Forget about the mountains of papers on your desk and think about your computer for a moment. How does it look? Can you find documents easily? Or do you have so many documents you don't know where to start?
Organizing your computer is an important part of making your life easier and more efficient. Here are some ideas to get your computer organized and keep it that way.
1. Set up broad-category folders. You can then set up subfolders within each category.
2. Name your files and folders with meaningful and recognizable names. Also, be specific and include dates if possible. The goal when naming files is to be able to tell what the file is about without having to open it and look.
3. Reserve your desktop for items that need immediate attention. When you are done with them, file them in the proper folder. Try not to store documents long-term on your desktop.
4. Back up your files often so they can be cleared from your computer. There are a number of affordable back-up options that will keep all your important files, media and photos saved if anything should happen to your computer.
5. Regularly download excess music files onto discs, flash drives or backup drives to keep your computer clear of clutter.
6. Store all pictures in the same place, re-naming them so you can recognize them later. There are also down-loadable options available online, or online storage.
With just a few tweaks, you will have a more organized (and much more user-friendly) computer. Check back tomorrow for tips and ideas for your e-mail!
November 29 – December 5, 2009 this week’s "tip of the week" was sent from Lexi from Detroit, MI
Lexi writes: “I had two whole drawers in my filing cabinet related to notes and handouts I received in college. Because I went into a field directly related to my majors, I felt it would be wise to keep all of this information.
Then one day I realized that many of these papers would never be used. If I had a question about Latin verb conjugations, I would never go to a filing cabinet full of hand-written notes, even if I knew right where to find the paper. I would instead go to the reference book on the other side of the room, because the explanation would be far more thorough and easy to find.
I began measuring all the papers I think of saving by this same standard. 'If I had a question about this, where would be the easiest place to look for information?' If the answer to that question is 'in a textbook,' 'on the Internet,' or something that is not 'on this piece of paper,', that paper immediately gets recycled!”
Do you have an organizing or time management tip that you would like to share? Click here and your tip could be the next one featured in our newsletter, our blog or on our website! For more organizing tips, check out www.andreadekker.com. It is full of great organizing tips for every area of your life.
This time of year is very busy…whether you are at home or at work. However, those of you who work out side your home have the added “joy” of all kinds of work parties and festivities and the benefits of taking a few holidays and vacation days to spend time with friends and family.
The only problem with all of this “time off” is that you still have deadlines to meet and tasks that need to be accomplished. How will you finish it all? You will need to increase your productivity…and here are a few tips to get you started.
Arrive to work 1 hour earlier. You will be amazed how much you can accomplish when no one else is around.
Pack your own lunch and eat at your desk or in your lunch room. Sack lunches are a great alternative to going out to eat. Plus they save time, money, and your waistline!
It is also important to keep your desk and your workspace organized to promote maximum efficiency. Here are a few tips:
Keep most-often used items within arm’s reach.
Keep less-frequently used items in drawers or on shelves so they don’t clutter you workspace.
Create some sort of filing system for paperwork to eliminate all those piles.
With just a little work upfront, you can increase your productivity and maybe even take a little more time off this holiday season!
Today is "Black Friday", the Friday after Thanksgiving where some Americans wake up at 3:00am to stand in line at retail stores, hoping to find the perfect gift for everyone on their list. However, even the most diligent shopper is bound to have at least one person on their list who "has everything". What should you buy for that person this year?
Recently I received a gift catalog from the Cristian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) entitled, The Gift that Keeps on Giving. Here is what the letter accompanying the catalog said:
You may have heard the old proverb, “Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he’ll eat for a lifetime.” What if this applied to your gift giving as well? What if your gift not only told one person that you loved them and celebrated them on a special occasion, but it also created a better future for someone in need? That’s the theory behind the items in this gift catalog.
CRWRC staff have carefully chosen a number of items from our programs around the world that will help you celebrate your loved ones’ birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, weddings, or Christmas and will also help someone in need improve their life in a real and lasting way.
