organize your ideas

I often have so many ideas floating around in my head; ideas for my house, ideas for my clients, ideas for dinner, upcoming projects, things I have to do yet, etc. etc. Can you relate? Here are some ideas to take away the feeling of chaos and help you to organize and implement the wealth of ideas you have.

1. Get all of your ideas out of our head. Don't worry about organizing them yet, just do what is called a `brain dump'. Write down every idea--don't try to do more than get them out of your brain and onto paper.

2. Create categories for your ideas. Your categories will be specific to you and your situation but could include home decorating, home improvements, craft projects, social activities, family vacations, business projects, and so on. Don't try to do anything more than brainstorm categories for now.
3. Place your ideas into the categories listed above. Use different colored highlighters to mark each category. Once you have a different color for each category, it's time to go through your list of ideas. Decide which category you think each idea fits into, and then highlight it with the corresponding color. Don't worry if you have ideas that don't fit any of your categories. We'll deal with that next.
4. Create additional categories (as needed). For those ideas that don't fit your existing categories, let them be your guide for additional categories. Some additional categories might include self-improvement, health goals, financial goals, etc. You can make your categories as broad or as narrow as you choose. Making them a bit broader eliminates having too many categories.

5. Transfer your lists to a notebook, index cards, PDA, or computer. Remember this is for you--so make it work for you.

6. Implementing your ideas. Some of your ideas can be moved to a daily or weekly To-Do list and completed in a short time frame. Others might be a bit more complex and therefore require several steps to complete it. In this case, you should break these ideas down into small steps that you can then put on your daily or weekly To- Do list.

As you work through your list of ideas in each category, don't cross them out as you complete them. Instead, highlight each one as it is completed. This will make it easy to see and remember all the things you have accomplished. Also, remember that your lists might change as you complete items and add new ones. Feel free to adapt your category system to best suit your personality and your personal organizing style. This is your document, make it work for you.

some thoughts about cards...on my birthday

Today is my birthday! I'm officially a quarter of a century...which makes me sound old; so I think I'll just say I'm 25!

I love birthdays because, for a day, I reconnect with so many people via Facebook messages... and birthday cards. I love getting and giving cards for all different occasions, but I have to be careful because it is so easy to accumulate an enormous amount of "card clutter".

You know; card clutter...when you continue to buy more cards every time you see one that would be perfect for so-and-so...but then you completely forget to give the card to so-and-so when that time comes. Even with the best of intension and the most organized card files, it's still easy to accumulate card clutter.

One thing that I have done to eliminate the amount of cards I have to purchase (and store) is to simplify my categories. I no longer purchase cards for every occasion. Now, I only have 3 categories:

1. Thank-You
2. Congratulations
3. Blank

I feel that Thank-You cards are a must. Whether you are thanking someone for a gift or for a job interview, a card is 10 times nicer than an e-mail or e-card.

These Thank-You cards are one of my favorites.

I just bought them at the grocery store: 10 for $5.00.

These are a little more professional looking...

again, just from the grocery store!

More Thank-You cards from Night Owl Paper Goods...so pretty!

I also keep a bunch of "congratulations" cards around. Of course, I use these cards for graduations, but I also use them instead of having lots of different cards for weddings, engagements, baby showers, new jobs, new homes, etc. etc. All these occasions are reasons for congratulations...right!

This super cute card can be purchased from The Haystack Needle.

Egg Press also has a HUGE selection of gorgeous custom cards.

And finally, I keep a lot of blank cards handy.

I have a variety of colors and patterns, and I use these cards for everything else. I find that people often enjoy a hand written message versus a generic Hallmark greeting. Blank cards are also much less expensive and usually come in packs of 10-20 cards.

Of course, if you want to eliminate all your cards, here are some fun websites you might want to check out. You can create the cards online, and then mail or e-mail them to the recipients... meaning you never have to store another card again!

• American Greetings:
• Hallmark E-cards:
• DaySprings E-cards:
• Blue Mountian E-cards:
• Care2 E-cards:

Want to create personalized photo cards or stationary? These sites can do that!

• Shutterfly.com
• Snapfish.com
• PearTreeGreetings
• Photoworks.com
• Winkflash.com
• PhotoAffections.com

And those sites are just a few of the many online card resources. They are the ones that I have used and like!

