Organize Your Life

Getting organized is about being in control of Your Life.
• The more organized one becomes the more you are able to think and feel better about yourself.
• One must strive for consistency; this can lead to a more organized life.
• If you spend at least 15-30 minutes a day organizing things, it will be helpful in decreasing clutter.
• Commit to a set time and schedule to help you meet the goal of organizing your life.
• Put your goals in writing and keep it visible (bulletin board) to have as a reminder.
• Use a calendar, planner, appointment book or written list to help you keep up.
• Plan how you want to start organizing your area of interest, start with your most important area.
• Have a target deadline to work towards having tasks completed. This helps you to stay focused.
• If you are not able to meet your deadline, do not stress. Modify your target date to be realistic.
• If you do not know where to start, work on the simple things such as your current mail or laundry.
• Reward yourself for everything you get to organize, this is very motivating.
• Organize one spaceat a time. Once you finish with one room in your home, move onto the next one.
• Work at your pace. Quality is always better then quantity.
• Schedule the next time you plan to organize something. This can help you keep focused on your goals.
• Learn to let things go. If you have not used something for 12 months you probably will not be using it.
• Have a yard sale, donate unused items or recycle unneeded items.
• Anything that is out of date, get rid of it.
• Do not keep paper that is not needed. Recycle!
• Credit card receipts & should be shredded once you reconcile your statements.
• Use filing cabinets as needed to organize your paperwork, don’t let it pile up.
• Arrange your books in some sort of simple order for you and others to follow.
• Balance your checkbook daily and keep your finances in order.
• Set up automatic bill payments to help you keep track of bills and avoid late fees.
• Start Now! Put away 5 things as soon as you are done reading this information.

Pantry Organization

The Pantry questions are; what’s in there & what’s the expiration date and how to store it best. One must is keep the items rotated for. When you buy new items to add to the pantry, put these things behind the items already in the pantry. Organize the pantry in some way that will fit your lifestyle the best and keep a pantry inventory list. This helps you make your grocery list.

Here are some tips to consider for making the pantry more organized.

1. Be sure each item is easily accessible and visible. Add shelves if needed.

2. Stack cans with their labels facing out so they are visible.

3. Use adjustable shelves, rattan baskets, pull-out drawers, other organization helpers.

4. Put together a ‘guest shelf’. When you have visitors you can have on hand; drink mixes, easy to make dips, chips, cookies, etc.

5. Have a paper and pencil nearby so you can keep a list of needed items as you run low or think of new supper/side dish ideas.

6. Do not put bulky or heavy items out of reach for safety.

7. If you have a step stool, be sure there is an attached handle to hold on to. Be sure the stool safe.

8. Use/add overhead lighting in your pantry for easy visibility.

9. See which items you use a lot of and consider buying the gallon size to save money.

10. Store cereal, rice and other dried foods in glass jars that are clearly labeled.

11. Eliminate items in the pantry that just sit there for a long time.

12. The pantry door can have storage racks attached on the back with the use of a hanging organizer.

13. Add a shelf just for cookbooks. Organize your cookbooks.

14. With open shelves it is nice to put as much as you can in jars or storage containers.

15. Have a decorative bread box for looks and to help your bread stay fresh longer.

16. In a larger pantry, you can store large appliances such as a food processor or blender or bread machine. You can store extra silver ware and extra plates.

17. Plan the pantry out for the person who uses it most often “The Cook”.