Blog a Job! Part 5 The Transformation Complete!

The Transformation Complete!

Let the fun begin! This is the last work session with my client, Becky, and her home office.

During our previous work sessions, we literally worked our way through the room and through many years of paperwork and accumulated clutter. We were working in a room, which lacked identity and purpose, and that made it way too easy to continually add to the clutter and chaos.

We were able to reorganize the past, disposing of everything that was not needed in the present and organize treasures and precious memories for their enjoyment in the future. We set up a current working filing system and archive files for storage. We sorted through many years of craft and sewing supplies, and were able to purge the useless and organize the useful.

As the process continued, we were able to define what tasks Becky wanted to accomplish in her office and therefore, which clearly defined zones would be established in her space. She was left with an area for books, crafts and sewing, her office area with her desk and current files and the closet which would store off-season clothing, gift wrap, craft and office supplies.

Becky is a creative soul. She is both vibrant and gracious, and she is overflowing with personality and style. She had decorated her office, but the style was literally lost in the clutter. Once we cleared out the clutter, we were able to edit some of her decorative items and were left with a stylish office space that is light, bright, and functional.

We were able to use much of what Becky already owned and therefore had to spend very little money on supplies, while creating her new space. Becky purchased the craft supply cart, jars for the ribbons on the shelves and some filing supplies.

It is my hope that by following the progression of this organizing job and the transformation of this space, that you are both encouraged and challenged to imagine the possibilities of your home “In Order” for “Life”!

Check out Blog a Job! Part 1, Blog a Job! Part 2, Blog a Job! Part 3 and Blog a Job! Part 4 for the complete story! Also, check out the Before and After Gallery for pictures of our progress from beginning to end.

Thanks Becky, for opening your home and your life and allowing me to be part of this transformation.

It has truly been a pleasure!

Cheryl

Developing a Simple and Effective Household Filing System

 At the beginning of the year, as part of my “Get Organized 2009″ series, we began tackling the challenge of paper management within our homes. Starting with “Help, My Kitchen is My File Cabinet” in January and continuing in February with “Quick Access Files…Don’t Live an Organized Life Without Them” and “Junk All That Junk Mail”, I have been teaching you how to handle basic paper flow within your home.

Now it’s time to tackle your Basic Household Filing System. It’s time to change your thinking a bit, get organized and simplify. Does it sound like a daunting task? It doesn’t have to be!

 You should be able to retrieve any paper in less than one minute—if that’s not the case, it may be time to revamp that old system and start anew. Unless you already have a system that’s at least 75 percent effective, I recommend starting from scratch. Then incorporate your old files into your new system.

 If you can retrieve any paper in less than a minute, you have an organized and effective filing system and you can stop reading. Congratulations!

The first step in developing an effective household filing system is to understand both what it is and what it is not. These files are different than your “Quick Access Files”, which hold information that you need to access often and quickly. Many times, quick access files are used for a season and then discarded or updated. Occasionally, if they contain documents or information that you will want to keep in your permanent files, they can be transferred to your basic household filing system. Some examples of information found in your Quick Access Files” are, invitations, schedules, announcements, appointment reminders and take out menues. You need to access these files daily and quickly and for that reason, they should be kept in the hub of the home.

Your Household Filing System, on the other hand, does not need to be accessed as often. These files are your basic household working files, which hold current, important documents and records used for routine activities like bill paying, tax and financial statement documentation, medical information and home maintenance. They need to be accessible, but not located in the hub of the home. Generally, when you are writing bills or dealing with your household paperwork, you need a bit of quiet. For this reason, consider finding space in your home office, or even a quiet corner of your bedroom.

The secret to a good filing system is to keep it simple. Whatever system you use should make it easy to find what you need, be easy to maintain and make sense to everyone who may need to use it. If it isn’t simple and effective, it won’t get used.