What a great way to share your love and God’s love around the world!
I am so excited about this catalog and I have come up with a few really neat ways to integrate the gifts in the catalog with gifts I am giving to others. (you can e-mail me for my ideas...but I don't want to post them on my blog...just in case my family reads it!)
All the gifts are tax deductable and they start at only 25 cents...so there is definitly a gift for everyone on your list this year.
If you are hosting the big gathering, you probably have a million things on your to-do list, right? Well, here are a few more things to add to your list. Make sure the following items are accomplished today and you will be a little more relaxed tomorrow.
·Work on dishes or prep work that you can do ahead.
·Pick up last minute food items, such as that ordered pie.
·Finish setting tables for tomorrow.
·Tidy up the main areas of your house and do last minute chores.
The words Thanksgiving and leftovers go together! However, you won't be eating turkey sandwiches for the remainder of the week if you have nothing to store the leftover turkey in. And of course, you don't want to throw out that leftover cranberry or corn or any of it.
Keep in mind that if you plan to send some leftovers home with the guests, you will need to have some "throw-away" containers that you can pack for them to take and keep.
So what can you do with all your holiday leftovers?
Obviously, you can turn the leftovers into sandwiches, salads, soups, casseroles and other delicious “post-holiday” meals. Make sure you freeze some of the meals for later.
Another idea is to shred a bunch of turkey and freeze it in 1 or 2 cup portions. Then when you have a recipe that calls for cooked chicken/turkey, just pull some out of the freezer.
Don't wait until Thanksgiving Day to start cooking your Thanksgiving meal; start ahead of time. You can make side dishes and gravies and refrigerate freeze them. You can also make pie crusts early and dice onions and peel and slice potatoes and refrigerate them. You can even cook your turkey the day before, pull it off the bone, and stick it in a crock pot with all the juices on Thanksgiving Day. (This does not have the same presentation effects of serving a whole turkey, but it taste delicious!)
You don't have to wait until the last minute and make everything simultaneously. That type of disorganization in the kitchen could be stressful, especially if you're not an old pro at making Thanksgiving dinner (and you have a load of guests on the way).
So get started today and save yourself some stress on Thursday!
November 22 – November 28, 2009 this week’s "tip of the week" was sent from Mary from Columbus, OH
Mary writes: “I used my computer to organize the grocery list on my refrigerator according to the grocery store I usually frequent, so I can go straight through the store without backtracking. My family knows to mark an item on the list as soon as it is used up.
At the bottom of the list, I have space for items I can't find when I go to that store, so I remember to buy them at another store that week. Or, if it is something I don't need in a hurry, I just put it on next week's grocery list”
Do you have an organizing or time management tip that you would like to share? Click here and your tip could be the next one featured in our newsletter, our blog or on our website! For more organizing tips, check out www.andreadekker.com. It is full of great organizing tips for every area of your life.
I’m a huge advocate of regular refrigerator cleaning…especially around the holidays when you have lots of food going in and out of your fridge.
The best time to clean the inside of your refrigerator is when you have the least amount of food in it. Since the holidays are just days away, now would be a really good time to get started! While you're at it, make room for the turkey that you will soon be defrosting.
When you’re faced with a particularly daunting item on your holiday to-do list, breaking it down into bite-sized steps makes it more manageable. The process of sending holiday cards, for example, can feel particularly overwhelming if you try to do it all at once. But if you tackle each step as a mini project, suddenly, sending cards feels—and becomes—much more workable.
Spread out the mini projects associated with sending cards—taking the photo, writing your newsletter, updating your address list, buying stamps, addressing the envelopes, and signing the card—over the days and weeks ahead. If you'll be sending a photo card or a personalized card, get these items sent to the printer this week, to avoid the last minute rush and associated stress! Also, post office lines are shorter now than they will be after Thanksgiving, so add "buy stamps" to this week’s "To Do" list, too.