What about you? Do you have a store or website you get cards from? Let me know...and I'll add it to my list.

quick paper tip

A common cause of paper clutter is the lack of habits and routines for handling and staying on top of your paper. Paper requires action, so to keep paper clutter away you must act on your paper regularly.

Begin by processing your paper every single day, or in other words, strive to completely empty your collection bin once every twenty-four hours. Do this by recycling the junk mail, filing papers you need to keep, and placing bills and other actionable paper into your action system. Remember, action creates change!

decluter your kids' paperwork

The school year is winding down and you are getting ready for summer break, right?

But before you take all the paper and memorabilia left from this school year and shove it in the bottom of a closet or drawer, (where it has the potential to magically multiply over the summer months) take an afternoon to organize your kids’ school papers!

Take advantage of the slower inflow of new paper and get on top of what’s accumulated over the last school year. Clean out your files and discard papers that pertain to the past school year’s teachers, schedules, and assignments. Discard paperwork from sports teams and seasons that have come and gone. Clear your refrigerator of hot-lunch slips, spelling tests and art work. Be ruthless, and save only the MOST meaningful items in three-ring binders (one for each child).

With a little bit of effort now, you can enjoy paper-free surfaces all summer long; and next fall, you will enjoy not having to declutter your multiplied paper mess.

1 small closet...3 uses

Our home office is one room in our house that we could not do without. The room is just a small extra bedroom; and the closet is even smaller so I knew it would require lots of organization to function at maximum capacity.

We needed the closet to do 3 very specific things:

1. House all our gift wrapping supplies
2. House all our paperwork
3. House basic tools and craft supplies
   

Since the closet is SO small I decided to removed the door to give us easier access to our "stuff". Here it is...all 3 feet of it!

ZONE 1: Gift Wrapping
LOCATION: Top Shelf



I have 4 large white bags that contain all my wrapping supplies:
1. large bags
2. large boxes
3. small bags
4. ribbons & bows.

To the left is a birds-eye view of my "bag filled with small bags!"




Then I have 2 boxes; one that contains a variety of small boxes, and one that contains tissue paper. (Yes, I save tissue paper!)

Then I labeled each bag and box with cute tags that I made from construction paper.



ZONE 2: Paperwork
LOCATION: Filing cabinet and fire-proof safe

In the center of my closet is a large 4-drawer filing cabinet. And if we need to find piece of paper, we know just which drawer to look in!

Drawer #1: Personal paperwork
Drawer #2: My business paperwork
Drawer #3: Hubby's school paperwork
Drawer #4: Craft paper, cards, envelopes, etc.

I use the tabs down the center for our main categories, and the tabs on the left for subcategories.

For example: the main category might be "utilities" and then the subcategories would be each of the different utility companies we work with (DTE, AT&T, Consumers Electric, Allied Waste, etc.)
This system works wonderfully for us.

We also keep a small fire-proof safe on top of the filing cabinet for important documents and information.

ZONE 3: Tools & Craft Supplies
LOCATION: Peg Board

Inside our closet, on the right side, I installed a small section of peg board to house some of our smaller tools and craft supplies.

Our larger tools are either in the shed outside or down in the basement but these are the ones we need to keep on hand for more regular use.

This section of the closet would otherwise just be a bunch of wasted space.

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So there you have it... 1 small closet transformed with virtually no out-of-pocket costs to fit 3 distinct needs in our home office.


Next week I'll post more pictures of our office along with more organizing tips so make sure to check back!

organized your greeting cards

Do you buy greeting cards with intentions of sending them out, but lose track of them? Well, here is a simple tip from my Grandma to help you get them better organized.

Buy a calendar with a pocket for each month. Note which days you need to send a card, and who it needs to go to. Then, put all the cards for that month into the pocket. At the beginning of each month, take an hour or so to write in all the cards for that month and address each envelope. Put the date you need to mail the card where the stamp will go.

Each week, make sure you check your calendar and mail the appropriate cards.

more paper organizing ideas

All of us have fun paperwork that we like to keep, but it can easily morph into piles of clutter. Here are a few suggestions for how to organize that paperwork, your time and even your money!

1. Greeting Cards: It’s a good idea to keep greeting cards on hand for upcoming or unexpected occasions. Use an accordion file with labels for each type of card, so you can find all like-themes in the same space and choose exactly the right one for the occasion.
   