Filing is not about storage, but rather it is about finding what you need when you need it. Instead of trying to figure out what you can toss, determine what you need to keep. There is a huge difference! 80% of the papers that we file away will never get looked at again. If you aren’t sure what to save, ask yourself the following questions – if you don’t answer yes, toss it.

• Are there tax/legal reasons to keep it?
• Will it help me complete a project I’m working on right now?
• Do I have time to do anything with this piece of paper in the future?
• If I ever needed it again, would it be hard to get from someone else?
• Is the information up-to-date?
• Would my work/life change if I didn’t have it?
• Is the same information easily accessible online?

Document Retention guides are available online. Just google “household document retention guides”, and you will find a number of guides to choose from.  Use them as a guideline, and be sure to check with your accountant or lawyer for advise about a particular situation or document.

“Man’s best friend, aside from the dog, is the wastebasket”.      Business Week

Remember this truth and always have your friend with you when dealing with paperwork!

With these tips in mind, let’s begin!

First, separate your filing system into 3-5 basic subjects: I generally use 3 Main subjects: 1. Family and Personal, 2. Possessions, and 3. Finances. You can separate each category by placing them in separate drawers, or by using separate color hanging files for each subject area.

Your next step is to assign broad categories within each subject, and place each broad category in it’s own hanging file.

Family and Personal – Create Broad Categories for:  Each person in your family, Medical Insurance, Each Animal in your family, Each Organization that you are associated with

For example: Within the subject of “Family and Personal“, I may have hanging folders for the following broad categories:

1. Family Members (1 hanging file for each family member)
2. Pets (1 hanging file for each pet)
3. Relatives and/or Contacts
4. Memberships
5. Insurance
6. Church/Ministry
7. Volunteer Organizations

Possessions– Include anything you OWN – Create Broad Categories for Automobiles, Home Purchases, Home Improvements, Large Appliances, Small Appliances, Large Electronics, Small Electronics, Your Current Home, Home Utilities, Home Services

Finances – Include anything having to do with your finances – Create Broad Categories for Bank Accounts, Credit Accounts, Investments and College Savings Plan

Finally, assign specific categories within each broad category and place each specific category in it’s own manila folder in the hanging folder. For example: Within the broad category of each family member, I place 3-4 mainla folders labeled; “Personal“, “Health“, “Education“, and “Employment“. The Personal file will hold birth certificate, social security card, passport, and other important certificates. The Health file will hold important health records, dental records and immunization records. The Education file will house permanent test results, transcripts, degrees, letters of recommendations, awards, and any other permanent records. Finally, the Education” file will hold resumes, contracts, benefits, retirement information and social security records.

Of course your family filing system will change as your life changes. You won’t have an “Education” or “Employment” file for your newborn, but can add those as the need arised in the years to come. Likewise, you may have additional files for the faily member(s) who are in the workforce for a long period of time. You may have categories of “Employment”, “Past Employment”, “Future Employment Goals” ect. The beauty of creating your own, personalized filing system is the ability to tailor it to your own needs.

For this reason, I do not recommend purchasing a pre-designed filing sytem. It WON’T be simple. At least not for you. You will have to spend time fitting your categories into their categories. It is much easier to create your own categories, wtih titles that make sense to you so that you will be able to remember them. I also don’t recommend filing alphabetically. It’s way too much to remember for this pee brain! Is my VW Bug filed under “V” for VW, “B” for Bug, “A” for Auto or “C” for Car?? 

Next week I will post additional tips, ideas and supply ideas for your filing system.

Happy Filing!

Cheryl

The Great Exchange

Welcoming in Spring and Summer 

Do you find yourself rooting through back closets for suntan lotion and baseball caps, or through your storage shed for lawn chairs and charcoal, or maybe through your bottom drawers for shorts and t-shirts?

Make life easy on yourself and take an afternoon to “Do the Great Exchange”. It is the time of year to pack away the fall and winter clothes and stuff and unearth your spring and summer apparel and gear.

Begin with your clothes. While you’re at it, take a few extra minutes to sort and purge before you pack your fall and winter clothes away.

