Go For a Walk to Clear Your Clutter

Here is a tip to build Getting Organized into your daily routine.

Like most people I don't have a tremendous amount of time to exercise. I do value exercise both for the health benefit but also to clear my mind. My goal is to walk daily and hike at least once monthly.

By walking daily you build a habit that supports Getting Organized.

If you are lucky enough to live in a walking neighborhood then you make your walk a "destination walk". This is where you walk with a purpose. For example, you go to Bartells to purchase something to help you get organized. Alternatively, break up your weekly menu requirements into smaller shopping trips suitable for a walk to the store. Pick up a few items to cover you for a day or two. Destination walks are productive and reinforcing since they have the added benefit of rewarding you for your walk. The next time you take your car on a short excursion to the grocery store, or to rent a movie, etc., think about walking there instead.

Thinking about walking beyond the pure exercise benefits will have you revisiting your menu, planning on which movie you will watch, how you will reorganize the garage, etc. Remember, it takes 30 days to form a habit. Walking daily is easy to add to the other daily habits you've formed like the morning cup of coffee, checking your email, or watching your favorite television show. After 30 days don't be surprised to find your walking time to be some of your most productive time towards clearing your clutter. Also, walking increases your energy level preparing you to combat the tasks at hand.

Idea! Start a walking calendar and mark the days that you walk. Use an existing calendar or download one from Excel Templates in Microsoft Office or use your favorite search engine to find one; there are plenty of calendars available for free online.

Mix it up and share your walk with a child, a neighbor, a friend, a parent, or dog.

Making a Menu to Save Time and Money

I received my weekly circulars from Safeway and QFC this weekend. Each week I make a menu by juggling what I have in my refrigerator, freezer, and pantry with what I'm likely to purchase at Costco, Safeway or QFC.

By having a menu in place each week I save time and money. I consume what I eat and eat healthier in the process. Gone are the days when I throw out limp carrots.

Having a menu in place allows me to plan ahead and cook a bit extra for dinner to carry over for the freezer or for lunch. In fact, sometimes I will cook extra then FoodSaver it to create future meals and lunches. It doesn't any longer to cook lasagna for 10 as opposed to 2.

My weekly menu always includes lunches. I really dislike having to leave during the workday to find food. This seems a waste of time not to mention energy given that I am not within practical walking distance to food.

I may have an advantage here because I enjoy cooking but I think this works for anybody that values their time and money. It simply costs less in time and money to plan your meals ahead. This definately is a tip that you can work into your daily routine to help Get Organized.

So remember:

1. Make a Weekly Menu (I write mine on a chalkboard on the refrigerator)
2. Know What's for Dinner each Day
3. Take your Lunch to Work

Bonus - Cook extra for the freezer and check out a FoodSaver if you don't already have one.

The FoodSaver home vacuum packaging system was selected as one of "Oprah's Favorite Things" in December 2003.

Extra Tip - Place your FoodSaver where you will see it often and make it a habit to use it.

Sift Your Mail

This is an area that I still struggle with. Intellectually I know that our household has way more GoesInTa (in terms of mail) than what we can effectively read. The net effect here is that mail tends to stack up whether it is the political advertisements and the latest voters pamphlet, that of course I need to keep so my wife and I can be informed voters or it is a coupon for a restaurant that we were planning to visit.

Here is a simple solution that requires you be brutally honest when dealing with papers.

RULE: Sift through the mail immediately after retrieving it.
The key is to place different types of mail in their respective categories.
These are mine; yours may be different.

• Bills to be Paid
• Things to Read Later (magazines and such)
• Circulars and short term reading (things with immediate impact)
• Coupons and offers
• To be filed (statements, etc. that don't need to hang around)
• Recycle (you do recycle, don't you?)
• Shred (sensitive items)
• Garbage (you know - the 101st AOL tin with CD)

You need to have receptacles for the other categories similar to having a Garbage Can. You wouldn't live without a garbage can so why live without a place to put your "To Be Filed". (We bought cool storage boxes from Storables and keep them on our staircase). The only exception to this is a cool decorative wine box we use for coupons and offers.

Secret #2: Find your inspiration.

Like most people you may need someone or something to get you started on the path of Getting Organized. This could be a professional organizer, a life event, an inspiring television show like TLC’s Clean Sweep, or even a trip to IKEA. Whatever works for you, find your inspiration and use it.

Lists are Great but What About Spontaneity

I'm a list guy. I always have a list of things to do. Unfortunately, my to do list is often, OK, always larger than the time I have available to complete the tasks on it. There are simply not enough hours in the day. Yeah - I know. Your reading this thinking, "Yeah, and you have time to write this blog."

Anyhow, I was going about getting my list done today and kept coming up against a messy bookshelf. At one time this bookshelf was very neat but it has long since eroded into a less than organized collection of books, papers, and trophies. On the edge of this particular bookshelf I had been collecting trade show badges. Unfortunately, one day a couple of months ago the whole pile of ganged together badges came crashing to the floor. It seemed that simply looping the next badge over the previous was not a scalable option. At the time of the crash I was out of ideas so I left the badges to lay on the floor, that is, until today.

My wife had the brilliant idea of hanging a chain from the ceiling in the corner of the same room - the home office. This placement was even better than the edge of the bookshelf because we live in an older home and certainly don't have a surplus of space. The chain is especially a good idea because the badges either all have clips or lanyards both of which are easily attached to the chain. The mess on the floor is gone, the badges are neatly stored vertically along the chain in an otherwise unused corner, and now the rest of the bookshelf is clean as well.

I became a bit distracted from my list that I created this morning but I sure feel great about being sponteneous enough to solve the problem at the time the solution presented itself. I really think that sometimes you have to stop trying to solve a problem, let it settle, let your subconscious go to work on it then wammo! At some point you are inspired and have an Aha moment. It is usually sudden, requiring you to act spontaneously. In fact Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, and others often tabled problems they faced, took naps or "slept on it" knowing that sleeping didn't mean avoidance, it meant reducing conscious distractions. We probably have a more opportunity to become distracted than in their time. Hmmm - I wonder what Ben or Albert would have to say about Lists and Spontaneity.