Organize your Stuff
Organization. It’s the buzz word of the month of January.
How do we stay organized? How do we even start?
We start with a command center. When I was younger, my command center was my brain. As I have grown, I’ve discovered that real estate in my brain is prime real estate. Why should I share some of that prime space with the grocery list? Write it down! But then, where did I put the notecard that I put it on? This is why we need a command center. A brain for our household and family. A place that houses all of our tasks, papers, mail, and events. Saving our brain from overload is a good thing!
First: Tangibles
How do we organize the mail, papers from school, bills, and anything that we can lay our hands on? The best way to organize these tangible items is to only touch them once. When you get the mail, sort it as you walk into the house and put everything away right then. Let’s face it, 90% of that mail is trash anyway. So throw it away. The other 10% is maybe a bill, letter, or magazine. Setup places to keep these items.
- I keep my magazines on the coffee table. We only subscribe to one, so it’s super simple to keep clean. But even if you subscribe to three or four, you can keep magazines in a simple holder by the couch or wherever you read them. Just remember these two things: 1. Throw out any magazine that is 2 issues old (for monthly magazines that’s older than 2 month, for biweekly, that’s older than 1 month). 2. When the magazine comes in the mail, put it in the magazine spot immediately. Don’t place it on the table when you come in, put it where it belongs the first time.
- Bills should be kept close to where you balance your checkbook. My mother had a bill box on the bar in the kitchen that all bills went into. She always kept her checkbook, a pen, register, calculator, stamps, and a few envelopes in there. This made bill pay day super simple. Nowadays, you most likely pay bills online, so maybe you create a spot on your desk or in the drawer by the computer. Just make sure it’s a special location that you only put bills and other paperwork needing to be dealt with when you pay bills. A cluttered drawer full of bills, stamps, and your child’s artwork is not a welcome sight if you only have 10 minutes to complete your bill paying.
- Papers from school can be more difficult to sort. Not only do they require different responses, but they often come in crumpled up wads from your children two seconds before they have to be completed. This is a great place to help your children start to learn how to organize. Show them how to clean out their school backpacks right when they get home and sort their papers. Throw away trash, file schoolwork that they need to keep, and collect any papers that you need from them. Once you’ve received their papers, you need to determine which ones require you to do something and return. If it’s a permission slip, complete it right then and place it back into your child’s folder to be returned. If it’s a calendar or some other point of information that you need, then put it where you need to see it. A lot of parents put those on the fridge. I can’t stand things on my fridge so I put them in a simple file box sorted by category. Other moms convert the item to digital form and save it on the computer, throwing away the original. Find out what works for you and stick to it!
When it comes to organizing life, simple is the key. If you make your organization complex, then you won’t want to stick with it.
Join us for our monthly educator session as we explore this topic of organization further!
When? January 28th @ 5pm est
How? Register for the webinar below. You will receive an email with instructions on how to join the webinar.
How Much? It’s Free! A recording will be available to Scio Academy members only.
- Space is limited, so register now!