Get Organized in 2011: 7 Resolutions for a Saner YearUse this search feature to quickly find the information you’re looking for. Organized 2011: The New Year offers us all a chance to start fresh and reinvent ourselves for the better. We've just come through the sound and fury of the holidays - and our homes, nerves and bank accounts reflect it. These 7 resolutions will rejuvenate you, your home and your family. And the best part? They all build on each other. Resolution #1: Downsize, darling!
Walking through the mounds of gifts in my home, I made a renewed commitment to an old rule.For every new item (bathrobe, earrings, slippers) that arrives, three things have to say adios. Before anyone puts away any presents, they must deposit a minimum of three bags of donations in the garage. (I do this to make counting all the stuff going in and out at this busy time a non-issue.) Bag, please. Two more, please. You may now take your Santa stash to your room. Now move on to your Christmas stuff. Anything that you didn't use this year? Chances are you won't use it next year, either. Donation pile. Go through your drawers, your closets. Yes, you want to keep a few cozy T-shirts and jeans for Saturday sports or painting with the kids. But you don't need two dozen. Toss, please. And that collection of hotel shampoos that you've been working on for the last decade? You don't need them all surely. Donate to your neighborhood shelter or favorite charity. Resolution #2: Divide, conquer and label.The perfect time to get organized is now - a new year ahead; and you've downsized. You've got a little room. Now you can finally put everything organized.Just make sure you label it this year. I slap labels on just about anything that doesn't move these days. Drawers, linen cabinet shelves, in-boxes for each family member. It makes all the difference when you've reorganized because you and the family have virtually directions for putting things back in their new places. For example, when you take down your tree and your decorations, take time to label each box. I not only put down what is in the box but also the category and a box number to keep each one organized. Next, find a corner of the garage, basement or attic to store all the Christmas stuff together. Apply that same method to the whole house, starting with closets and drawers, ending with your neatly labeled storage boxes in the garage. Resolution #3: A neater, cleaner home.Now that you've decluttered, organized and downsized, cleaning should be a breeze. Often, clutter is what really makes cleaning hard.To make the job easier, first have an organized schedule of when you do what: Laundry is Monday nights; bathrooms are Saturday morning; trash is Sunday nights, etc. That makes sure that nothing gets forgotten and spreads the work out into manageable portions throughout the week. Next, do the actual cleaning room by room. Don't allow yourself to dart all over the house. When I clean the living room, for example, first I pull everything moveable out to the hall: rugs, knickknacks, throws, plants. Now I have clean surfaces to dust and vacuum. Then I return the accessories, cleaning each one as I replace it. Invariably, there is still a pile of stuff left in the hall - stuff that didn't belong in the living room in the first place. I return these to their proper homes. And voila! One room is ready. Resolution #4: Simpler, saner lives.We not only ricochet through the house as we clean - we ricochet through life just as madly.We rush Billy to soccer, Cindy to ballet, ourselves to meetings. We race around town getting dry cleaning, manicures, groceries, pet supplies. Breakfasts are a free-for-all-mad-dash most mornings. Dinners are endangered. Homework goes on into the wee hours of the night. We didn't grow up like this. What happened?! We all unwittingly veer into the fast lane of family life - and get stuck there. A lot of it is peer pressure. All Cindy's friends are in ballet, so of course she wants to do it. But all Cindy's friends are also in the community theater which 'only' rehearses two nights a week.... And so it goes. This is fixable in 2011. Here's how to start: Allow everyone in the family a maximum of three hobbies, not to exceed three commitments (practices, meetings, etc.) per week. If you have more than two kids, the limit might be two hobbies. That means Cindy can do ballet and theater - but not cello. And the interests can change with the season. Billy can do soccer and band in the fall. But not football. In the winter, he can change to basketball and chess club. In the spring, he can do track and swim team. Now look at your own hobbies and interests. A little tougher. Parents not only have hobbies they love to do, but also commitments they should do (PTA, volleyball team booster club, team parent.) Save at least two time slots per week for something you love to do. And limit volunteering to two more slots. 2010 is the year to learn to say 'No' and mean it. Finally, make your outings more efficient by grouping errands geographically. Write down all the places you have to drive each week (basketball, volleyball, preschool) and then write down all the errands you have to do each week (groceries, dry cleaning, gas). Now assign at least one errand to each outing so you can accomplish a minimum of two things with each trip. Resolution #5: Save money.If you faithfully adhere to resolutions No. 1 and 4, this resolution should be resolved.We waste money on things we don't need and on too many expensive extracurricular activities. Cut these out and you're halfway home. For the other half, make a couple more lists. Firest, list all the bills that have a fixed amount that must be paid in a month: mortgage, rent, health insurance, car payment, tuition, etc. Now list the necessary expenses with fluctuating costs: gas bills, electric bills, phone bills, groceries. Set up a budget for each and try to cut back on usage. Finally, list unnecessary expenses: golfing fees, lessons, clothes, Starbucks, movies, dining, Blockbuster, etc. Set a budget for each. And for best results, include the kids in the process for this one. Tell them how much is budget for family entertainment and let each kid vote on how at least part of the money should be spend. Resolution #6: Take care of myself.All of the above resolutions are about helping take car of yourself. If your home is clean, efficient and organized, you are taking care of yourself.If your time and money are well-managed, you are taking care of yourself. If your home is well organized, you should also have time to eat healthfully, exercise, and get plenty of sleep. And remember those time slots? Don't cut corners there. Your slot could be as extravagant as an occasional day at the spa or as simple as taking a long soak in the bathtub. You choose - but do it! Resolution #7: Be a better mom, significant other, friend.If you have accomplished resolutions 1 through 6, this one will take care of itself. If you find time to be good to yourself, you will find the time, energy and patience to be good to your loved ones. One just flows from the other.But you can't go directly to Resolution No. 7. These resolutions are like building blocks. If the bottom layer is unstable, you can't build on top of it. So take a deep breath and start with No. 1. Don't expect to finish the resolutions in a day, week or even a month. This is a continuous process - but an organized one that will pay off for you in the year ahead. Happy 2011! How to Organize Garage Storage
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