Organization Tips

I want to be organized. I dream of being organized. I buy lots of totes and crates and boxes to be more organized. When it all comes down to it, I am not, and I have piles of things to go through, boxes that need to be sorted, and many things that just need to be thrown away.

Last week at Enrichment I listened to Marie Ricks speak about becoming more organized. To try to redeem myself from the last gruesome post that probably has some of you hating me or wondering where I've gone wrong in life, and in an effort to remember what I learned, I thought I'd share a few tips. Her website is full of information and suggestions and projects too (www.houseoforder.com). Most of the info below came from her, but some of it is my interpretation.

**We don't have to be 100% better to make a difference. If we can just improve our organization by 10%, we'll have 1.6 hours more per day, almost a full day per week, and at least an extra month per year.

**Every Sunday have family council. Calendar items for the week (on paper). Discuss family problems (if you bring a problem to family council, you must offer a solution). Discuss extended family pressures/obligations. In ever family council parents should say something nice about each kid, and each kid should say something nice about each parent.

**Our goal with our children/spouses should be that they develop Self Initiative.

**Learn what to leave out. A yes to one thing is a no to another (and on the flip side, a no to something, is a yes to another).

**File papers vertically--if it's PILED it's LOST, if it's FILED it's FOUND.

**To save the memory of art projects, take a picture of the child with the project, then have a funeral for the project (child is free to attend or go in room and cry).

**If something is useful and needed, keep it. If it is useful, but not needed, share it. If it is neither useful nor needed, THROW IT OUT!

**Our discontent comes from comparing with others--make sure to always compare DOWN.

**Food Storage: Store what you eat (use), and eat (use) what you store. To build food storage without breaking the bank, buy double of whatever is on your list. Marie says, "If you need one, buy two. If you need two, buy four. If you need four, buy more."

**A great organizational blog to check out: A Place For Everything which is maintained by my newly found cousin Linn (are we 3rd cousins?).

**Do you have any excellent organizational tips?