Terry Ann’s tips for organizing and making the visual noise of an untidy place go silent and calm.

Terry Ann’s tips for organizing and making the visual noise of an untidy place go silent and calm.

·       Make your bed in the morning, maybe right as you climb out… it is a work surface for laundry, paperwork, purging other items and it is so worth it to have at least one thing done each day.

·       Set your morning alarm at a place in your room where you will have to get out of bed to turn it off.  You will be up on time.

·       Keep to a routine in the morning, if it be coffee, tea, exercise, prayer and study, makeup, shower or all, do it every morning. It is your time for self-care and to make a good start. 

·       Have a first aid kit and know how to use it.

·       Have extra water stored away for extended emergency.

·       Have an emergency plan for the household and a communication/meet up plan if all fails.

·       Get a diffuser, or another kind of air freshener, they are so clean smelling at least if nothing else it smells clean.

·       Make your daily task automatic.  Give yourself 15/20 minutes to the cleaning you must do. Dusting, dishwasher loading, laundry, toilet or trash take out.  This time might need to be adjusted if you have more than one person in your household, or you may need to split the chores between the two of you, each take care of something while the other is working on the other items.  Once your time is up leave it for the next day.  Revisit this if things get behind… too much leaving things for tomorrow can defeat the purpose, but too much being done all on one day will tire you out and keep you from being motivated tomorrow.

·        Have a box or basket you use as a drop area, things you will need to put away before the day is over, but just can’t get upstairs or to that part of the house just yet.  I like a handled basket because then I can carry it around and distribute the stuff where it goes.

·       Fold or hang clothes right out of the dryer they are less wrinkled that way, not so much ironing.

·       Clean your shoes regularly, you look so much more put together if those toes are shinny.

·       Make a “To Do” list each day, make it short and prioritize it.  If you have no motivation put the mundane on the list. Water the plants, get the mail are acceptable items, just realize that will not be every day and move up to, things like make a budget and write a will.

·       Use a calendar, planner, phone calendar or google calendar.  Set alerts that will get you to your appointments on time.  Looks like you care!

·       Have an email signature formatted for all your correspondence it keeps from you having to add that info to all your communications

·       Remember that when you shop you do not have to take home everything you like and have money for… The Store is a place to STORE an items until it fits into your life, when you have time and space to enjoy it.  In the meantime you get to store your money in your bank where it make interest!

·       Have a place, notebook or journal, to put your great ideas, make shopping list for those craft ideas and write down instructions for your inspirations.  Now these list are not to actually be used unless you have the time, money, space and motivation to do them immediately.  You can always get the items for it later when you have the money and time.  Don’t bring home supplies and items for a someday project.

·       Have an inbox that holds those things in the mail, you have to answer pay or otherwise file and do that at least once a week.  I like Mondays or Tuesdays because if there needs to be follow up by someone there will still be time in the week to work on it more.

·        Update your resume every 4 – 6 months.

·       Keep a small stock of stamps and envelopes.

·       Do the daunting sorting and purging with a timer on, 30 minutes, an hour, 2 hours, and then stop.  It will be there tomorrow.  Just do it again tomorrow until it is finished.

·       As you sort through items keep a box, bag or container in view, marked, sell, donate and keep.  Think through each item and only put it in one of these three places do not put it down where you found it.  Once decided do not change containers. 

·       The items you have decided to sell must be put up for sale somewhere or in a yard sale by the end of the month or they get re labeled as donate.  The purpose is to declutter not to make money, the goal to declutter will enrich your life so much more than mere money.

·       Donate those items as soon as you can, I take a bag to the car even if I am not planning on going by the charity, because I may end up doing that.  Never buy from a thrift without donating at least double what you buy.

·       Every item you keep must have a “home” within your home, someplace where it can be found when needed and organized with like items.  Put things away constantly put things back where you found them.  This is so basic and so important! Simple “your mother told you” wisdom that will help keep clutter at bay.

·       Don’t keep duplicates of the same items unless there is a really good, awesome, earth shattering reason for doing so. “Collections” are the gateway drug to hording.

·       Pinterest is a good place to keep interesting articles and ideas.  If it isn’t digital you can scan or phone camera photo it and make your own pin from that file.  Keep away from hording articles and magazines with stuff in them you will never find them later unless you organize them now.

·       Set up a file system and use it.  Important papers like wills, insurance, health, bank, work, resume, passport and other stuff like that is hard to find when the pressure is on to get it for an important event.

·       Work and rest and relaxation must be balanced, make sure to give your work all the time required, but not more than you are being compensated for.  Balance as the work, rest cycle works for you but be sure it actually works and you have enough time to take care of both!

·       Make a budget, such a stress reliever! Use a digital money tracker like “mint” or “every dollar” or good old pen and paper, find out where those pennies are being spent.  Now you can see how to proceed without worry and find out where the dollars actually go… this is super empowering and useful to keep from overspending and making sure you have the $$ for the things you need and want.  Use your money tracker often, at least weekly, to keep in touch with spending patterns.  I keep paper receipts on my desk and once a week I enter them into every dollar, this helps me see where I have splurged and where I have been wise, learn as you go and get better.  Save something every month, this will be one of the benefits of using a budget and it will look different for everyone.  Just do it!

·       Bring your lunch to work, it will always be healthier, quicker and less $$.

·       Learn how to make a salad and make all kinds of salads, they are so much better and healthier than that fast food and actually less $$.

·       Learn something new as often as you can do it, a class, a seminar, a study or an adventure will be so much more valuable than anything you can bring home to put on the shelf.

·       Go to a gym class, spin class or Zumba, if you try to do it on your own, there will be no social pressure to keep it up and a scheduled time is easier to work into the plan for clothing, budget and time management.

·       Most important of all… Look for joy and remember that experiences are 100% more lasting than any items you may own.  Besides, all we own actually own us… in time, cleaning, dusting, organizing, insuring, storing, protecting… and for what? …to impress someone or to look at every once and a while and feel some connection?  I feel some powerful connection by looking at the mountains, a lovely flower or a sunrise or set… and spending time with loved ones, serving in the community, going to church or a musical… so many better connections to people with all the memories and experiences inside my head rather than on the shelf. 

·       God Bless.