Do you remember the old 80/20 rule? It’s true! We do tend to wear 20% of our clothing 80% of the time. As you take the time to sort and purge you’re off season clothes, make it your goal to purge a higher percentage of your clothing so that you LOVE and KEEP what you will actually wear. Don’t you love it when you’re on vacation and you have a suitcase filled with all of your favorite clothes? It simplifies both your choices and your laundry.

If you’re having a difficult time figuring out if you should keep a specific item of clothing, ask yourself the following questions:

Is the item in good condition? Does it have stains or tears or is it too worn? Can it (or will it) be mended? Is it still in style?

• Do I love it, or even like it? Does it make me feel great to wear it?
• When was the last time I wore this? If you didn’t wear it last season, you probably won’t wear during the next season!
• How many do I currently own of this type of item? How many do I realistically wear or need?
• Does it fit? If not, is it within a reasonable number of size ranges of my current size to keep it?

Now that you have determined which fall and winter clothes you will be holding on to, it’s time to consider where to store them. If space allows, simply move the off season clothing to the back of the closet, bringing the spring and summer clothes to the front of the closet. Then, rotate them back as the season’s change. Alternatively, you can move your off season clothes from your closet to a spare closet. If you don’t have room within a closet, consider purchasing a freestanding closet to store in your finished basement, finished attic or guestroom. Finally, you can store your off season clothes in a bin labeled with your name and “Fall/Winter Clothes”.

Before storing away off-season clothes, take these 3 simple steps to protect them: Clean, Contain, and Repel.

• Clean – Moths and carpet beetles are the primary pests that can cause damage, and they are attracted to natural fibers like wool and cotton. They also feed on organic stains. Always clean clothes before storing them away.
• Contain – in a clean, dark and dry location, such as a closet, freestanding closet, storage box or bin to deter pests
• Repel – Use all natural cedar to repel pests

It’s also the perfect time to take note of any clothing needs for next fall and winter and take advantage of those last winter clearance sales.

Next, switch out the snow suits, gloves and hats for the beach towels, goggles, and suntan lotions. Find a home for these items near the front door, where you will be coming and going all spring and summer.

Clean off the snow boards, skis, and sleds and store them away for the summer, while pulling out the volleyball nets, croquet and badminton set, lawn chairs, and charcoal.

The rain IS  going to stop! And you will be ready to enjoy the season.

Happy (and organized!) Spring.

Ahhh Spring…………Time to CLEAN?

I LOVE spring. I look forward to it all winter. Many things come to mind when I think spring: light, clean, cool, Easter, outdoors, sun, open windows, longer days, flowers, and……. SPRING CLEANING?

I LOVE the IDEA of spring cleaning and actually having every surface of my home clean at the same time! But, I must say, I have 5 very good reasons NOT to spring clean. 5 acres, 4 kids, 3 cats, 2 dogs and only 1 life, and this life is ready to celebrate and enjoy spring!

According to wikipedia, “spring cleaning refers to the yearly act of cleaning a house from top to bottom which would take place in the first warm days of the year typically in spring, hence the name.” In the past, homes were heated by wood fires and come the end of winter, there was a definite need to open up the house and clean out, top to bottom.

I have the desire to have every surface of my home clean. But, I don’t want to spend my days cleaning, during what can be the most beautiful time of the year! What’s the alternative?

Rather than cramming all your heavy cleaning jobs into a week or two in the spring, have a year long cleaning plan. Create a check off list of ALL the jobs you wish to accomplish throughout the year. Think of it as spreading your SPRING CLEANING throughout 12 months, rather than 2 weeks. Then set aside 30-45 minutes per week to devote to heavy cleaning. With very little effort, you have set aside almost 40 hours (45 minutes x 52 weeks) which, practically speaking, is more time than you would devote to “Spring Cleaning” anyway. And best of all, you have a clean house AND you are able to get outside and enjoy spring!

