Organize This with Style! (aka Org This)

OrgThis is a lifestyle blog with organization tips and style/fashion comments. Organization is how to store/display your stuff. Style is more personal - who you are or how you look/feel. Fashion is what you wear - old or new is it you?

If you like to read books, check out the books listed under BOOKS in top menu. If you are looking for a certain type of post, scroll down the right column to check out the blog labels for subject matter categories.

Showing posts with label Time Management. Show all posts

Six Ideas to Make the Laundry Chores Easier

Laundry must get done, but it takes time to do it right. Who wants to spend their time doing laundry? Below are six ideas that can make doing laundry easier and more organized. If it is easier, then the task is less likely to be dreaded as a major chore. If it is organized, then it will be time well spent instead of feeling like it was hours wasted.

6 Ideas for Laundry Chores

1. Organize your laundry room! Have all necessary supplies and equipment are there and in easy reach. Open shelves are easier to work from than closed cabinets. This also makes it easier to recognize when you are almost out of something. You can add it to your shopping list instead of having to make an extra run just to get detergent.

2. Share the laundry chores with others. Get everyone in the family to gather their own dirty clothes and bring them to the laundry room for sorting appropriately. Older children should be taught how to help out with sorting and doing all types of laundry. Start them washing with something easy like towels and after they have the hang of that, then show them how to do clothing.

3. Mobilize the process. Instead of one "dirty clothes" hamper, make several available to be sure clothes get into the hamper instead of into a pile on the closet or bedroom floor. If you have multiple larger bathrooms, then this is the logical space for hampers. If bathrooms are small, then a hamper or laundry basket in each bedroom makes more sense for getting everyone to get together their laundry. Baskets can be used to carry dirty laundry to the washing machine ares. Then after washing, drying, and folding laundry, it can be returned to each basket to be carried into the correct bedroom. When the basket is picked up by the clothing owner, clothes on hangers can be placed over the top of basket to go back to the closet into that bedroom in one trip as well.

4. Timing is everything! If your washer and dryer do not have load buzzers to let you know a load needs to be moved to prevent moldiness or wrinkles, then consider using a timer. The time can be a portable kitchen timer or an app on your phone. Set it for about half an hour depending on your normal wash or dry cycles. Carry it with you into other rooms where you are multi-tasking to save time by cleaning, exercising, or playing games with the kids. When it goes off, check your load and reset timer if appropriate.

5. Do not like ironing? You can prevent the need to iron clothes, if you get them out of the dryer quickly and then hang or fold them immediately. Since immediate may not be possible if you did a large load, as you pull clothes out of the dryer, flatten stack things like t-shirts and shorts on top of the dryer so you can quickly hang up trousers and collared shirts first. If you find you still have some wrinkles before wearing and hate to iron, consider tossing the item back in the dryer with a wet washcloth for 10-15 minutes to remove most wrinkles.

6. Scheduling is also important. Some people like to do all their laundry on the same day so they have evenings free. Others prefer a free weekend and plan 2-3 specific nights to do various types of laundry loads. Do what makes the most sense for you and your family. Having a schedule for laundry duties helps you manage your time better. If you have older children, who will be helping with some of the laundry chores, a written schedule will keep them on track too.

Self-Discipline in Children – An Outdated Process or a Necessary Success Skill?

Hopefully this post title has got some of you thinking. Below is a list of articles I think every parent today should read, whether you have toddlers, tweens, or teens. Also below is a 2 minute video on how discipline at home as a child led to a highly successful life and below the main quote from the video.

“If you will create more order, discipline, and focus in your life,

you'll gain more peace, freedom, and control.”

- Laura Stack (Time Management & Productivity Expert)

Articles/posts on discipline for children:

If you do not agree that discipline is an issue for future success, you may want to check out these older posts:

Managing Time for Homework and School Activities

I have posted three videos aimed at helping students get organized fro school work. I thought it would be nice to share a time management application aimed at students as well. Maybe such an app would be a good solution to getting organized for better grades and less stress before the next school semester begins. One app to consider is MyHomework which can replace your child’s traditional paper-based student planner with a digital tool on their favorite electronic device (phone, pad, or computer). Check it out at the link above and then discuss it with your child to determine whether they would use it. It is free and supported by advertising. If you do not want to see the ads, you will need to pay for that option.