The bite-sizing technique will work for any daunting item on your holiday to-do list. So, if you start to feel overwhelmed by something on your to-do list, take bite out of the stress by bite-sizing the project!
It’s hard to believe but in just one week many of us will be preparing the big meal for Thanksgiving! Whether you’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving, or a different holiday, now is a great time to start planning. Coordinate the menu with friends and relatives by deciding who will contribute which dish for the holiday meal. Then, flag the pages in your cookbook with the recipes you’ll be preparing. Transfer the ingredients onto a list, separated by perishable and non perishable items. Survey whether you have the needed items or not and shop for nonperishable items this week. While you’re out, remember to place an order for your turkey. Save your list and pick up the perishable items when you pick up your turkey, or in the days just before your holiday meal.
By planning your meal in advance, you’ll have more time to focus on preparing the meal the days before your holiday celebration, giving you more time to sit back, relax and truly enjoy the day.
Thanksgiving is meant to be a time of remembrance, family and thanks, not a holiday of stress and chaos. Here are a few easy ways to stay organized for an enjoyable, stress-free Thanksgiving Day:
1. Plan Your Meal: Plan your meal from appetizers to dessert on a piece of paper. Make a list of all ingredients needed. Bring your list when you go shopping and check items off as you put them in your cart.
2. Turkey Talk: First, determine how much room you have in your freezer and refrigerator, and how many people you will be serving. Then, order your turkey. If you need more storage space, perhaps a neighbor or relative can help you out. Rather than defrosting a frozen turkey in water on Thanksgiving Day, defrost it a few days ahead in your refrigerator instead. This saves tons of time and is less messy.
3. Check Your Supplies: Check your supply of chairs, tables, dishes, glasses, pots, pans, serving plates and utensils. Arrange to buy, rent or borrow anything you don't have.
4. Cook ahead: Prepare side dishes, deserts, and anything else that you can a day or two before Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving Day, just heat and serve. You will save tons of time, plus you'll be able to join in the festivities without being stuck in the kitchen.
5. Get Ready the Night Before. You'll be happy you took care of a few things the night before. Set the table. Get the good silverware out of storage. Lay out your (and your kids') wardrobe…and don’t forget to set your alarm!
6. Give Thanks!
After all, it is Thanksgiving…and it’s a wonderful time to give thanks for health, family, friends and all that life has to offer.
If you're ever going to keep up with all the paper in your life, you have to decide on a system, work it, and then keep tweaking it. Just like everything else…it’s a continual process.
Here is some help to get you started!
1. Examine the sources of all the paper and write them down
Magazines
Mail
Printing emails
Notes from school
_________
_________
_________
2. See where you can eliminate or reduce the flow of paper.
If you get accounts by email and in the mail, email the company and stop the mail.
If you and two friends read the same magazine, buy one every 3 months and pass it around.
Sign notes from school immediately and send back the next day. Don't leave them on your kitchen counter a minute longer than you have to.
3. Decide on your comfort level for accounts/ filing
·I do not keep any utility or credit card statements anymore; mainly because I can access them all on the internet.
·Be honest with yourself and determine if you really need to keep all the paper you are keeping. Odds are, you will get rid of a lot!
Start implementing these tips for immediate results!
November 15 – November 21, 2009 this week’s "tip of the week" was sent from Lynne from Allendale, MI
Lynne writes: “My sons only wear white athletic socks…so to minimize the number of unmatched socks he has, I buy only one brand and style of socks for him. This way, I can match any sock with a mate.
When one sock wears out, I hang onto the mate until another sock gets worn out or goes missing and I have a pair again. When the total number of socks gets low, I restock with the same brand and style again.”
Do you have an organizing or time management tip that you would like to share? Click here and your tip could be the next one featured in our newsletter, our blog or on our website! For more organizing tips, check out www.andreadekker.com. It is full of great organizing tips for every area of your life.
