Getting Organized is the Initial Step

Here are some great ideas for organizing your household, managing money, and keeping personal records. You will learn how to get the most out of storage space and the best ways to install shelves and other storage systems. In short, getting organized is the initial step toward running an efficient household.

Organizing Your Household

The first step to organizing your household is YOU.

Getting organized is not an end in itself. There is no "right" way to do things--unless it's right for you. It must fit your style, your energy, and your schedule. Whatever system helps you to function most effectively is the best one for you.

Beware of the tail-wagging-the-dog situation, in which the appointment book, the budget and expenditures records, the filing system, and the master list take more time to maintain than working out the problems they're supposed to solve.

Are you a morning or night person? Your efficiency may increase if you arrange your tasks as much as possible around the rhythms of your body. 

Try scheduling your top-priority projects during your peak hours, routine work during your "low" time.

The key is to start now.  If you have a call to make, start dialing. A letter to write? Start writing.

Using the "salami" method to reach your goal is beneficial. If the size of your project overwhelms you, tackle it a piece at a time. 

You wouldn't eat a salami whole; you'd cut it into slices. Therefore, do the same thing with your big household project...and wallah! Easier function.

Everything from organizing space to organizing housework becomes easier when organization is the focus.

The Master List

Use a large poster-sized master calendar that displays a full year to organize your family's activities and to keep track of everyone's schedule.

At the beginning of the year, enter all important family dates: birthdays, anniversaries, holidays. Also, enter appointments, as they are made, for everyone in the family.

Buy a notebook small enough to carry with you at all times. This notebook becomes your master list, a single continuous list that replaces those little scraps of paper.

In the notebook, keep track of errands, appointments, things to do or buy, and items that require action.

As appointments approach, transfer dates from your master calendar to the notebook. Seems like a lot of work and focus. It is. But it's worth it.

Shop around in stationery and office-supply stores for the notebook that best serves your purpose. There's a large selection to choose from.