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Very soon the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburg Steelers will be
kicking off for Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa Bay. I have to
tell you, I love football. You could not have grown up in the
house with our dad and not love football. He didn't have any
boys to pass along his knowledge and love of the game to, so Ginger
and I were the beneficiaries of his passion. We have heard many a
story about how Daddy and his twin brother were quite the players in
their day, as well as view the newspaper articles with pictures of the
two leatherheads. So, since this week is full of football
coverage, I am going to run with that theme as well.
In this issue of Living Orderly, Living
Well, I have given you my play by play on the game of organizing.
Also, the month of February is right around the corner, and that, of
course, is the month we celebrate the heart. This is something else that
is very dear to me. You will find in this issue ways to keep
your heart organized and uncluttered.
Happy New Year,
Jill
The Game of Organizing
1. Be prepared on
game day with your playbook.
- Write down why you want to get organized.
- Make a list of all of the spaces or
things
that you want to get organized.
- Prioritize your list. If your closets are on
your list, then break that down even further and list each
closet you want to organize.
- Get a calendar and schedule the
time you will work on each of the projects you have
listed. Set a deadline for each one. Give yourself plenty of
time. This resolution may take all year to complete, but that is
ok. You didn't become disorganized overnight. As you finish
each project you may have to revisit your calendar and your
deadlines. You may find that it takes longer to complete a project
than you first planned for.
- Decide who will be on your team. Are
you going to work on the projects by yourself, with family
members, a friend, or hire a Professional Organizer? If you
have had trouble in the past with sorting and getting rid of things,
then you may want to hire a professional organizer.
- Stick to your game plan
and complete the projects on your list one at a time.
Don't get distracted and jump to another project before you complete
the first one, that is why projects aren't completed.
2. Line Up and Kick Into Action
- First
Down: Sort your things by
dividing
them into categories.
This down is all about creating order on the field. If you are
truly disorganized then you will have all kinds of items together that
don't belong together. Group like items together.
- Second
Down: This down is
critical because
you are going to have to
eliminate your opponent, clutter. You will really need to rely
on your teammates. Get boxes, bins, bags or whatever and label
them Keep, Recycle (Give Away or Sell), Goes Elsewhere, Store, and
Trash. Be careful of a flag
on the play, because there is a lot of room for error here.
- Third Down: Strategize the best place to
put the things you are
keeping…which drawer, shelf, cabinet, or piece of furniture will
work best with the categories you created. Really
think about how you use things, the space you have, and how accessible
they will be. Make sure you choose spaces so that each category can
be kept together.
- Fourth Down: Yes, you are going for it on
the fourth down. You are
too close now to give up. Your next play is to containerize
your things. Using containers makes it so much easier to keep the
categories together and separated. Containers are also a good way
to limit how much stuff you can keep. Look around your house
and get creative, because you may already have containers that
you can use. If you go out and buy containers, make sure you
measure before you shop.
- Touchdown: Celebrate...do a little dance…your
first organizing job is
complete!
- Kick the extra point: Maintain your
organization. Evaluate
your system…How are things going?...Is it easy to put things away?
If you need to make changes, make them. The system needs to work for
you in order for you to keep it up.
- Line Up and Kick Off: Go to your next
project and repeat downs.
If you find you need a coach, I am available. You can
reach me by
phone at 813-685-9986 or by email at
jill@livingorderly.com.
Keep Your Heart Clutter Free
January was Get Organized Month, and hopefully you spent
some time getting rid of your clutter and bringing order to your home or
office. February is designated as American Heart Month, so now it
is time to remove the clutter from your heart. Heart disease is
usually associated with men, but it is also the number one cause of death
among women. The great news is that heart disease can be prevented.
Some
of the things the American Heart Association suggests you can do to
keep your heart clutter free are:
- Get moving: Become physically
active at
least 30 minutes a day.
- Know your numbers: Cholesterol
(LDL and HDL), Blood Pressure, and
Triglycerides.
- Limit your salt intake to 2300 mg of sodium
a
day.
- Eat a heart healthy diet, including more whole
grains, fish, fresh fruits and
vegetables.
- Limit food high in saturated fats and dietary
cholesterol.
- If you smoke, stop smoking now.
- If you drink alcoholic beverages, drink in
moderation.
Managing
the stress in your life is another important thing you can do for your
heart. No one is immune to stress in life, so you must learn to
control your reaction to it. The more control you feel you have
over your life, the healthier your heart will be. If you can gain
control of your environment, you will certainly have a step up on
managing your stress. As a professional organizer, I believe that
you can reduce stress in your life by bringing order to your
surroundings. When you get rid of the clutter in your life, you can
begin to really focus on the people and things that are important to you.
For
more tips and information be sure to visit us at www.livingorderly.com.
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