Organize by downsizing

Organizing usually results in added space. It may be a cleaner desk or workbench, or more space in a closet. It looks better when you are done. Sometimes that can be accomplished by downsizing equipment without losing functionality.

I thought I had a good desktop computer monitor. Although it was one of the older huge models, it served me well and I was satisfied with it. However, this Christmas, my son decided I needed to get up to date, so he gave me a 17 inch LCD flat panel monitor. He said it would save so much space it would be worth taking before and after pictures. Boy, was he right. I can't believe all the extra space on my desktop while still having the same amount of viewing size on the screen. Plus I can move the desk closer to the wall because the screen is only about an inch deep compared to the 16 inch depth of the old one. So it added space to the whole room. The viewing screen is just as large. But the smaller overall size makes a huge difference. And the resolution is much better as well, making the colors brighter, the pictures clearer. This was a good addition to my home office. The keyboard now seems bigger than my monitor, so I am going back to a previous keyboard which will be smaller and fit in better. I also have space to add a shelf back in above the monitor which I had to take out when I added the last monitor. Then I can put my speakers back on the shelves rather than on top of the shelf unit.

My desktop computer area seems much more organized and spacious. All it took was a little downsizing.

17-inch SyncMaster 713BM Black LCD Monitor

Reorganize after Christmas

There is a lot of planning and preparation that goes into the celebration of Christmas. It is almost like a wedding -- weeks and weeks of planning and poof, it's all over. People can get really stressed out doing all the shopping, planning for the parties, attending the children's programs, and putting the family gatherings together. Then suddenly it's all over. When Christmas is over and done, a little time spent getting reorganized will help lessen the after Christmas stress.

Get rid of all the boxes. Get rid of the clutter. Toss the boxes. There are some boxes you may want to keep until you decide that the gift is working properly and won't have to be returned. Put those boxes somewhere out of the way where you won't be seeing them all the time. A spare room or closet will work. After you have decided you won't need them, they can be tossed. They don't need to clutter up your living space in the meantime. Those you don't need to keep should be broken down and put in the garbage or recycled.

Put the instruction manuals away. After you have completed all the "some assembly required," put the instruction booklets in your instruction manual file. See my previous post Organize your instruction manuals. That way they will be handy if you need to refer to them again, and they won't be laying around cluttering up your desk or counter space, or getting lost or tossed out with the trash.

Send in the registration cards. If there are warranty cards or registration cards you want to send in or complete online, do it right away. If you put it off, it will only add to your pile of "to do" tasks and will end up becoming a frustration. Or you will lose the information and you won't get the task done at all. It only takes a minute or two per item. Why let that couple of minutes become a stress maker. Complete them right away and you will feel good having accomplished the task.

Take some time to play. Christmas is a time for fun. That's what the family gatherings are all about, although they don't always end up that way. That's what all the toys are about, once the assembly is completed. Play with the kids. Play a game you haven't tried for a while. Do something to relax. It will help keep you in the holiday spirit and ward off those after Christmas blues. Christmas is a time of joy. Do what you can to keep the joy in your life throughout the new year!

Organize your keys

A big time waster is searching for keys. It is time to leave for work or to take the kids to their T-ball game, and you can't find the car keys. They cold be laying where you threw them last time you came home, or in a coat pocket. Who knows? When you are running late and need to get going is not a good time to have to hunt for them. A little organization will help in this area.

The first step to organizing your keys is determine a location for them. I have two key rings, one for my car and house keys, the other for all my work keys. I would keep them all on one, but that makes too big of a bunch for my pocket. When I get to work I put my car-house key ring with my brief case so it is there when I am ready leave. Then I only have my work keys in my pocket. The important thing is that I always hang my keys in the same place when I get home so I know where they are when I have to leave. We have a simple 3-hook key holder that says "Who's got the keys?" That's where they always go so I know where they are.

