Organized Times™
Volume 4, Issue 203

From The Editor

Happy New Year to you! Are you ready to get organized (again)? Do you wish you had more time to spend reading, exercising, or playing with your children? We all need a little help and lots of encouragement when it comes to managing our homes, and Organized Times ezine is just the thing to help you establish a plan, set your priorities and maintain that new system like a well-oiled machine. 

Whether you're just starting your organizing journey or are struggling with a failing system, I'll help you find your way through the clutter and into the calm, one step at a time. I've written articles to encourage and empower you to reclaim your household and take charge of your time again. You can read them in this newsletter, or read back issues online at our website http://www.organizedtimes.com  .  And if you need more help than this week's issue offers you, I invite you to browse through my books at the online bookstore. From organizing your home and kids to managing your home business, you'll find organizing tools that really work and will keep your system working day after day. 

So sit back, relax, and get ready to learn some practical, common-sense ways to organize your time and lower the stress levels in your home. I'll be right here with you to encourage you as we discover more time for ourselves, our friends, and our families.   

Happy home organizing, 

---Debbie Williams, Editor & Founder
www.OrganizedTimes.com 

Organized Times™ at Home

Practical Tools for Procrastination-free Living
© Debbie Williams

Many of us suffer from a serious debilitative ailment called procrastination. We put off washing the breakfast dishes, sewing buttons on otherwise wearable shirts, and clearing closet clutter for charity donation.

Below are just a few practical organizing tools for those who put things off until they are out of clothes to wear, can't find the kitchen counter, or spend countless minutes deliberating on what to wear in a closet full of castoffs and has-beens.


TREASURE CHEST
Are you tired of tripping over a million clothes hangars, and keep reaching for that silk blouse that is two sizes too small? No wonder you run late for work each day -- the choices are endless in your overflowing closet. Why not streamline the closet organizing procedure by creating a treasure chest for all those unused and unloved items? 

Invest in a sturdy under-the-bed storage box with a lid, clearly label the end, and stash it under your bed. Or find a flat tub that will fit on top of your closet shelf. Each time you reach for a wide tie from the 70's or a silky shirt from your disco days, toss it into your treasure chest. When it's full, it's time for a trip to the Good Will, Salvation Army, or your favorite charity. Better still, save some time by calling for pickup. Be sure to empty your treasure box into a cardboard box or strong garbage bag so that you can continue your newfound habit, filling as you go. 

Your closet will be one step closer to being organized, and you may find yourself running on time to the office and looking great!


MAGIC WAND
Otherwise known as a dishwashing wand, this dollar store find works magic in your kitchen sink! Look in the sponge or mop section of your favorite grocery or discount store to locate a sponged stick for washing dirty dishes. Fill the stick with dishwashing liquid, moisten with water, and tackle a small load of dirty dishes left from benevolent family members. The sponge head is removable for cleaning -- just toss it in the next full load of your dishwasher or clothes washer. When the sponge wears out, replace it with a new one.

During one of my home organizing workshops, a mother of two teenagers and a husband who works second shift told me she found this time-saver invaluable in her home. Her family rarely sits down to eat at the same time, and there is no perfect time throughout the day to glimpse a clean kitchen. She has instructed her kids and husband in the use of the dishwashing wand, and each is responsible for cleaning his own dish and cup. They're armed with their new weapon, and not afraid to use it!


A STITCH IN TIME SAVES NINE
We all do it-- get halfway to work before realizing that we're missing a button on our dress shirt, or resort to using masking tape to hold a pant hem in place before a big presentation. Somehow those clothes never quite get mended, and we forget all about it until it's too late.

Why not create a system for your mending and polishing? Toss heavily worn blue jeans into the mending box to turn into cut offs for the summer. Toss that loose belt into the box for adding another notch -- you might as well celebrate your weight loss rather than rushing out to buy a new belt. Toss ripped shirts and button-less pants into the mending box, complete with bag-o-buttons for routine maintenance. When you find yourself waiting between loads at the laundry mat, take out your mending to pass the time. If it's family video night and you can't get excited about watching The Lion King AGAIN, carry your mending into the family room as you prepare the popcorn. Multi-tasking is always welcome in these circumstances!



These are just on my short list of ways to streamline the "clean as you go" philosophy of organizing. The items on this list are most definitely "C" or "3" priorities on our to do lists, but they eventually do need to be done. Creating and maintaining a system for mending, washing, and purging items will save you between 5 and 10 minutes in your weekly schedule. I guess now you'll have to find something else to put off during your busy day!


Debbie Williams is an author and organizing strategist who offers tools and training to help you put your life in order. Learn more practical tips like these in her book, Put Your House in Order .Or visit her website at www.OrganizedTimes.com

IN THE NEWS

Look for organizing tips from Debbie in interviews later this month in the Sunday issue of The Milwaukee Journal Centennial and Woman's World magazine.