Throughout the year, do the jobs that make sense for the season.

Then in March and April do only your “spring” jobs. They might include:

• We will be opening windows soon and getting outside, it’s the perfect time to clean the windows, sills and screens
• Clean off the porches and decks. Pull out the cushions and deck furniture
• Switch out fall and winter clothes for spring and summer. Take advantage of this time to purge and lighten your load.  Any clothes that you haven’t worn in the past season should be tossed or donated, depending on their condition. To protect clothes that are being stored, remember to wash them before packing them away and then, make sure they are stored in a clean, cool, dark, and dry place. It’s also the perfect time to take note of any clothing needs for next fall and winter and take advantage of winter clearance sales.
• Switch out the snow suits, gloves and hats for the beach towels, goggles and suntan lotions.
• Finally, get outside and begin your garden projects!

Enjoy spring AND a clean house!

Happy (and organized) spring!

Cheryl

It’s Time to LAUNCH into a More Organized Life!

Did you know that the average American spends nearly an hour every day looking for simple things? How sad! Think what YOU would do with an extra hour every day. It may seem like an inflated estimate, but let’s think it through a bit.

What do you typically spend your precious time searching for? Keys? Wallet? Shoes? Library books? School papers? Important documents? Tools? The list goes on.

Much of what we spend our time searching for includes items we need in order to get out the door. And isn’t that the most frustrating time to be searching? I’m sure you can picture it:

• The bus will be in front of the house in 3 minutes, but first your sweet child needs to find their jacket and shoes, signed permission slip, gym uniform, lunch and library books. Chances are you just wasted 5-10 minutes searching along with 15-30 minutes in drive time, shuttling them to school because they missed their bus.
• Your husband is getting ready to leave for work, but where are his keys, brief case, lunch and black belt? Just a few minutes late, and he’s more likely to be stuck in rush hour traffic. Precious minutes wasted in his day before it even begins.
• You are ready to leave for a meeting, and had planned to run errands on the way home. You are now frantically searching for your brief case, the black pumps you wore Saturday night,  your grocery list and the library books that are due today. You run out of time, give up on finding the grocery list and library books, and head for the meeting, arriving just in time. Consequently, you add 30 minutes to your day having to run back by the house after work to retrieve your grocery list and library books.

Ok, now that you can relate to the problem, what is the solution? Part of the solution is the creation of a “Launching Pad”. It’s a place within your home that you designate as THE place to put anything you will need as you leave your home. It can include your keys and purse, library books to be returned, and the little neighbor’s  sweat shirt that was left at your home last week. Also, items such as your grocery list and errand plan, store returns and your PTA file needed for the next meeting.  You get the picture.

You tend to have a “Launching Pad”, whether you consciously plan to or not. Without a plan, your Launching Pad tends to be your kitchen counter or table, again adding to your kitchen clutter. So take a few minutes and think through a logical place for your launching pad, preferably near the door that you normally use. You could designate a kitchen cabinet near your “Quick Access Files”. Or you could designate a shelf in the laundry room, if it happens to be near the door. Be creative and look around your house for space that is available and makes sense.

This same concept works beautifully for your children. Create a place for them to keep their coats, shoes, backpacks and anything else that they may need as they walk out the door for school. This space could include hooks for coats, cubbies for shoes and larger cubbies for backpacks.

Hooks and Shoe Cubbies

 We actually have a small “Launching Room” in our home, with space for our children’s as well as our own coats, shoes, backpacks and other items coming and going out of our home. We were able to customize this space with labels for coat hooks and cubbies for each child. This both simplifies and organizes, saving many minutes and ultimately hours of search time.

Cubbies for the Kids

In my previous post, I recommended creating “Quick Access Files” which will enable you to quickly find all those bits of information that you need often. The Launching Pad perfectly compliments the Quick Access Files!

Later this month we will look at creating a simple, yet effective long term filing system. If you can’t find any document within a minute’s time, your filing system is not as effective as it could be. Having an easy and effective long term filing system is yet another time saver.

