Go through your closets, basement, home office, and any other room in your home that has become a ‘stuff’ magnet. Pick up an item, examine it closely and ask yourself:   Is this something I…

• need?                    • love for sentimental or other reasons?

• use regularly?     • can make money with?

If the answer to these questions is YES, then keep it. If the answer to these questions is NO, then it is time to make a decision…

Do I…

• throw it away?     • donate it?     • repair it?

• store it in an out-of-the-way place for six months and make a decision then?

Make definitive choices and say them out loud. This helps to solidify your decisions.

Example:

 “I choose to throw this magazine away. I haven’t looked at it in two years.”

 “I have decided to donate this shirt because it no longer reflects my style.”

Your Time

Are you making time for what’s most important to you? Or are you giving your time to certain activities due to guilt or what you believe is expected of you? Try this:

• Write out a list of what in life is most important to you (quality time with family, investigating a new career, cultivating hobbies, travel, etc.)

• Look at your daily/weekly/monthly to-do list and compare it with the first list. Does your to-do list reflect what is most important to you or is it filled with tasks/activities you or someone else thinks you should be engaging in?

• Determine what tasks can be delegated and eliminated from your list.

When creating a schedule, block off time first for what's important to you. Doing so will guarantee time in your schedule for the activities YOU want to participate in.  

Helping Others

Maybe you are organized but know someone who isn’t. Here are a few suggestions for helping them get organized:

• Offer your assistance and support to your neighbor/friend/relative’s organizing endeavors without being judgmental.

• Have a ‘family meeting’ to discuss how being more organized could make the household and everyone’s lives calmer and more functional.

• Make product recommendations based on your organizing successes to those who acknowledge their disorganization.

Tools

Many stores offer products that can help you attain an organized life. A partial list includes:  

For an Organized Home: The Container Store, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Linens & Things,   K-Mart, Target, and Wal-Mart.

For an Organized Home Office: Staples, Office Depot, CompUSA

For Organized Travel: Campmor, L.L. Bean, the Automobile Association of America (otherwise known as ‘AAA’)