   
2. Recipes: Magazines, printouts from the holiday cookie exchange, or old index card -- recipes come at us from all sides and quickly pile up. Use a small shoe box or photo album to organizing all your recipes by categories that conform to your cooking style. If you can’t decided whether to keep a recipe, give yourself a deadline. And if it doesn't make it into the dinner rotation by then, get rid of it!

3. Kids' Artwork: Just like greeting cards, children's artwork should be given a place of honor. However, due to the high production rate of artwork, you will have to set some limits. Let your children keep one or two favorited each month. Those can be displayed until the end of the next month, and can then be stored in a binder. At the end of the year, you will have the top 24 pieces of art for each of your children.

4. Journaling: If you use journals on a daily or weekly basis, do your best to buy them in similar sizes so they can easily be stored together. Then, don't kid yourself. If you discover that you've been absent from your journal for a few weeks, months or even years, don't buy a new one--just skip a page and get back into it.

5. Articles: Are you always clipping articles and ideas from magazines and newspapers? Organize your articles by topic in hanging folders. Within each hanging folder create manila subfolder to divide items into 'read' and 'unread' or any other divisions that you would find useful.

6. Coupons: Snipping coupons from the paper is a great way to save money, but not the easiest thing to keep organized. Designate a small accordion folder with labeled tabs to corral your coupons. Once a month take a few moments to toss any expired ones and remind yourself of others that you have on hand.

"tickle" your papers organized

With tax season just around the corner, any shortcomings in your paper management system may really be rearing their ugly little heads. The good news is this: when you create an effective paper management system, it takes the stress out of finding your important papers, not only during tax season, but all year long. In the spirit of effective paper management, this month’s storage solution will help you stay on top of your important, actionable papers.

What it is: this month’s storage solution is the tickler file, a simple filing system made up of 43 folders—one folder for each day of the month (numbered 1 through 31), plus one folder for each month of the year, each labeled—you guessed it—with the name of one month.

How it works: a tickler file allows you to gain control over paper that you want or need to take action on at a date in the future, but not today. So, if you’re going out of town on the 15th of the month, you can file your travel itinerary, directions and confirmation numbers in the folder labeled 15. If your child’s birthday is in November, throughout the year you can collect birthday party ideas and file them in the October folder—giving you plenty of time to plan the big event in November. The best part of all, by having a spot for these future actions, you no longer need to let them pile up on the counter in hopes they remind you to take action! You simply check your tickler file each day, and your actionable papers are right there waiting for you.

Where to get one: You can make your own tickler file using plain manila file folders or decorated file folders and a labeler.

Who knew forty-three simple folders could make life so much easier?

organizing challenge...taxes

It's the last weekend in January...and that means it is getting close to tax season!

Take a few hours this weekend to get all your tax paperwork in order. It will save you lots of time, stress, and money when you go to get your taxes done in the next few weeks.

Remember, the sooner you file your taxes, the sooner you get your refund!

tip of the week (1/17/2010)

January 17 – January 23, 2010 this week’s "tip of the week" was sent from Renee from Holland, MI

Renee writes: “To keep school, scouts and sports information, etc. together, I use a loose leaf binder with tabs--one for each child. When I receive a paper I need to keep, I use a 3-hole punch and place it in the binder in the appropriate section.

After I started this method, I didn't lose things on the fridge or accidentally throw something away or forget something special.

In addition, I belong to several organizations and use this binder system concept for keeping my information together.”

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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 organizingg tips for every area of your life.

tip of the week (1/10/2010)

January 10 – January 16, 2010 this week’s "tip of the week" was sent from Marge from Grand Rapids, MI

Marge writes: “I needed to organize my menu, grocery list and coupons in a place with easy access, and not on the refrigerator. I asked my husband to put a magnet on the back of the kitchen cupboard door. He bought a strip of metal and screwed it to the inside of the door, using small screws so they wouldn't poke through to the front.

Now I use a pad of paper with a glued magnetic strip on the top for the grocery list. The pad of paper easily gets pulled off, written on, and then put back on the metal strip.

A magnetic pinch clip is used for the menu, which I prepare weekly before going to the grocery store. I also use a smaller magnetic clip for any coupons I can use.”

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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.

paper, paper, paper

Do you feel like you are drowning in paper? It is the start of a New Year, you can start fresh and get your paper under control. Here are a few ideas to get you started!