The student video posts were:

If you would like to suggest more apps for school kids, put them into comments on this blog post.

If you are looking for an app for managing your time, check out 9+ Apps for Time Management.

Organizing Email and Interoffice Memos to Save Time

Junk Mail Pile

Are you are getting too many electronic mail (email) messages to read or interoffice memos coming across the desk too often? Are you experiencing information overload, then you need to find a way to reduce correspondence. Reduce unnecessary information overload.

Get off lists. If you are on memos or emails as a "Copy To" for information only and you know you can do without seeing everything related to the subject, ask to be taken off the list or only notified where an action on your part is necessary.

Schedule your time. Instead of reading and responding to all your correspondence when one comes in, plan specified times during the day for responses. Try first thing in the morning, before lunch, and/or before leaving for the day to see what works for you.

Save if important. If you need to file any correspondence manually or electronically for future reference, you should file it by subject or project for easy retrieval. Most email systems allow for creation of on-line folders where important emails may move to for saving. Some email systems also may be set-up to move items into folders automatically based upon subject or can have reminder prompts set for when an email response or action is due.

Trash if not important. Emails or interoffice memos that do require your action or have information not pertinent to your responsibilities should be read and trashed immediately. Keeping unnecessary information only clutters your files and inbox, which results in wasted time later re-reading when trying to clean out later.

Be concise. When you are sending memos or email to others, keep text concise and to the point. Be sure when you are replying that your replies are only sent to the sender or includes only those others that need the information. In other words, do not “Copy All” or “Reply All”.

Provide optional details. When you are sending emails and memos insert hyperlinks (URL) and attachments if more detail may be necessary for readers to follow through. Utilizing sources outside of your text is a great way to share documents and information without having to type data into an email or memo. If you are software when sending large documents or graphic files, consider using zip files as email attachments. Zipping a file will compress the file size and make the item upload and download faster.

Keep contact information. It is wise for you to have a contact database on your computer to avoid having to keep files or a paper address book for this data. Most email tools come with a contact database where you can enter email addresses, phone numbers, and other contact data. To save time in the future, most email tools allow for clicking on the email address to start a new email to the contact. Some also allow clicking on the contact’s phone number to have the computer place a call.

Build groups. Many email tools have the ability to set up group addresses with an ID you create. This saves time as you can set up the ID to send an email to multiple addresses without having to find each person in your contacts. For printed interoffice memos, consider making a routing sheet including names of team or committee members who typically need to see the same information.

For more ideas, see the articles below.

Files

My Smartphone is So-o-o Stupid!

Do not get me wrong, I love technology as much as the next guy. I am even known for my ability to embrace change. I went from land-line to mobile phone, from calls only to texting. I was looking forward to not being tied to my computer for internet or to my car for GPS. So one those smartphones seemed like a logical and time-saving step. So why am I having so many issues?

Issue #1 – It makes answering a call a nightmare! I can’t just flip the phone open or click a button, I have to swipe! Not just swipe or poke, but do in in a certain way or nothing happens! Swiping should only be for credit cards – right? Even when I swipe, if I start too low, the idiotic gadget starts trying to access the worldwide web instead of answering the call. I have had so many people hang up before I can even get the phone to answer a simple incoming call!

Issue #2 – It will not tell me if someone has left me a voice mail! There is no little recording icon anywhere on my screen to suggest I should check my voicemail. So I just have to routinely call my voicemail after I realize the person in issue #1 has gone to voicemail after only 3 rings! Seems like a big mistake on the part of the phone designers to me.

Issue #3 – It will not let me save contacts with multiple phone numbers to my SIM card. SIM only allows one number and no email. Must save to phone if I want to designate type of phones and put in emails. What if I want to upgrade (or downgrade) phones later? I have to reenter data into new phone that is not on SIM card. Sounds like an unwise design to me…

Issue #4 – Text spellchecker assumes I am a bigger idiot than my phone. Whenever I start to type words, it assumes I want to type a 5-7 letter word when I only planned on 4 letters. Now I have to backspace over unnecessary letters so I can type the word I want. Argh! Got to admit though the word choice option pop-up would be nice, if it would let me choose from the list rather than pre-selecting for me.