The holiday season inevitably brings a ton of stress and confusion. There is so much to coordinate, organize, and prepare. Couple these challenges with the desire to have everything perfect, and you've got a recipe for emotional disaster. This year take some of the stress away from the season by organizing your own Holiday Planning Notebook.
Use the notebook to hold and organize all of your holiday lists, travel reservations, receipts for gifts, gift lists, recipes, etc. They will all be in one place and ready to go when you need them.
What You Need To Set Up a Holiday Planning Notebook
Binder- Look for a thick and sturdy one with pockets on the inside covers.
Dividers- Choose thick dividers with pockets to help them last as long as possible. The number of dividers will depend on your number of categories, but you'll need at least 10 (or more) to start with.
Pen- Choose one that has a festive theme so everyone knows that it is the "holiday notebook pen". Keep it located in the front pocket of the binder.
That's all you need to transform any holiday season into a precise organized event.
Sections of a Holiday Planning Notebook
1.Budgets: While this may be the least favorite section of the holiday planning notebook, it's probably one of the most necessary. At the beginning of the holiday season, sketch out a reasonable budget based on your gift lists and ideas. Each section of your notebook may need it's own allotment of the budget. Keeping track of how much you plan to spend can help you know where to make cuts or add a few frills to your holiday spending.
Calendars: Keep calendars near the front of your binder because you will refer to them all of the time. Be sure to transfer any information onto the calendar in your holiday planning notebook so that you won't double book your family during any events.
3.Christmas Card Lists: Consider using the computer to organize addresses. Keep lists of the people you send cards to from year to year. Make notations next to names, addresses, or family situations that have changed. Some people keep a copy of the previous year's card in the notebook to make sure they don't send the same one year after year.
4.Cleaning Schedules: Use this section to organize the work that needs to be done on the house during the holiday season. Also keep a list of small repairs and fix ups your home may need.
5.Gift Ideas and Gift Lists: Write down gift ideas for friends, family, and acquaintances. It's a good idea to keep gift lists to prevent re-gifting a present to the original giver or giving someone the same gift card 4 years in a row.
6.Menus and Recipes: Food is such an important part of the holiday season that I keep my menus in their own section. Menus for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, and individual parties, can be stored here for easy retrieval. Make copies of all recipes and keep them here. Don’t forget recipes for easy meals to make during the busy holiday months. You can also keep recipes for gift jars and mixes in this section of your notebook.
7.Parties and Entertaining: Include information on any entertaining you will do during the holiday season. Guest lists, menus, activity information, and seating charts can be organized in this section of the notebook.
8.Receipts: It's a good idea to keep all of your receipts during the holiday season. I usually notate any important information on the receipt if it isn't already printed, including a stores general return policies. Inevitably something breaks, doesn't fit, or doesn't work properly. Having the receipts ready to go prevents money wasted.
9.Shopping Lists: Keep all of your shopping lists here for the next year’s holiday season. Try separate shopping lists for:
·Decorations
·Entertaining
·Gifts
·Home Improvement
·Non-perishables (by holiday)
·Perishables (by holiday)
10.Traditions: This section can help you organize the traditions that your family relies on. For instance if you go caroling, look at Christmas Lights, make cookies together, etc. Whatever traditions and important parts of the holidays your family participates in should be in this section of your notebook. This mapping out of the important activities can help you schedule and plan what is most special to your family during the holiday season.
11.Travel: Use this section of your notebook for plans regarding any travel plans you have during the holiday season. You can keep travel arrangements, maps, directions and packing lists in this section. Jot down information about hotels you liked, or a note to remind you to bring your own pillows when you visit Aunt Marge. Keep information on visits from the previous few years to help you be more prepared for traveling issues.
With these sections of your holiday notebook, you'll be ready to tackle any holiday season.