Once you determine where you want your keys, be sure to always put them there. Don't wait and say you'll put them away later. Later most likely will never come. If you lay them down, chances are something will get put over the top of them before you put them away and you won't be able to find them when you need them. If you leave them in your coat pocket, they will most likely still be there when you need them next time and you won't remember that. You can use a simple hook in the wall, but there are other methods that look better and are more functional. A Letter & Key Rack could serve a dual purpose and help organize outgoing mail as well. Or if you are one who locks yourself out of your house, you might try a 5-Key Key Safe With Cover.

Determine a place for your keys. Then always put them there as soon as you get home. Your family will thank you when they realize you are no longer delaying them. You are now organized and do not have to waste your time or their looking for your keys.

Organize with Task Lists

An excellent way to be organized is to use task lists, or "to do" lists. Years ago I kept my "to do" list on a desktop daily planner. It had a page for each day of the year. When I needed to do something, I would write it on the day it was due, assigning it a code of A, B, or C. "A was something that needed to be done that day. "B" was something that it would be nice to do but could wait until the next day if I ran out of time. "C" was something to be thinking about, something more in the planning stage that didn't need to be done for a while. I would cross each item off as I finished a task. At the end of the day, the B's and C's I didn't get done could then be moved to the next day I needed to work on them.

That type of task list served me well when I spent a lot of time behind a desk. Now I am a restaurant manager and that type of task list doesn't work so well. So I have progressed to an electronic task list. I carry a Handheld PC or Pocket PC with me. I can add a task any time I think of something I need to do and assign it a start date. When that date arrives, the task pops up on my tasks for the day. I can assign it a priority of High, Normal, or Low. Perhaps the greatest feature is the ability to set recurring tasks. There are many things in my line of work that I must do weekly, or bi-weekly, or monthly. A recurring task can be set for every day, every 2 days, every week, a certain day each month, or year. Then the task pops up whenever that day arrives. When a task is completed, I just tap a little box beside the task and it goes away, leaving just those tasks I still need to do. It works great for me and really helps me stay organized.

I use a Dell 416 MHz Axim X51 Handheld It runs Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 which I like because it contains a mobile version of Microsoft Office. I use Microsoft Excel spreadsheets to track work trends on my desktop computer at home. I keep work notes in Microsoft Word. When I place my Handheld PC in it's cradle, it begins charging as well as syncronizing with my Desktop. Any changed files are syncronized between my Handheld and my Desktop. My Handheld also syncronizes with Microsoft Outlook so I can keep all my contacts with me at all times. With the Microsoft Outlook calendar feature, I can remind myself of important meetings, anniversary dates, etc. I purchased a Rhino-Skin carrying case so it is well protected during my daily routine. I also keep music on an SD card so I can listen to my favorite songs with the mobile version of Microsoft Media Player while I do my closing duties at work. All in all, I would be lost without my handheld.

There are various ways to keep a task list. I prefer the electronic kind, but then I like gadgets.


416 MHz Axim X51 Handheld

Organize by looking at the small picture

Getting organized can seem to be an overwhelming task. It is no fun looking at a cluttered room like that pictured on the right, or a desk that needs to be cleaned up. Looking at that large stack of papers that has built up on the "To do" pile can destroy one's motivation. Thinking "I need to clean up my whole house" or "I need to get this office straightened up" can seem like an endless task. We feel defeated before we even begin. Getting started can be the hardest step.

It helps to begin by dividing the task into small parts, looking at the small picture. Divide the house into rooms, then the room into sections and decide to get one of those small sections organized first. Do that entire small section until you are satisfied rather than doing a little here and there in the whole room. When that small section looks good, you will feel better. Then take a break and pat yourself on the back for a good start. When you are ready to tackle some more, do another small section.

Do the same with the office, desk or workbench. Start with the small picture -- a drawer or tool chest that needs to be cleaned out. Get that done first and you will have room to put some of the other things that you need to save but have just piled on top. Or begin with a corner of the desk or workbench. Tell yourself you'll get that done first. Then do another small section another time. In the mean time, be sure to keep the original small section clean.

