Posts tagged Long Time
3 Ways to Unclutter Your Life Faster
Aug 19th
Let’s face it, life is full of options and we can easily drown in the various choices that we are presented with. As we get busy to keep up with the fast changing scenes of everyday life, we often find ourselves bombarded with different kinds of clutter that snatch away our freedom to maximize our productivity.
As we move through life, we start to realize the negative effects of clutter in our lives. This is also the point when the mess has already piled up so high that we can’t even begin to imagine how to start cleaning up and get organized.
Clutter manifests itself in many different forms. It may be:
A pile of unused clothes that you wanted to get rid of Left over meals from a couple of nights ago Heaps of paper you were eyeing to throw away for a long time Or simply your inability to say no to things you cannot handle anymore.
Whatever type of mess it may be, it is important to be aware of the negative effects they have on your personal life.
Keep it Simple and Organized
Simplicity is the best way to declutter your life. Keep only those things which are important and necessary. No need to mindlessly acquire things you won’t be using anyway or storing items that have no relevance to your life.
When you learn to let go of the things you do not need, you prevent piles of unnecessary items to evade your space. Doing this makes it possible for you to make room for valuable things that can contribute to your success.
Lean to Prioritize
Sometimes we can’t help it. We have to take care of different responsibilities in our personal and professional lives. In your hectic schedule it is essential to always remember to prioritize. Don’t do not do those things that you can forego for the moment.
You can’t possibly take care of everything at the same time. So in order to spare yourself the stress of having too much on our plates, you must learn to set up your schedules. Identify what meetings and events should be prioritized. Identify what’s important and what’s urgent. From that you will be able to plan better how you can utilize what limited time you have.
Make it a Habit to Clean
We can declutter our lives b regularly cleaning our surroundings. One great stressor is being in a place that is very untidy and is really messy. It reduces your ability to think clearly and to work productively. A positive environment is a very important aspect that greatly affects your effectiveness in doing your tasks.
Getting rid of clutter is actually a very simple thing to do if you have enough discipline to value your precious space and time. Take the initiative to clean up that mess and enable yourself to reap wonderful rewards. It will truly enhance your quality of life.
Packing Tip – Plan Before You Go
Aug 16th
I’m breathing a big sigh of relief, because for the first time in months, I’m not packing.
We spent the first two weeks of July on a family safari in Africa. Then, a few days after we got back, we drove our 13-year old daughter — and her luggage — to camp for a six-week stay.
In the weeks before I go on a trip, people always ask me, “Are you packed yet?” They assume that, because I am an organizer, I pack my bags well in advance.
The truth is that I don’t pack my bags until the night before I leave.
But that doesn’t mean that I don’t THINK about packing until the night before I leave. I usually plan my packing for several weeks. In this case, because we were traveling internationally, I actually thought about packing for two months.
The secret to planning your packing is to make a list. I created a list in Excel, which allowed me to continually add to it, rearrange it, and create cute little boxes next to each item that I could check off once I actually started packing.
I started with the basics — clothing, toiletries, electronics, reading material — then added to it as I thought of more things, and as I read web sites about what to bring to Africa. That gave me plenty of time to purchase the things that I didn’t own already.
My daughter also made up an electronic packing list for camp. This enabled us to get our camp shopping done well in advance of our vacation, since we knew we wouldn’t have much slack time once we got back.
The beauty of an electronic list is that you can use it again for future trips. When you get back from a trip, you can add all the things you wish you had brought, and delete the things that you realized you didn’t need after all.
As for me, I don’t plan to be packing again for a long time. Well, at least until Visiting Day.