Do you constantly have a long list of items on your to-do list every night? Maybe you don't even have a to-do list?? Either way, you probably have felt a little helpless and discouraged when you have so much on your plate.
Fortunately, taking just a few moments each day to create a to-do list will save you time and energy and help you to accomplish more each day.
Here are a few tips to consider as you make your list:
·Take time in the morning or evening to create a realistic schedule for your day
·Use a scheduling method that works for you (a wall calendar, PDA, computer program, daily planner, or scratch paper)
·Prioritize all the items on your list and estimate the amount of time each activity will take.
·Remember to add a little time between tasks
·Review this schedule throughout your day to track your progress
·At the end of the day, if anything is left un-finished, put it as the top priority task for the following day.
With just a little organization, you can create a realistic to-do list for yourself (and your family members) each day. I guarantee that you will accomplish more with a list and a plan than without one…so if you are looking to pack more activity into your days, you may want to try it out!
Let me guess, you are super-busy, right? Want to know how to make your crazy schedule more manageable? Keep reading!
Double up: Cooking a pasta dish or casserole for supper this evening? If you are already cooking the first dish, why not make more for a second meal and freeze it for later?
Decide your limits: Given the fact that you can not create more hours in a day, decide what you are honestly able to accomplish. Also, get good at delegating (see next point) things you can not do or don’t have time to do.
Delegate: There are often tasks on our lists both at home and at work that can be delegated to others. Many of us find it difficult to ask for help but it is an important skill to learn. Just remember to provide clear and concise instructions.
Find time for yourself: In order to be at your best you must take care of yourself. Find out what helps you relax and make sure you schedule time for it in your schedule daily.
Give yourself permission to say no: You cannot do it all, all the time. If you don't respect your time, others won't either.
Prioritize: Make a to-do list and rank the items by priority. Then work on the most urgent items first.
Multi-task: Multi-tasking is appropriate in situations that involve simple tasks that you are familiar with. Do not multi-task if the task is new, difficult, complicated, or requires a lot of attention.
Recognize that perfection is impossible: No one is perfect. If you realize this and accept it, then others will too.
Managing a schedule can seem like a full time job all by itself, don't let your schedule rule your life. You can do it and make it more manageable.
Many of my clients have questions about how much paper they actually need to keep, file, etc. With all the paper we come into contact with every day, it's no wonder we get confused.
Since the goal of my business it to make organizing as simple as possible, here are a few very simple ways to control the mass amounts of paper you probably have lurking around your home.
Legal Documents: Ask yourself if it is something you need for tax purposes... if not, get rid of it. You can most likely get any information you need from the internet anyway.
Action Documents: File bills immediately in a file labeled (Bills to Pay). Respond to invitations right away...and mark your calender with any important dates
Magazines: Tear out any articles/recipes you want and recycle the rest of the publication.
Notes: use a spiral bound note book to store notes and thoughts. This works better than sticky notes and it's harder to misplace!
Implement some of these ideas today and your piles of paper will be a thing of the past
Most people assume that my home is perfectly organized all the time. However, that's not entirely true! Yes, my house usually looks presentable because I keep my kitchen and living areas picked up. And I don't think I could sleep in a messy bedroom, so I don't let clutter pile up in there either. But just like you, I have clutter. Why? Because clutter happens. It's a natural byproduct of our busy, productive lives. Luckily, you don't have to stop everything to get organized. You just have to start somewhere.
Here are a few things I do to keep my home free from clutter.
Start with the easy stuff first: Walk through each room in your home and get rid of any trash and/or recycling. Then do a second walk-through and fill as many bags as you can with items to donate. You don't need to organize anything yet, just get rid of the stuff you don't want, need, use, love, etc.
Set small goals: do one cabinet, drawer, file at a time. Give yourself 15 minutes and see how much you get done. I honestly don't organize for hours on end (I don't have that kind of time either!) But I do have 15 minutes here and there...and I get a lot accomplished in those few moments.
