This is a classic example of disorganization that characterizes many of our lives. But fortunately, there is help! Listed below are a number of common-sense ideas to help get you started on the road to a more organized life.
The Telephone
1. A pad and pencil should be kept alongside every telephone in the house and office. If your pens and pencils tend to wander away, create a pen-on-a-cord and attach it to the phone.
2. Keep your calendar, telephone books, area code map and a directory of personal phone numbers close to the phone used most frequently.
Get Out of the House on Time
1. Lay out your clothes the night before, which can be done quickly and easily if your closets are well organized.
2. Set the breakfast table the night before.
3. Pack your purse or briefcase and leave it in a convenient spot by the front closet.
4. For an especially early departure from home (or for the person who needs all the help he or she can get in the morning!), leave out — and also group together — your coat, scarf, gloves, hat, purse, briefcase, keys, transportation money, and anything else you need for a quick exit.
5. Call to confirm your appointment before you leave home and double check that the person you are seeing is running on time. Never assume that other people are as organized as you are.
6. Leave extra time in your morning schedule for unforeseen developments.
Employ the “Single Daily Calendar” Rule
1. Use only one daily calendar. The “single daily calendar” rule is vital, yet some people think they can’t live without two or three. The problem with having more than one calendar is that you may forget to transfer information from one to another.
2. Families should purchase a large (i.e., 17”x 22”) calendar to hang in a central location near a telephone. In most homes this is the kitchen. Have each family member write their information with a designated colored pencil, so that information about someone or about family activities is easy to identify. Parents should write down plans that affect the children, such as Sunday dinner at Grandma & Grandpa’s, or Dad’s late appointment on Tuesday. Children should record their plans on the calendar so that if you arrive home one afternoon and find your child gone, you can quickly check the calendar to see where he or she is. Make a habit of checking the wall calendar daily for information to add to your personal calendar. You don’t want to schedule a meeting at the time you promised to pick up your daughter and her friends at the skating rink.
Effective Filing Systems
1. The most effective filing system is one that is simple, easy to understand, and easily accessible to anyone. There are two simple systems for establishing a filing system. Both are quite workable:
• Alphabetical. The key element here is choosing appropriate titles so that the folder will be where you expect it. For example, if you’re starting a file for ideas for a new career, should you label the file “New Job,” “Career Ideas,” or “New Career?” This will obviously make a difference in how the folder gets alphabetized and filed. How to decide? Title it as you most often think of it. Monitor yourself for a few days and see how you refer to the subject. If you say to a friend, “I’m thinking of looking for a new job,” then “New Job” would likely be the best title for the file.
• Color-Coding. Decide on a color system that will work best for you. For example, pick a different color for each member of your family. You can use this system for different subjects, too: finances are green, medical information is blue, and so forth. Color-coding speeds filing and acts as insurance against misfiling, a potential costly mistake. Your memory responds to color, so when you want the medical folder, you automatically think blue. Apply this color scheme to the files themselves by using colored folders and file labels or tabs so you can easily pick out the proper category. Make a color key that will explain the system to anyone who wishes to use it.
2. Keep files lean and current by moving out information you haven’t worked on in a year or more. Perhaps scheduling a spring file-cleaning day would make this an annual habit. Establish “Inactive” project files and store them in an accessible spot.
Grocery Shopping
1. Plan all your meals at least one week in advance, and note what foods and ingredients you’ll need to buy on your next shopping trip. You don’t want to find yourself without tomato sauce if you were planning to feed the family lasagna.
2. The key to organized grocery shopping is a good list. Take five or 10 minutes to determine the layout of your supermarket. Or next time you go, take a pencil and paper and note the general categories in each aisle. Start with the aisle where you generally begin your shopping. This way your list will tell you what you need in the correct sequence. Aisle One has paper goods, and your list will note that first you need napkins and paper towels. Once this chart is drawn up, photocopy it for use on future shopping trips.
3. Choose a spot in the kitchen where you can conveniently keep your list and a pen or pencil. On the list, record everything you need, from the special ingredients for a new recipe to the paper napkins you buy each week. If you don’t write down each item as you think of it, you’ll eventually forget to pick up something you always buy.
Performing Those Daily or Weekend Errands
1. Keeping an ongoing list is the first step in getting errands done more efficiently. When performing your errands, be sure to have this list with you.
2. Teach family members to tell you about general errands (i.e., shirts for the laundry, the bike that needs fixing, etc.) that must be added to your list. Also make it clear that family members should let you know when the supply of items to be purchased is low (such as shaving cream, shampoo, pens) but not out.
3. Establish a table, desk, or chair near the front door where you can store all you need for upcoming errands (i.e., suits for cleaners and items that need to be returned).
4. Always plan your errands around your schedule, not the other way around.
5. On Sunday evenings, sit down with your list and calendar. Are any of your upcoming appointments in a neighborhood where you can accomplish one of your chores? If so, write a reminder in your calendar for that day.
6. For regular errands that can be done during the week, select one or two blocks of time (after work on Tuesday or during lunch on Thursday) when you can conveniently get some errands done. Then list on your calendar what you plan to accomplish.
7. Organize your errands by location. For example, before starting your errands, map a route so that each stop takes you part-way to the next one. Once you’re finished, you can go directly to your next activity or plan a circle route that brings you back home again.