Issue #5 – I do not like waiting for a keyboard that my tiny fingers might can use to prevent picking a wrong key when typing a text. Yes, I can turn the phone sideways so a bigger keyboard comes up, but more often than not it takes more than a minute for the ignorant phone to realize it has changed position. Instead of waiting, I’m typing sideways until it wakes up. I try to keep typing so spellchecker does not give me more of issue #4. On the bright side, maybe I am inventing finger yoga?

Issue #6 – I waste data bytes often without being on the internet! I set-up and save the WI-FI with WEP/WPA codes for the places I am most often at so I get free time on them. So how come I’m using up so many bytes? Could I be accidentally hitting the Google search when I’m trying to swipe as in issue #1? Am I inept or is it this the way designers actually set-up the phone?

Issue #7 – I use my phone for work, not play. Most of the pre-loaded apps are useless to me. Due to power constraints (see issue below), I am afraid to use the ones that may actually be useful as it may prevent me from getting a call later in the day.

Biggest Issue – The dumb thing eats up power! A charge lasts less than 24 hours. I have to plug it in every night! How energy efficient is that? If I am traveling and it decides that the battery is not powered enough then no emergency better come up.

BTW: My old not-so-smart-phone would hold a charge for a week or more depending on my actual usage.

Tell me, is your phone smarter or does it just increase your frustration with modern communication?

TAPP Steps: Time Management How To

If you do not dance around happily when you think about time management, maybe you should consider the easy steps from the book TAPP Steps in Time Management on Amazon. Get it now and change how you get things done in the New Year. TAPP Acronym is explained in the 30-second video below with rhyme and dancing in lavender-colored alligator-type ankle boots.

Seven Tips to Refresh and Refocus Your Time Management

During this time of year, we all feel rushed. We complain there is not enough time to get everything done. Does everything need to get done or a few things? Below are 7 tips to help with managing time without stressing out over all the stuff that “needs” to get one. Check out the tips that will help you to refresh or refocus.

Consider what your peak work time is and plan important projects during that time. This insures you are giving your key items your best effort and can result in your most creative work.
If you are working on a deadline project that requires lots of time and concentration, do not forget to take a 5-8 minute relaxation break every 1-3 hours. The break can be to get up and move or just close your eyes and listen to some music. This will help refresh you and renew your energy before returning to the main project.
Use low energy time to do mundane tasks that must get done – like laundry or washing dishes. Jobs that are routine require little mind power, so let your mind wander and your body relax while you get the work done.
Do not over plan your day. Instead of having a long to do list, concentrate on a few items that should get done to move along your goals or meet deadlines. Set priorities and work on the top two things first, then 2 more, and so on until you get the top priorities done of at least moved to the next stage.
Plan to reward yourself when you complete an unpleasant task so the task will seem to go quickly. The reward can be as simple as calling or emailing a friend to catch up or as elaborate as taking steps towards planning a trip or party.
Get organized! Yes, it takes time to create an organization system and to clean up a workspace. You will find that planning the change does not take much time and once it is completed you will save a lot of time in the future because you reduce time spent searching through stuff to get what you need when you need it.
Do not procrastinate! It is a bigger waste of time than just doing it! You waste time doing stuff that could go without being done in order to avoid work that seems unpleasant. Instead jump in and get it over with – you will feel much better when it is done and there will be no guilt about letting things slide.

Time Management for Children

In under 4 minutes in video which has been removed from YouTube, iMom.com presented wonderful ideas to get the school year, studying, sports, and more on-track for the family to prevent stress and missed deadlines. If you are not doing these tips listed below, start now to understand why you need to do this.

1. Teach kids to prioritize.
2. Figure out how everyone is actually spending their time.
3. Develop routines.
4. Create a family calendar.
5. Teach kids to use a planner.
6. Know their temptations and limit onscreen time.

