Sometimes little changes in our daily routine have the greatest impact.
If your goal is to get more organized and focused in your life, Highland Park’s Linda Goldman, a certified professional organizer with Altogether Organized, offers these tips:
Determine your priorities. Decide what’s most important to you in your life now, then consider all of the activities you are involved in and decide to engage only in activities that match your priorities.
Develop systems. Establish a process for how you handle the papers your kids bring home from school, how you plan your meals and grocery shop, and when you handle bills and paperwork. Having a set routine saves time and helps you to work more efficiently.
Have a place for each item in your home. That way when you need a certain item you know exactly where it is. Decluttering is much easier when you know where everything belongs.
Spend time putting things away each day. Try to spend 10 minutes each morning and/or 10 minutes each night putting things back where they belong.
Only keep items that you like or that have a useful purpose. Any item that doesn’t fit these criteria is just taking up your valuable space and the more you have the harder it’s to stay organized. Keep a box for donations.
Use only one calendar (paper or electronic) and make sure it has space to record daily tasks. Don’t rely on your memory; writing everything down reduces stress and ensures you won’t forget. Put personal and professional items on the same calendar to eliminate scheduling conflicts. Keep a master list of the projects you’re working on and break them down into manageable steps. Then make sure these steps are plotted onto your calendar.
You can reach Linda Goldman at Altogether Organized at Linda@altogetherorganized.org or by phone at 847-266-9166.
