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| January New Year, new attitude ^ |
- Make one of your New Year’s Resolutions to GET ORGANIZED!
- Begin the road to organization with evaluation. Evaluate the areas around you--home and office, as well as your personal time. Make a list of things in your personal life and areas around you that need to be focused on. Once you have your list, work on one item or in one area at a time and try very hard to focus on only that item or area. Distraction is the key to disorganization.
- Catch the after-holiday sales on seasonal items (i.e. holiday cards & packaging, decorations) for the best bargains.
- Create a home filing system for bills and paperwork. If you already have one, purge old papers.
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| February Cupid’s watching… ^ |
- Order flowers early to avoid last minute markups and lower quality.
- Valentine’s candy will go on sale the day after. Buy some of your Halloween candy now. *Be sure to check expiration dates.
- Buy yourself a personal organizer. Be it electronic or notebook style--find an effective way of keeping up with daily activities and reminders.
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| March Save time... ^ |
- Try sending virtual greeting cards instead of regular cards.
- Plan all your meals in advance and if possible cook all meals for the week at one time.
- Hire a high school student or a college student to run errands like grocery shopping and picking up dry cleaning.
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| April Spring has sprung! ^ |
- Begin getting your home or office organized by delegating to others. If you share space with others, help keep yourself and others motivated by sharing the chores too.
- Put winter coats in the cleaners.
- Make sure every room has its own waste/trash container.
- Purge old files and papers--both at home and at the office.
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| May Make life easier ^ |
- Invest in a label machine. The "everything should have a place" rule is much easier to maintain with labels indicating where items belong.
- Paint walls in the kitchen and children’s rooms with glossy paint for easy clean up.
- Use online banking to pay your bills instead of writing checks.
- Learn to say no more often than yes.
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| June Summer fun ^ |
- Have a garage sale. Consider getting your community or neighborhood involved and donating the proceeds to charity.
- If you travel to a theme park, try going during a weekday to avoid longer waits.
- Begin an exercise routine to help alleviate stress. Getting in shape will help you focus better and accomplish more.
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| July Save money ^ |
- Join a savings club grocery store and buy in bulk.
- Never go grocery shopping without a list and stick to the list.
- Buy store brands. Check ingredients and be surprised to learn there usually is not a difference between the store brand and name brand.
- Shop at the outlets of your favorite stores and shop further away from the city to save more.
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| August Find time ^ |
- Chose not to answer the phone after 6 or after dinner.
- Schedule "free" time for yourself. Block out a few hours a week for doing whatever you like.
- Instead of slaving away in the kitchen, spend more time with loved ones and family by having one weekly "order-in" night.
- Purge old files and papers--both at home and at the office.
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| September Back to School ^ |
- When shopping for school supplies, many parents get "ambushed" once they are in the store. Create a list with your child and go shopping alone.
- Pack school lunches while you’re preparing dinner.
- Create a family calendar and encourage children to fill in their own activities. Make sure the calendar is in a common area and very visible.
- Give yourself a break by participating in carpools.
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| October Get ready for winter ^ |
- Make sure all your winter clothing has been picked up from the cleaners.
- Match up scarves and gloves and get rid of gloves that don’t have a match.
- Check the heating systems in your car and home.
- Change filters in your air conditioner/heater units.
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| November Holiday travel ^ |
- Pack as light as possible and carry-on essentials and valuables (i.e. medications, jewelry, tickets and ID).
- Have children be responsible for their own luggage by providing them with child size suitcases.
- To avoid over-packing, make a list of daily outfits. Re-use the basics like jeans and sneakers.
- Clean your home before you go so you don’t come back from vacation facing work as soon as you walk through the door.
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| December Holiday hubbub ^ |
- For last minute shopping, use catalogs or order online. Save time by having it gift wrapped by the company and shipped directly to the recipient.
- Write the name of gift recipients on receipts.
- Avoid shopping anxiety by giving gift certificates and cash.
- Purge old files and papers--both at home and at the office.
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