Also read the related article Time Management Skills for Kids.

Do you have a ME month?

What is a ME month? It is a month where you take care of things for yourself by organizing what is important. Do not think “oh, you mean New Year resolutions” or family commitments. Instead think “What must I do for me and what would I like to do” - it should be individual and personal.

Birthday Cake

Here are a few ideas to get you started for your own ME month:

Plan a long, fancy lunch with a friend you miss

Get your yearly physical and/or mammogram

Have a spa day and pamper yourself

Get a dental cleaning and keep those choppers working

Buy a new outfit for an upcoming celebration

Get an eye exam and buy new glasses/contacts

Sign-up for a makeover or get a mani-pedi

Get necessary vaccinations out of the way

Plan that trip you always wanted for next year’s ME month
Get brave and do that thing you keep putting off

What other suggestions do you have for ME month? Please share with us via comments.

I can’t take credit for this great organizing idea. I actually heard a busy celebrity mom say this is what she does once a year to “take time to take care of herself.” To keep it easy to remember, she uses the month of her birthday. So I am trying it out this year during my birthday month.

Save Time and Dollars with Contractor Checklist

TAPP Time Management Book

The 3.5 minute video below explains how a contractor can use a checklist to give potential customers a better more accurate bid while saving both of them time. Good idea!

If you are considering having a contractor do some work for you, you might want to make your own checklist. Start planning at least a week in advance of meeting with the contractor by writing down every question you can think of that you want to ask. Then as you think of new questions or find ideas you want to consider during personal research, you can add it to the list. Also, while going over the list with the contractor, note any terms they use that you do not understand. when they finish their sale pitch, ask them to explain the terms you do not understand. After they leave, look those terms up on the internet to be sure you fully understand what they mean in case you need to do follow-up. Knowing as much as possible before work starts will save you time, not waste their time, and end up costing you more of your money!

An example of a contractor term is "zones" when installing a automatic watering system. If you do not have enough zones and sprinkler heads or drip system controls for the size of your property, then everything may not get watered appropriately.

Two Time Management Tips: What to do if you are late for an appointment

To prevent being late or missing an important appointment, always write down your appointments and then check your list of appointments every morning. Check out the “Do Not Be Late” video below for two tips by the author of TAPP Steps in Time Management for the rare occasions when you are late for an appointment.

1. “Do not make others wait! Call if you will be late.” Otherwise you are being rude and giving them the impression that you think your time is more valuable than theirs.

2. “Always plan time to get there or you may end up nowhere.” Be sure you allow a little more time for driving places because you do not know what traffic will be like or hazards you may need to maneuver around.

Traveling with carry-on items

Carry-on or Overnight Bag

Make a checklist of what is necessary for your trip and check it when packing and before leaving. Another thing you should do before leaving for your trip, check with airports and airlines on their security requirements for both checked and carry-on baggage via phone or internet. You may also want to check how many carry-ons you are allowed and size restrictions, both dimensions and weight. Confirm any reservations, including airplane and car rental reservations before leaving to destination. Also for your financial safety during travel, make a list of credit card types, numbers, and expiration date as well as traveler’s check numbers. Then be sure to give a copy of the list to someone who can help with cancellation and replacement if something happens during travel.

Briefcase/Computer case

For professional travel, a preferred carry-on is your briefcase or laptop computer. View your briefcase or computer carrying case as a mobile office; keep it as light as possible. However, get one with expandable sides for the times when needing to carry a lot. If you are a mobile worker or telecommuter, instead of investing in dual supplies or carrying a lot around, you may want to consider buying a portable office kit that contains scissors, stapler, paper clips, tape, and other office items in miniature form to keep in the case. Be sure you remove the scissors and put them in your checked luggage before you get stopped at security for trying to carry-on a sharp object. Also, when traveling, be sure to take an envelope in which to put all expense receipts. This will keep them from getting lost so completing expense reports later will be easier for you. You may also want to consider buying a set of plastic folders for use in reviewing papers when on travel since they are sturdier than paper ones.