Have Happy and Organized Days!

Cheryl

Junk all that Junk Mail!

In an effort to take back and clear out the piles of papers in your kitchens and dining rooms, we will learn how to “Junk all that Junk Mail”! The average American adult receives almost 560 pieces of junk mail each year. And they spend 8 months opening junk mail in the course of their lives! And we wonder why we are drowning in paper!

While striving to  ”Get Organized in 2009″, we have been looking at the universal problem of overwhelming amounts of paperwork, and the resulting piles that usually end up in the kitchen. Together we have looked at how and why this problem is created (Help, My Kitchen is My File Cabinet) and have begun to create a plan of action to eliminate it (Quick Access Files, Don’t Live an Organized Life Without Them!).

Today, we will learn how to ELIMINATE much of the problem by eliminating much of our junk mail. It takes a bit of effort, but the savings in time, energy, and waste are well worth it.

I wish I could give you one phone number to call, similar to the National Do Not Call Registry, but it hasn’t been completed yet. Check out the New American Dream site: http://www.newdream.org/junkmail/state.php to see the progress on the “Do Not Junk” registries.

Until then, there are several steps you can take to reduce the amount of junk mail you receive:

• Get off the Junk Mailing List. Visit the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service. Go to www.dmachoice.org , click on “Remove My Name from Those Lists,” and follow their instructions for removal.The DMA estimates that listing with their mail preference service will stop 75% of all national mailings

• Eliminate credit card junk mail. Most credit card companies use a central service to screen out people who don’t want to receive their mailings. To avoid getting most credit card junk mail, call 1-888-OPTOUT (888-567-8688).

• Stop junk mail before it begins. Whenever you fill out a form or place an order, always write “Do not rent or exchange my name” or ask the order taker to please “flag your file” so that your information won’t be shared.

• Eliminate the extra papers and advertisements sent to you with current bills by signing up for automatic payment. This will eliminate paperwork, and save you time and save money on postage.

• Stop the Catalogs. Most catalogs have an 800 number that customers can use to place orders. Use this same number to call and request that your name be taken off of their mailing list. You can also go to Catalog Choice at www.catalogchoice.org. This site allows you to type in whatever catalog or mailer you receive and opt out. Just be careful that you don’t sign up to receive more catalogs than those you opt out of!

Other helpful websites:

• www.junkbusters.com : provides further guidelines for reducing junk mail. You will find step by step directions to “gain control of your mailbox”.

• www.obviously.com : provides a free on-line do-it-yourself guide to stopping junk mail, emails and phone calls

Do you have more money than time? You may want to try one of the following services:

• www.41pounds.org will do the work for you. They are a nonprofit organization working to eliminate junk mail and charge only $41 for 5 years. That’s only $8.20 per year!

•  Purchase the Stop the Junk Mail Kit developed by the Consumer Research Institute. Go to www.stopjunk.com. The kit is $13.95 for the printed version ($9.95 for additional kits) or $10.95 for the PDF version. This simple kit was researched and developed by a former junk mail copywriter. The kit includes simple stop by step directions as well as pre-addressed postcards to make the job of ending junk mail simple.

• www.privacycouncil.org will do the work for you. The Privacy Council describes itself as “marketers committed to privacy”. Their mission is simple: they strive to collectively put an end to unwanted junk mail, SPAM and phone calls. The Privacy Council offers a full removal service, which removes your household from call lists, email lists, and junk mail lists. The initial cost for this service is $9.

This is only a drop in the bucket. A quick google search of “stop junk mail” brings up nearly 10 million sites. So, use my suggestions, or research your own. But, certainly DO simplify your life and clear out your kitchen by “Junking all that Junk Mail!”

Happy (and organized) Days!

Cheryl                  

Quick Access Files…….Don’t Live an Organized Life Without Them!