• Make a decision with each piece of paperwork that goes through your hands. Do not put papers into a pile and say you will deal with it later. Decide to do something with it right away and take some sort of action whether it is to read it, pay it, file it, do it or toss it.
• As part of your daily schedule, set aside a certain amount of time to process paperwork. Open and sort mail every day. Immediately recycle anything you do not need. Handle all important documents in one designated area. Divide the papers into main categories of action, such as 'Read,' 'Pay,' 'File' or 'Do.'
• It is common to file papers that are never going to be looked at again. Before you file anything, ask yourself one question, 'Do I really need to keep this document?'
• If you have a large amount of paper piled up, you do not have to tackle it all at once. Do it in sections taking baby steps. Once you start and continue to work on your piles, you will see results. It just takes that first step. Once you have the paper pile ups banished, regularly manage and act on all paperwork to maintain order. Make it a habit--then it will become second nature.

repurpose your wrapping paper

Instead of sending your holiday gift wrap to the landfill, try a handy tip that I picked up from a person in my Less Stress for the Holidays workshop. When you’re unwrapping holiday gifts set aside the gift wrap to run through your paper shredder. Use the shreds to safely pack up your holiday decorations or as beautiful cushioning material for any packages you send throughout the year.

Happy holidays!

make a gift wrapping station

Make the task of wrapping gifts a notch simpler by creating a gift wrap station. Corral together scissors, tags, pens, bags, tissue paper, boxes, ribbon, bows, and loads of tape into a portable container such as a basket or an organizer specifically designed for wrapping supplies. (A five-gallon paint bucket is an inexpensive option for storing rolls of gift wrap upright, helping you make the most of the vertical space in your room.) Store your gift wrap supplies in a closet or cupboard closest to the table where you wrap your gifts.

Happy wrapping!

eliminate your paper

Paper is a part of everyone's daily life. There is no way to avoid it. However, with the use of technology and computers, we can eliminate a good chunk of your paper…here is how:

1. Request that any statements you receive from various sources, such as cable, credit card companies, electric company, etc., be sent via online to your e-mail account instead of on paper through the post office.

2. Check out your financial institution's online bill paying system. Setting up an account to pay your bills online through your bank eliminates the need for envelopes and postage. You can set up your account to pay each month or set it up to take out for bills automatically every month. It is a safe and easy way to organize all your bills in one location.

3. Consider investing in a financial management program, such as Quick Books. Financial management programs will turn that pile of receipts into something manageable.

4. Do you subscribe to many magazines and/or newspapers? Consider keeping only those subscriptions that are most important to you. Most major magazines now carry many of their articles, if not the entire issue, on their websites. Consider donating old magazines to doctors' offices, shelters or senior centers after you read them.

5. If you own a scanner, use it to its full potential to eliminate a good portion of the paper piled up in your home. You can scan a wide variety of items onto your computer or store onto CDs or DVDs. Scanners can scan most documents and pictures onto your computer for paper-free storage.

All of the ideas above will help you eliminate the amount of paper you have lying around your home and office. Just remember not to let your computer increase the amount of paper you collect. It is easy to print out a lot of things that do not have to be printed. If it is not critical, do not print it out. Keep in the back of your mind that the information will more than likely still be online to reference again later.

e-mail organization

Forget about the piles of mail on your kitchen counter and think about your e-mail for a moment. How does it look? Can you find your e-mails easily? Or do you have so many e-mails you don't know where to start?

Organizing your e-mail is an important part of making your life easier and more efficient. Here are some ideas to get your e-mail organized and keep it that way.

1. Reserve your Inbox for action items.

2. Set up email file folders. Set up individual folders for people with whom you communicate often, specific projects, events, and organizations, hobbies, etc. Create a holding file for pending email that you plan to keep for a very brief time. Last, but not least, create an “Important: folder for high priority items.

3. Put complete information into the subject line of email so they will be easier to find later.

4. Allot a specific amount of time each day to review and file email. Try to download and respond to email no more than twice a day.

5. Stop subscriptions to online newsletters that don't contain helpful information. Limit your receipt of jokes and chain letter type email.

With just a few adjustments you will save so much time…and stress. Get started organizing your e-mails an inbox today!

e-documents

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!

tip of the week (11/29/2009)

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!”

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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.

paper, paper, paper!

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!

stay organized with a holiday planner

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.

2. 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.