If you have decided to take on the "to do" pile, take a small stack off the top. Actually the bottom portion of the pile is probably the oldest and needs to be done first. Do a quick sort to get at the smaller picture. Some items will be out of date and can be tossed in the waste basket. Toss them fast. Don't hesitate and think maybe you will look at them some other day. Some items will be important and should be taken care of immediately. Some can wait. Deal with the urgent stack of items immediately. Take care of them by dealing with them once. Don't allow yourself to put them back on the "To do" pile or you'll end up having to start all over. See my previous post in this blog on "Organize by dealing with it once." When you get that small stack done, take a short break, then do another stack. Or promise yourself you will do another small stack first thing in the morning. Get a small stack done each day. As long as you take more off the pile than you put on that day, you'll soon catch up and have that mess of a "To do" pile conquered. Then do your best to keep up with it each day so the pile doesn't grow again.

Break any organizational job into smaller tasks and look at the small picture only. Then the project won't be so overwhelming. Don't try to take on the entire house, or office, or utility shed, or garage. Break it up into a smaller picture. You'll get more done, and can be satisfied with each step accomplished. Soon you will feel good about being organized and it will be much easier to stay organized.

Organize your tools

I like tools. Any kind of tools. Whether it is another set of screwdrivers, or another power drill, or a new air tool, it takes a lot of self-discipline to not add tools to my shopping cart every time I walk through a tool department or shop online. Having lots of tools, it can then be equally difficult trying to find the tool that is needed unless tools are organized.

I started organizing my tools with a small tool box I received from my wife for Christmas back in the 70's, much like this Malco Toolbox At that point, all my tools would fit into it. It was easy finding what I needed because there was only one place to look. But as I added more and more tools to my tool-treasury, it became more difficult to store them.

Another Christmas present helped that out -- a much larger tool chest. My wife is good at picking up on my wishes and needs. The new tool box has four small drawers, two large drawers, a storage compartment on top, and a nice large storage compartment at the bottom. That worked great. I kept it out in the garage where it was always handy for working on my cars, or helping my son work on his. He had a habit of starting a project on his car while I was at work. When I would get home he would ask me to help put it back together. These were more difficult projects that I was always afraid to try on my own car. But he had the courage to just dig right in and try things. That's probably why he knows so much more than I do about just about everything and is so successful at what he is doing. See his creative abilities at work at Toolbarn.com. This will also show you I got some of my tools.

But I digress. Back to organizing tools. As I began adding more cordless power tools and drill bit sets, I soon ran out of room again. I stuffed everything I could into my tool chest. But with the drawers filled to overflowing, it was hard getting at the tool I needed. My solution to better organize my tools was to put some peg board on the wall in our utility room. I used a couple of Home Organizer Peg Hook kits and I was in business. I could hang many of my most used hand tools up where I could see what I had and find them easily.

Then, you guessed it, another Christmas and my wife came through again. Are you sensing a pattern here? (If your wife needs a Christmas suggestion, have her read this post - hint, hint) She gave me two cabinets -- one with three drawers and one with two doors. That holds many of my power tools. My tool chest still holds a lot of my miscellaneous tools. Now the important thing is to just put them back where they belong and I can find any tool when I need it. Refer to my previous post Organize by putting things back for a tip in that area.

If you don't have many tools yet, consider buying a starter set, like this Malco Tools Deluxe Starter Kit with Tool Box. It will get you started with many essential tools, and it comes with the toolbox to help keep them organized. Half the battle is already won!

Or do you have situations like I do when your mother-in-law calls up from 100 miles away and says, "Help. My sink won't drain." So you pack up some tools and "gladly" help out! Well, my original little red toolbox works great for a "tool travel kit." However, there are some tool totes designed specifically for situations like that, such as this Irwin 18" Utility Tote. The rotating handle gives you full access to the entire storage compartment, and is designed to be collapsible.

For those small items that are so easy to lose, try this Stainless Steel Magnetic Parts Dish. The magnetized tray keeps parts from spilling if it gets bumped or tipped over. It is ideal for holding nuts, bolts and screws, like all those tiny screws you use when working on your computer.

Have fun organizing your tools. Next time you need one, you'll be glad you did.