Organizing

Getting Organized Again – Just In Time For The Holidays

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This past weekend I was talking to my husband about sending out Holiday Cards. It hit me that I hadn’t even started to think about them.

As I thought about why I haven’t been consistent with cards the past few of years, I realized there are several reasons for it.

Technology:
  • It’s so easy to post a holiday greeting on Facebook for friends and family. But this is an impersonal way to wish people a happy holiday – Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Season’s Greetings, etc. It feels like copy and paste cheer.
  • An easy but more personal greeting is to email a holiday card or text a greeting. These may be a generic GIF or a personalized message.

Organization (or lack of it):

  • I haven’t been organized with my holiday planning for several years now. As a result, I’ve created more stress and guilt for myself.

Time, Cost, and Effort:

  • Maybe it’s the cost of the cards and stamps (am I being cheap?) or the time and effort involved in buying the cards, stamps, addressing the envelopes, signing the cards, and then mailing them (am I being lazy?).

After reviewing all these reasons, I realized my biggest issue is simply a lack of planning and organizing. That is probably the main reason why I’ve let some holiday traditions slide.

Over the past few year I’ve “fallen off the wagon” with organizing, planning, and decluttering. That is one of the main reasons I’ve written so little on my blog or Facebook groups and pages. It’s hard to write about decluttering and organizing when I’m not practicing those habits myself.

So I decided the best way to get back on track was to revisit the holiday eBook I wrote years ago. I also looked up many of the articles and blog posts on my website about planning and organizing for the holidays. I’ve included links below to this information if you want to check it out.

I’ve also realized that when I stopped writing, I stopped holding myself accountable. Sharing my ideas, strategies, and lessons learned over the years encourages me to “walk the walk” and follow my own advice.

Thanks for reading what I write. You help my stay motivated to take steps that simplify the holidays and make them more enjoyable. In return, I hope I can motivate you to do the same.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.

Janice

 

Helpful Links:

eBook:  “Tips To Simplify and Organize Your Holidays” (on sale for $0.99)

Available at:

Articles and Blog posts:

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Taking Actions Gives You Energy

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Taking actions gives you energy. Wow, that sounds backwards!

Whenever you want to start a decluttering project, do you find yourself doing the following:

  • You tell yourself that you are too tired and lack the energy to take any action to start decluttering?
  • You  don’t feel like you can do the job right (lack of confidence) so you don’t even start?
  • Are you spending a lot of time researching on how to declutter instead of taking actions?

If you’ve been waiting for enough energy, confidence, knowledge/skills, or inspiration before you start taking actions, then you probably have been waiting a long time. It’s time to let go of this backwards attitude that is weighing you down!

The truth is, the more actions you take, even itsy bitsy tiny ones, the more energy, confidence and knowledge you will gain. …

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Taking Actions Gives You Energy Read More »

Tools to Control Paper Clutter – Part 3

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In this three-part blog series I’ve covered many of the tools I use to help me control the paper clutter. Setting up a system with the right tools will make the difference between being organized or having paper piles all over the place.

In Part 1, I talked about how I use folders and a mail organizer.

Then in Part 2, I talked about how I use file drawers and file boxes to contain the folders full of papers. In other words, I containerized them.

Now in Part 3, I’m going to show you the tools I use to actually reduce the amount of papers I save for those file folders.

 

Printer/Scanner

Printer/scanner      Printer/scanner

 

You don’t have to have a printer/scanner to save digital copies but I find it much easier than taking a photo of a paper. A flatbed scanner works best because it allows you to scan different size papers. You can scan a business card, copy of a check,  or multiple receipts. …

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Tools to Control Paper Clutter – Part 3 Read More »

Tools to Control Paper Clutter – Part 2

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Now that we have all these project file folders, we need some place to keep them. We don’t want them piling up on our desks to create more clutter. So we need a way to contain them in an organized way.

That’s where file cabinets/drawers and file boxes (portable) come in.

       

I use all three kinds of containers to store my files. In Part 2 of this blog series I’ll show you how I use them. …

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Tools to Control Paper Clutter – Part 1

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Having the right kind of tools in your toolbox can make any job easier. You wouldn’t try to clear a clogged toilet with your hand, you’d use a plunger. It would be messy to boil pasta in a skillet so you use a deep pot with lots of water.

It also helps to have the right tools to control paper clutter!

Over the years I’ve figured out what tools work for me to help keep the paper piles from becoming mountains. In this three part blog series I’ll show what I use. It ranges from a timer (my favorite tool) to desk organizers, different color file folders, and containers to hold all those files. You probably already have some of these tools but you may not be using them in the best way. For me, a tool has to help eliminate the excuses that lead to procrastination.

Using a Timer

I learned long ago that a timer is the best tool in my toolbox. My tendency to overestimate how much time a certain task takes usually creates a lot of procrastination. It’s not an uncommon problem for many people. I’m not sure why this happens, but I guess it’s because the tasks aren’t fun, therefore excuses pop up quickly to avoid doing them. With the proper tools and systems in place it’s hard to justify any excuses.

I set my timer to do all kinds of things. It turns a boring task into a game.  Beat the timer becomes a challenge. …

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Tools to Control Paper Clutter – Part 1 Read More »