New Year’s organizing
A lot of people make New Year’s resolutions to “finally get organized,” and sometimes it makes me feel smug—sorry!—about being pretty well organized the whole year round. In fact, I’m a recovering organizer; I used to color code and alphabetize everything. I still have a few labeling addictions, but I have gotten much better about the alphabetizing…
Anyway, as such an organizing addict, I thought I would share a couple of tips that have helped me over the years. They are super simple, though, so don’t expect fairy dust or anything!
- Keep a one-touch rule. This goes for mail, e-mail, the works. You touch it once and it goes away. You either file it where it goes, recycle it, or take care of it. If you can’t take care of it right away—say, it’s a bill and you won’t have the money until Friday—keep a bill folder you can put it in until Friday. Cut down on all that paperwork before it buries you!
- Speaking of bills, I like to schedule mine. I don’t do them all at once, but if I know I’ll be getting paid on Sunday, Tuesday, or Thursday, I will schedule payments through my bank for free a few days afterward. This saves me on time, postage, and envelopes, and it also saves me from being late on bills. I absolutely love this system.
- I use a planner for everything—work, homeschool, deadlines, doctor appointments, you name it. This year, my secret ingredient is the Planner Pad, which I am in complete love with. I know it seems expensive, but just for the peace of mind I have knowing exactly when my novel will be due and then published, or when a stack of press releases are going to be due, or what kids will be going to the field trip all in one place, I’m happy to fork over the thirty bucks. Plus, I love them so much it’s like buying something special for me—like another person might like shoes or clothing.
- I get my annual planner in November (sometimes sooner, if available) and fill it out in one fun afternoon. This may be a chore for others, but I love having all of my birthdays, club meetings, and classes ready to find.
- Use totes and label them specifically. We have different totes for each holiday, but I have small totes for everything from craft supplies to old letters. These not only help keep out moisture and spiders with their lids—they also keep things organized so easily. You can even color coordinate for fun.
- For some fun and fashionable organizational tips, check out Gala Darling’s latest blog.