Other carry-on items

It is good time management to plan to work during travel time. However, if you have been really working hard, you may want to accomplish relaxation or personal tasks during your trip. Put your travel pillow, magazines, novels, or craft items be in light-weight carry-on cases or totes. Include your contact information on or in the bag just in case you leave it behind. For other types of travel, a large tote or duffel bag may suffice for carrying creativity or relaxation items on plane. Keep identification, tickets, itinerary, business cards, planner or PDA, cell phone, contact list, and maps on your person or in your smallest carry-on for quick retrieval.

Check back next month for a post on checked luggage.

New Year Resolution Time Again

New Year’s Day is not only the start of a year; many see it as the beginning for a new start in their life. If you are looking to change the way things are going in your life? If yes, now is the time to create resolutions and build a plan that you will follow to become the new you that you want to be. Whether that is to lose weight, write an article or short story, start a home-based business, exercise more, continue your education, or go for a career change – the first step is to decide what you want.

After you know what it is you want to change in your life, write it down as a resolution or a goal. Then the next step involves creating a workable and realistic plan to make it really happen. The key to improvement and reaching goals is proper planning. After planning, work the plan by putting measurable items on your calendar or in a goal tracking application like IRUNURUN, where you can see them at the beginning or end of each day in order to make sure the desired steps get done. Time management and understanding your priorities is very important to getting what you want, so make appointments with yourself and keep working towards your plan.

Focus On Five Personal Time Management Items

In the 4-minute video/slideshow below, you will hear 5 personal Time Management items to focus on related to family and personal time.

1. Post an update a calendar of activities
2. Hold Weekly family meetings
3. Prioritize and plan ahead
4. Share household responsibilities
5. Use technology to help [vs. wasting time]

For help tracking your time management goals and accomplishment, check out the 2bProductive blog post about IRUNURUN.

Holiday Hazards, Fashion, Organizing, and More Infographics

Earlier this month I shared some household tip infographics that I thought were really great. Since then, others have shared more blog posts with me that contain interesting or informative graphics on various topics. I decided to start a list of some of the best ones here. If you can not read the infographic, be sure to click on it as most will enlarge.

The Hazards of Holidays from Masters in Healthcare
100 Years of Women’s Fashion from Primetime Wholesale Clothing
Tweeting RA!RA! Meetings from To Be Productive
Be the World’s Most Organized Person on The Momiverse
Diamonds: 10 Most Expensive Pieces of Jewelry in the World from My Jewelry
The Perfect Suit for the Modern Man by JakeGcreate
8 Infographics to Understand Social Media Etiquette from Internet Marketing Ninjas
The Evolution of Time Management Tools (scroll to end) on FreeOnLineMag

If you have something you think I should add to the list before the New Year begins, please send me a link to check out! If I love it, I’ll add it to the list.

Most Organized Home Tips

The video below is titled "Most Organized Home in America - HGTV Clean Freaks & Professional Organizers." It may be a bit obsessive, but you might find some great tips to get our started on your next organizing project in kithen, home office, craft room, closet, bathroom, and so on. You can use the video slider to move to the desired room tips, if you do not want to take over 14 minutes to watch it all.

Five Plus Tips for Time Management and Office Organization

In the video post A Dozen Organization Tips for a Successful Life, I provided links to 2 articles to provide readers with 10 more tips related to planning their day and making to do lists, in addition to those given in the video.

I thought it might be beneficial to share a few more “fives” from articles I have written. These include:

The above post also included links to articles on how to overcome procrastination and not be late for appointments. With the idea of additional time management tips in mind, below are links to other articles that may be of interest for personal time management and/or office organization.

That pesky phone is stealing your time!

Are you always jumpinng for the phone when you hear it ringing? Consider where you keep your stationery phones at work and home. If you are planning to answer the phone each time it rings, have it close. Place your phone on the opposite side of your preferred writing hand. In other words - if you are right handed, put it on the left side of your work area. This way when the phone rings, the non-preferred hand picks-up the phone while leaving the preferred hand free to take messages or notes or even do something else. Be sure to have paper and pencil near the phone so you do not have to waste time looking for these. If you prefer to avoid the temptation to pick the phone up when it rings or whenever an ideas pops into your head, have the phone a little further away so you are forced to actually move each time you want to make or answer a call.