Last time in “Help, My Kitchen is My File Cabinet”, I referred to the universal problem of overwhelming amounts of paperwork, and the resulting piles that usually end up in the kitchen. Part of the solution to this problem is the creation of Quick Access Files.

Quick Access Files are just that– files that you need to access often and quickly. Don’t let the word “file” in “Quick Access Files” throw you. These are files containing different information than we generally keep in our regular “Filing Cabinet”.

  My Personal Quick Access Files

 

To create “Quick Access Files”, gather up all the bits of information lying around and plastered to your kitchen. Then separate them into logical categories. Because each of our lives and habits are different, so too will be each of our Quick Access Files.

You may end up with:

• A file for each school, which will hold current phone lists, school calendars, announcements, and newsletters
• A file for every sports team or club
• A file for volunteer organizations, which will hold current phone lists, announcements, schedules and newsletters
• Or, you may choose to create a file for each family member in which you can place all the information from each school, club or organization
• A “doctor/dentist” file with contact information, directions and appointment cards (which you will drop in the file AFTER you write it on the calendar)
• A file for prescriptions which can hold patient information for any current prescriptions that your family members are using
• A file for take out menus
• A file for parties and invitations (which you drop in AFTER you write on the calendar)
• A file for coupons and gift cards

For many of these categories you will also have a file in your regular file cabinet. For instance, each child will have an “Education” file in your regular files in which you will put all their permanent records, report cards and testing information. Each family member will have a “Medical” file, which will hold immunization records, surgery, allergy and all permanent medical records.

These papers, invitations, schedules, announcements, appointment reminders and take out menus in your Quick Access File will generally be  used for a season and then discarded or updated. At the end of a school year or sports season, for example, most of the contents of the Quick Access File will be discarded. Any important information or documents, however, will be added to your regular long term filing system, and your Quick Access Files are ready for a new season!

Several of my clients have been hesitant to create a Quick Access File because their spouses didn’t like the idea of a file box setting out in the kitchen or family room. You may kindly suggest, to these well meaning spouses, that a small, nice looking file box (think compact and attractive) looks much nicer than a pile of papers in disarray!

Check out some of these links for ideas.  Be creative!

www.containerstore.com

 

 

www.containerstore.com

Happy and Organized Days!

Cheryl

 

 

Help, My Kitchen is My File Cabinet!

Take a quick look around your kitchen and dining room: the kitchen table, the counter tops, the buffet, and the surfaces of your refrigerator. Do you notice a re-occurring theme? Do you see the mounds of information needed to run your home and your life, spread hit or miss around your kitchen? Is the pile of junk mail, catalogs, and newspapers on your kitchen table blocking your view of your loved ones at dinner? If so, you’re not alone.

Do you realize how much paperwork enters your home on a daily basis? Most of us probably receive more mail on most days than our parents received in a week. We receive newsletters, magazines, bills, advertisements, million dollar offers, and letters, to mention a few. Along with incoming mail, many of us have school-aged children, who each bring home permission slips, completed work, tests to be signed, the dreaded fund-raising packets and letters from teachers and administrators. We receive the Daily Newspaper, and we carry in papers on a daily basis from work, meetings and appointments.

In my time as a professional organizer, I have come across a universal problem of overwhelming amounts of paperwork, and the resulting piles that usually end up in the kitchen. In our efforts to “Get Organized in 2009″, we will look at this all-too-common issue and outline simple solutions that can solve this problem and simplify your days.

 Together we will create a plan of action. A place for everything and everything in it’s place! Clutter happens when we don’t have a place for something, or when it’s more difficult to put something away than it is to deal with it. The result is the inevitable cluttering up of our spaces and our lives.

As we create a plan for all the paper coming into our homes, we will ask ourselves some very basic questions:

• Who needs this information?

• Where will I/they need or use this information?

• How long do I need/want to keep this information?

• What time of day does most of this information come into the home?

• Do I have time to put it where it belongs?

The majority of the paper coming into your home will NEVER need to be looked at again!

