Organize Yourself

While most of my suggestions come in the form of physical organization, I feel that my strongest area of organizational ability is with "life organization." What I mean by this is living a fully organized life - being on time, being prepared for the unexpected and the expected, accomplishing necessary tasks, planning ahead and having a schedule. The ability to organize yourself in these respects really sets you apart from the average person.

I could tell you everything I do that helps me to be completely organized, but that's not going to matter if you lack motivation and desire to stick with it and organize yourself. So, first thing first, it is vital that you create a positive mindset that allows you to focus on being organized in your day-to-day functions.



Generally speaking, I am rarely late. This is because of my meticulous daily planning. If I have to be somewhere really early I adapt my schedule so that I can get ready and be out the door with more than enough time to get to wherever I need to be. I also plan ahead the night before by setting out what I am going to wear, packing a lunch, checking the weather and writing down directions so that I am not scrambling to get everything done that morning. Think about all of the elements it takes to be on time (better yet, be 5 minutes early) and work backwards to determine what time you need to run out the door, not to mention what time you need to wake up. Factor in things like getting gas, dropping the kids off at daycare and, of course, traffic. Also, if it does help, set your clocks at least 5 minutes fast. I must note that my dad sets his clocks 10 minutes fast and that doesn't seem to solve the problem.

I think that I am very well prepared for the unexpected each day. In a regular purse I always carry things that I may need, like hair binders, bandages and lip balm, but I also carry items like a spare feminine hygiene product, tissues or a safety pin. I like to think ahead to what I may need at any given time. Otherwise, it's great to store extras or an emergency kit in your car, desk or backpack for when you need them. Other suggestions for your emergency kit are: ibuprofen, breath mints, deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste, a lint roller, an umbrella and stain remover. Having a good stock of "just in case supplies" really helps me to prepare for just about everything.

Some of my favorite and most useful tools of keeping me on schedule are my handy dandy planner and post-it notes. I use my planner to keep track of scheduled meetings or appointments, but I use a piece of paper or a fun sticky note to outline what I need to accomplish in a day. When I create a to-do list it helps me to write out each task and prioritize the items or schedule a time to get everything done. Take advantage of various schedulers like planners, your Outlook or Google calendar, Lotus Notes, sticky notes, desk calendars, wall calendars, a small notebook or even just a sheet of paper.



Another note about planning ahead and being prepared for the unexpected is to prepare yourself in advance to ensure you never run out of something. I can't imagine running out of toilet paper, toothpaste, shampoo or dog food and realizing it at the last minute when I'm in a hurry to get out the door and don't have time to go stock up. So, plan ahead. Take note on when things are getting low and add them to your list then instead of after you've already run out. Before I make my regular run to Target I always do a quick check of everything to make sure that I have enough to last me a few weeks until at least the next trip. This goes for food also. Plan ahead for when you're about to use the last of the coffee cream, milk, eggs and bread so that you don't ever run completely dry.