Phones and Headset

Where should you keep your phone book? It can be very helpful to keep telephone and address books close to phone, which allows for quick lookups. However, if you do not use it often, then consider putting books away in a drawer or on a shelf until it is necessary in order to not take-up work space from work or add to a cluttered look to your office. Instead of a paper phone book, you may want to develop the habit of using the internet to look-up phone numbers and addresses. This is usually quicker and much more up-to-date. If your personal address book contains your client list or colleague numbers, then you may want to keep it locked up when not in use. Where possible, you may want to eliminate the need for a stationary phone and address book by using as cell phone instead.

How can a cell phone possibly be better than a land-line? You can make the cell phone help you be more productive by storing the phone numbers called most often within the phone. Something to consider though is how to keep these numbers more secure in case you lose your phone. Think about using initials instead of names so people in your directory are still unknown to others. Another great reason to use a cell phone that is “smart” is it typically will have internet access so you can get phone numbers on-line or look-up driving directions when lost.

Can having a cell phone really make it easier to keep from missing your calls? With all the options that are now available, the cell phone has virtually eliminated the need for any other type of phones. At the same time, it has made it more difficult to prevent distractions during concentration time. How can you change this? Be sure to turn off the phone when you need to concentrate or are in a meeting with others, whether social or business.

Do you lose your cell often and have trouble following the sound when you hear it ringing? Think about cell phone accessories that may help you when talking on the phone or to keep up with your phone better. This may include: hands-free microphone/earphone accessories and Bluetooth - or options for hanging it on a pocket, belt, purse, wall, or car dashboard.

What are other ways you can save time using phones? Take advantage of answering machines or voicemail in order to return phone calls at a more convenient time for you. Then be prepared with answers to questions or expected conversations before returning the call. If your phone has speed-dial features, take a few minutes to set that up for your most frequently used number, since the advantage of it is to save time when making calls. So you do not forget important details after the call – be sure to repeat and confirm transactions, information, or future actions agreed to in the phone conversation.

Number 1 Time Management Tip: Write It Down!

Making a "To Do " list using sticky notes, marker board, paper pad, or a computer application to help manage time in order to get things done is discussed in the 2+ minute video below. Tips in the video are based on the time management principle "If an item is important to remember to do, then write it down." This is 1 of 6 principles given in the book T.A.P.P. Steps in Time Management.

Top 75 Productivity Experts

This weekend a new list came out on Evan Carmichael's blog: April 2012 Top 75 Productivity Experts to Follow on Twitter. The business blog To Be Productive (@2bproductive on Twitter) that I write on was #30 on this list. That blog contains productivity tips for business professionals and leaders written by guest consultants, trainers, and coaches as well. Whereas, the Organize This with Style Blog (@OrgThis on Twitter) is more about personal productivity and whatever else I feel like writing or ranting about.

Below is the ranking in the list of well-known American authors and productivity experts who are also on the list. There were also authors from other countries and many who do organizing or time management as a business that are not authors. I did not include them below since I am not familiar with their work. However, if you want to see the full list or get their Twitter account names to follow them, use the link in the above paragraph or use the book links below to find their titles on Amazon.

#1 - David Allen, author of Getting Things Done and Ready for Anything

#2 - Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People series

#5 - Leo Babauta, author of Zen Habits and Zen To Done

#9 - Ken Blanchard, author of The One Minute Manager series

#13- Justin Levy, author of Facebook Marketing

#14- Laura Stack, author of Find More Time, Leave the Office Earlier, and more

#22- Julie Morgenstern, author of Organizing from the Inside Out and more

#30- To Be Productiveblog - by authors of 9 business /productivity books at time of this list

#42- Monica Ricci, author of Organize Your Office In No Time

#46- Clare Evans, author of Time Management for Dummies

#55- Mark Forster, author of Get Everything Done

#61- Mike Song, author of The Hamster Revolution series