                “Man’s best friend, aside from the dog, is the wastebasket”.           Business Week

Remember this truth and always have your friend with you when dealing with paperwork. That’s the first and most essential step! Until next time, I challenge you to quickly recycle or simply throw out that which you don’t need or won’t use. Make it a habit, and your piles may actually start declining!

In my next series of articles, I will encourage you with other simple tips and strategies to take back and clear out the piles in your kitchens and dining rooms.

Happy Days!

Cheryl

Kids and Time Management

Taking the Nagging out of Parenting

Sound too good to be true?

Read on……….

I returned home from teaching the first session of an organizing workshop.  One section of the workshop was devoted to “Becoming the family Manager”.  Some of the specific skills we discussed included:

• Thinking through what needs to be done before forging through our day.

• Based on these needs, developing a plan of action.

• Writing that plan down and sticking to it.

• Using the “Kindergarten Model of Organization” and storing everything needed for a specific task at its point of use.

• And using a timer to help keep you on task.

Soon after returning home, I checked my emails and found a recommendation from a fellow organizer for a great new product, On Task On Time for Kids, by Timely Matters, Inc.  The timer is designed to help children develop these same time management skills.

On Task On Time for Kids is a unique time management system designed to be used by kids to help them organize routines in the morning (getting ready for school), in the afternoon (transitioning from school to home activities), and in the evening (getting ready for bed).

Daily routines are created by applying task stickers to a Routine Disk.  The Routinre Disk is then inserted into the On Task Timer Unit, and the child sees what tasks should be completed, what tasks should be done now, and what tasks are coming up next.

It is designed for children between the ages of five and twelve and is available with both girl and boy illustartions.  It is easy to read (even for pre-readers), fun to look at, and easy to carry.

“Let On Task On Time for Kids ease you and your family in and out of your day, reduce stress, and take the nagging out of parenting!”

Check it out.  Give it a try……….

Visit Timely Matters, Inc. at www.timelymatters.com for ordering information.

Hmm……Do you think we could come up with a version for the High School student!?

Blessings to you!

Cheryl

The Timer is Our Friend

I am a morning person. I wake up ready to move, with a racing mind and many good intentions. Generally, there is more on my mind than I could possibly accomplish and I have a tendency to try and accomplish way too many things at one time, moving from one project to another, not accomplishing any of them.

On my best days, I hit the floor running and I multitask beautifully. On a good day, I discipline myself to finish one thing before starting another. On a jumbled day, I start many projects at one time, both physically and mentally jumping from one task to another, and end up a bit frustrated and behind.

I always have a mental (and often a written) list of what needs to be accomplished within the hour or even the next few minutes. But as I begin work in one area, I am too often thinking about and moving on to other areas.

That is where the timer comes in.

If you find yourself “wandering” from one task or project to another and having difficulty completing any of them, try utilizing the timer. It is amazing what you can accomplish in a specific room or on a specific task when you are truly uninterrupted.

If I set the timer for just 10 minutes and determine to focus on one area (for example, the kitchen and only the kitchen) for those 10 minutes, I can truly whip that room into shape. Then I’ll turn the timer off and move on to more, shall we say, exciting or challenging tasks at hand.

You can also use the timer to help you complete larger jobs. Rather than being overwhelmed with the enormity of a job, try setting a timer for 30 minutes or an hour. Truly focus on the task at hand, and determine to stop when the timer goes off. Then repeat this process as many times as necessary to complete the task. I think you will be amazed at what you have accomplished in a short, uninterrupted period of time and you will find it will go much faster than you imagined.

Moms, you can also use the timer to help your small children complete a task. They too, may be overwhelmed by very simple jobs. A timer with a challenge to complete a task in 3-5 minutes can help change their focus, even making it seem fun, like a game.

Yes, I truly did have to discipline myself NOT to leave my partially clean kitchen, to wander into my office and begin this article.

Happy tasks!!