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Organizing for the Home
Life Lessons: Teach Your Kids to Get & Stay Organized
By Alicia Rockmore |
It is never too early to start teaching your kids important lessons. Look both ways when you cross the street. Brush your teeth twice a day. Remember the Golden Rule. And, of course, learn to get organized. Of course, it's often easier and faster just get them organized yourself, but it will save both of you countless headaches and stress in the long run. How early is too early to teach your kids to get organized? At around age two, most children are able to help with basic things like putting away toys. So the sooner you start establishing organizational habits, the better.
Alicia on having ‘the talk' The best advice I heard was from my friend, Marci. Marci wrote down a short list for her 9 and 12 year-old sons. She made sure her husband agreed to it and then she walked the boys through what they needed to do and offered to help them as well. The list was simple to start. 1. Organize the family DVDs and video games. Donate to charity the ones you don't use anymore and alphabetize the rest and put away. 2. Sort through the sports toys. Put away on the shelves in the garage and label them. While it took a bit of reminding from Marci, in one week both tasks were completed and the boys were ready for more.
Sarah on making it fun & rewarding Organizing can be a chore, and kids generally hate chores. To get real results you have to give them incentive. There is always the tried and true way . . . give them money or a gift to get it done. But that's merely a bribe. It's much better if you can think of ways to make organizing fun. Let the kids play their favorite tunes while they are working. Let them make huge mess of things before they clean it up. And most importantly, when they have completed their task make a big fuss over what a great job they did. Here are three life Lessons it's never too early to instill.
#1: The 12 Month Rule Closets are bursting with clothes, 80% of which are never worn. Beds overflow with stuffed animals, 90% of which are outdated and dusty. Teach your children the one year rule: if you have not used it in 12 months, chances are you never will. So muster up the courage to get rid of it. Throw it out, donate to charity, sell it on eBay -- whatever works for you -- just get rid of it. It takes up space and you don't need it.
#2: Technology is a Pack Rat's Best Friend Do your kids have piles of magazines, photos, CDs, school projects, etc . . . ? Figure out what your kids love to horde and find a technology solution that saves space and clutter. For example, almost all magazines can now be found on line. Why save them? CDs can be put on the computer. Digital photos can be stored electronically and you can even get a scanner to store regular pictures.
#3: Quid Pro Quo It sounds so obvious, but you'd be surprised at how often this little thing is overlooked. Your kids cannot put things away if they don't have a place to go. Work with them to choose some fun (inexpensive) shelves, cubby holes, bookcases or storage boxes for their things. Work with them to figure out how to label the boxes (let them pick silly names -- anything to make it fun!) and decorate the labels you make for each shelf. The more involved they are in the process of defining the structure, the more invested they will be in the process of staying organized.
alicia@getbuttonedup.com
Author's URL: www.getbuttonedup.com
We are the co-founders of Buttoned Up, inc., a company dedicated to helping stretched and stressed women get themselves organized (along with everybody else they’re responsible for too!). We welcome your thoughts! Please send ideas and questions to us at: yourlife@getbuttonedup.com or visit us at www.getbuttonedup.com
Organizing for the Office
Seven ways to beat procrastination
By Jim Estill
I am a student of Time Management and a big part of time management is beating procrastination. We all procrastinate, even those of us who pride ourselves in having good time management skills.
From my studies, I have come up with seven proven ways to beat procrastination.
1. Do the worst task first:
I have used this technique for years. I have even created more than one “first thing.” There is first thing in the morning, there is first thing after lunch, and there is first thing in the evening. I take a look at the items on my To Do List and figure out which one I am dreading the most and spend a limited time on it at least moving it forward. This is known as swallowing the frog first thing; if you begin your day by swallowing a frog, then the rest of the day looks good.
2. Break it down:
Often the reason that we procrastinate is because the task ahead of us is too big. Often there are small parts of the task that can be done. How do you climb a mountain? One step at a time.
3. Use a friend:
I am not actually referring to delegation (but of course I don’t mind that either); what I mean is to tell a friend what you want to do and get them to help you start the task. Often it is the act of starting a task that is enough to get the task done.
4. Do the pleasant part of the task:
Often many distasteful and large jobs have some parts to it that are not particular distasteful. Do them so at least you are moving forward on your most important items. 5. Fifteen (15) minutes: Just spend 15 minutes on a task. I have the attitude that I can spend 15 minutes doing virtually anything and I can certainly survive spending 15 minutes on something. Often by spending the 15 minutes on a task, I either complete it or I will get it moved forward enough that it has momentum to finish.
6. Track it:
The simple act of tracking a goal is often enough to keep the goal moving forward. It seems odd, but knowing that you are going to write down whether or not you have done something is often enough to make you move forward.
7. Reward or punish:
The reason we do something is because it is more painful than not getting it done, so if we can make the completion a task more rewarding or the consequences of not completing it more painful, then we tend to move forward on things. Tying successful completion of a task to a reward is often a successful technique.
Remember that even successful people occasionally procrastinate. Procrastination is not a permanent condition.
Author's URL: http://www.jimestill.com
Jim Estill is the CEO of SYNNEX Canada. He is an expert on entrepreneurship, business, marketing, and time. His time management knowledge is available in his ebook, Time Leadership. To read a sample chapter of his ebook, and to check out his highly acclaimed CEO blog, visit http://www.jimestill.com.
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