Give everything a home: if an item does not have a home, it is clutter...period. If you can't find or create a home for a particular item, get rid of it, or get rid of something else to make space!
Give yourself permission to let go: If you only had 10 minutes to grab your most precious belongings...what would you grab? Think about this as you look around your house. Make the decision to only surround yourself with items you love. Let the rest go!
Pay special attention to clutter hot-spots: You can't hide all your clutter, but you can contain it. Figure out where your clutter seems to collect and set up attractive ways to deal with it (large baskets for shoes, nice bowls for key, etc)
De-clutter daily: It is always easier to keep up than to catch up. Get in the habit of spending 15 to 20 minutes at the beginning or end of each day doing some daily de-cluttering. Quickly walk through your kitchen and living areas and your clutter hot-spots and clear the clutter. Your home will always look presentable and you won't have massive organizing projects later on.
Don't let it come into your home: Think twice before you let something come into your home. Conciously think of where this item will go, where will you store it, do you really need it? If you never take it into your house, you will never need to organize or clean it later on!
Follow these simple steps and your house will be clutter free year round!
We all have SOOO much to do every day. Not only is it difficult to get it all finished, it can even be difficult to start!In order to have a balanced life, you need to manage your time correctly otherwise you'll be stressed out, burnt out and frazzled!
Here are the top 3 things I do to make sure my home, my work, my family and my life run smoothly:
1. Eat your frogs every day
Every day, make a list of things to do. Then do the most important task first. It often seems like that one is also the most difficult task. Once that is out of the way, your day gets better and the rest is a breeze.
This way, even if you don't finish everything on the list, the most important tasks will always be done.
2. Remember Parkinson's Law
Parkinson's Law states that work expands to fill the time available for its completion.
Many times we don't know how long something will take so we allow hours and hours for simple tasks. If you genuinely don't know, then start keeping a time log for tasks you do routinely, like writing a weekly running errands, cleaning, emailing, or doing certain projects at work.
Once you have an idea of how long regular tasks take, set a timer when you do them in the future and aim to complete in that set time, every time.
3. Have monthly, weekly and daily checklists
For anything you do more than once, make a list as you go along.
Your daily checklist could include: running specific errands, meetings, appointments, etc. Your weekly checklists could include: menu planning, grocery shopping, cleaning, trash, planning the week ahead, etc. Your monthly checklist could include: vacation/holiday planning, yard/home projects, upcoming events with your children, etc.
This is so that you don't waste time having to rethink your steps of action every day, week or month, or worse still, you forget to do something important. I suggest that you have some self-care items on your lists too. Set aside time to read, craft, watch a favorite program, exercise, etc. Also, make sure to make time for planning the day and week ahead!
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If you start implementing these 3 tips on a consistent basis, I guarantee that you'll free up at least two hours a day. I'd rather spend an extra two hours with my family; wouldn't you?
November 8 – November 14, 2009 this week’s "tip of the week" was sent from Eva from Grand Rapids, MI
Eva writes: “As an apartment dweller, organizing/storage is always a problem especially for a collector. Years ago I picked up some very sturdy coated wire baskets with pull handles at a garage sale that are worth gold to me. I stack two of them full of bathroom extras in the cabinet under the bathroom sink. Rarely used items go in the bottom one and extra toothpaste, soap and lotions etc go in the top one.
The other basket goes into my refrigerator on the deep shelf that holds tall items. No more things going bad because I forgot they were at the back of the shelf. Just slide the basket out and I've got instant access to any bottle or tall container.
Another wire basket on a shallow shelf keeps soda cans upright and low containers like sour cream and yogurt at the tips of my fingers. Having access to the back of my fridge gives me lots more space too.”
Do you have an organizing or time management tip that you would like to share? Click here and your tip could be the next one featured in our newsletter, our blog or on our website! For more organizing tips, check out www.andreadekker.com. It is full of great organizing tips for every area of your life.
