sit there for quite some time, right?
• Bad habit #4 – Owning too much stuff. Do you love a great sale? A bargain you can’t pass up? Do you have things in your closet with the price tags still on them? Stop! Take a deep breath and ask yourself if you really need to buy an item, and where you plan to put it. Do not buy it unless you really need it. You will end up not just saving yourself space, but money too when you stop buying things you don’t need or love.

On paper, this all looks so easy. It’s a process we need to learn and practice until we make it a natural part of our lives. I do dream of the day when the system pretty much works on its own, leaving us with more free time to relax and read a book, and there is less frustration about chores!


Until next time, happy organizing!

Tracy Greene
Plan-and-Organize-Life.com