Find the Time and Organize Your Life

One of my interests is "organizing".  I pride myself in being able to sort, file, label, store, pack and pile my things.  I have found that if I have a clutter-free, organized home, car, or work-space, I feel more at peace.  If you can learn the skill of organizing, you will potentially have some more time on your hands to do other things that interest you and that are important to you.  I recently borrowed a book from the library, called "Organize Your Life: free yourself from clutter and find more personal time" (2007) by Ronnie Eisenberg with Kate Kelly.  This book was a fun, fast read, and I came away with two new ideas that have made me think differently with how I keep my life organized. 

The first idea that I have adopted and I love - is that on my cell phone (Blackberry), I have an application called, "Tasks".  What I do now, is anything that I know is coming up or anything that I don't want to forget about, I put on my "tasks list".  For example, I have to buy some birthday and anniversary cards, so I have put this on my task list.  I also have bigger projects on this list, for example, "sell my son's bedroom furniture".  I love having all these "to do" items in one spot, and the authors state that it's good to have either a written list on paper or in a notebook, or a list on your personal electronic device. 

The second idea that I have come away with has to do with bigger jobs.  I have a couple of rooms in my house where "things" are piling up, and I have been putting off sorting through because I know it's going to be a big, time-consuming job.  The authors point out that most people put these things off because they usually don't have a big block of time to do it, so it doesn't get done.  Their solution, which is a good one, is they say to break the job down into smaller parts, then do a little at a time.  They even suggest making a list of all the small steps, so that you have step-by-step instructions of how you will manage this bigger job.  I have started sorting some of those things already, and I am confident that in time, I will have it all done.

"Organize your life" is a good book that goes through the various areas in our lives - especially with regards to home and work.  Paper management is a biggie.  I would recommend this book for anyone that is feeling overwhelmed with all the clutter and time-robbing time-wasters in their life. 

Now, if you're the type who feels that clutter, disorderliness and messiness are your thing, there is a book written for you, too.  "A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder - How Crammed Closets, Cluttered Offices, and on-the-Fly Planning Make the World a Better Place" by Eric Abrahamson and David H. Freedman (2007).  Check out this book if organizing is not your thing.

Have a great day!

~Angela