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5 Organizing Tips from the Pros

My husband and I went on a 7-day cruise to the Caribbean a few years ago. It was wonderful. On this trip, I was so delighted to see good organizing in action. You can actually incorporate many of these great ideas from the pros into your day. Here are just a few . . .

1. Plan your day on paper.
Every morning when we woke up, we received a 4-page newsletter, detailing everything that was going on that day, where it was happening, and at what time. We were never left wondering what to do. The schedule was an excellent tool.

Why not make your own schedule for each day? It is important that you have a written schedule, rather than a mental schedule if you really want to make the most of each day. Don't only include the things you have to do, such as chores or appointments. Also include some fun things throughout your day. Perhaps you might schedule a tea break at 3:00 in the afternoon, or a relaxing walk after dinner.

Of course, if it turns out that you have something scheduled that you decide you can't get to -- or would rather reschedule -- this is absolutely fine. Simply reschedule that item for a more appropriate time. The main idea is that you don't wait to have time to do something, because 99.9% of the time, that extra time never arrives. When you schedule, you are making time for the things you have (and want) to do.

2. Use chore checklists.
Our cabin on the ship was so organized and neat every moment that we were there. Of course, we weren't responsible for keeping it that way. Our room steward was just amazing. Each morning when we left our cabin to go to breakfast, we'd return to a bed that was made, a clean bathroom and a perfectly organized room. When we asked her how she could possibly get it done so quickly and so well, she immediately pulled out her chore checklist and her watch. These two tools helped her clean and organize 20 rooms, in only 15 minutes per room.

While you probably don't have the luxury of a room steward at home, if you create a chore checklist, and spend a little bit of time each day completing your tasks, you will accomplish everything you set out to do in the shortest time possible. Then, all that's left is to enjoy a clean, well-organized atmosphere every day. 

 
3. Plan your meals.
The food on this trip was just amazing. Not only was there a lot of it, but it was just delicious. There was a planned menu each evening that ranged all the way from appetizers through dessert, a complete 7 course meal. And they had to serve 2100 people, each night. That's a lot of planning, preparation and cleaning!

Dinner at home could be planned out too. There are many benefits to planning out your meals: Here are just a few:

• You won't have to waste time each night wondering what you should have for dinner.
• Once you determine what you're going to have for dinner for the week, you can make a list and pick up all of your needed groceries well ahead of time.
• You can schedule the meals that take a little bit longer to prepare, on those evenings when your schedule isn't too full, and schedule quick meals on those nights when you have a limited amount of time.

4. Set goals and deadlines.
Our captain's major goal was to safely sail all of us to six islands within seven days. But we never heard him say, 'I just don't know how I'm going to get all of this done. I have too much to do and too many places to go!' He didn't think of this voyage as one big trip. He had a specific mini-goal for each day. And, since we arrived at a new island each day, safe and sound, he obviously met his mini-goals and his major goal with no problem.

It is very important to set goals. This way, you'll have a clear idea of what you want to achieve, and you can set out each day to do so. Once you come up with your major goals, simplify them by breaking them into mini-goals, with a deadline for each. You're then sure to accomplish each one.

5. Identify.
When we went on our island tours, the Tour Guides easily kept their groups together by having everyone wear a label with the Tour Name, Bus Number, etc. Not one person got lost! When we wanted to find something on the ship, we simply pulled out our nifty ship map. We located everyplace we wanted to go in seconds.

On our last day of the cruise, all of our luggage was placed in a large room, waiting for us to check it in with the airlines. How did we find our luggage among the more than 10,000 pieces of luggage that were sitting there? Easy. They color coded our tickets, our luggage and the area it was stored in. Plus, we tied a big gold ribbon around our luggage handle. So we just had to find our color and our ribbon, and we had our luggage in a few minutes.

Clearly identifying makes life so much easier:

• Rather than having random boxes in your closet, label each one with the contents.
• You may even label holiday items with a red sticker, or pool supplies with a blue sticker, etc.
• Having a large party at your house? Perhaps give everyone a name tag and a map so they can easily locate the restrooms, the room where you're keeping everyone's coats and so on.
• Planning a move? Clear identification is vital, especially when you have movers. Color code your boxes with stickers, according the rooms where they're to be delivered. If possible, you can even get to your new home ahead of time, and place corresponding colored stickers on the entrance doors to each room.
• Want to stop your kids from arguing over what belongs to whom? Color code Child 1's stuff blue, Child 2's stuff green, etc.
• The possibilities for identification are endless!

P.S. A reader wrote, 'Your book has really inspired me to get organized. I've gotten rid of well over 20 bags of junk. Even my garage is starting to look great!' --Carol J. Smith To learn more about how you can be 'Finally Organized, Finally Free' visit:
http://www.getorganizednow.com/newbook.html