Time Saving Tips for Easy Organizing
My aunt had successfully reared three children, helped her husband on their small farm, and at age 50 decided to go back to school and get her nursing degree. Every morning she would get up and fix breakfast for herself and her husband who still ran the farm. To save time she mixed the salt with the pepper because as she explained it that saved her the time of picking up both the salt and the pepper shaker and she was in a hurry to get to class in the morning.
Cordless phones and cell phones are a great time saver. This leaves us free to roam from place to place while talking on the phone. You are free to cook, straighten a drawer, dust, fold laundry and so on while you are on the phone. A shoulder-rest attachment is a nice investment to minimize neck strain while clutching the phone with the side of your head. With a cell phone hands free attachments are nice. If you don’t have either a cordless phone or a cell phone, buy a long cord for your phone receiver so you can go from place to place. They come in a variety of colors and in twenty-five foot lengths so you can cover a lot of distance while talking on the phone.
Every time you enter or leave a room look to see if there is some way of improving its appearance. It could be putting a toy or book away or straightening the towels in the bathroom that will make the room look better. Soon this will become a habit and it will cut down on the amount of work you have to schedule to do around the house.
Make every trip count when you go from room to room. Instead of running and putting something away when you find it out of place make a little pile of things and take them all at once. Baskets are useful for this purpose. (Unless you want the exercise rather than save time).
Every time you go upstairs or downstairs take something that needs to be taken up or down. Do the same with trips to the garage, basement or the car. Take a quick look around before you go and see if there is something that can go with you.
Get out the clothes you will wear the next day, also pack your exercise clothes in your gym bag ready to go with you or lay them out if you exercise at home. For children have them decide what they will wear and have them lay the clothes out, including the shoes to be worn so they don’t have to be in a rush in the mornings. This saves a bundle of time the next morning since you won’t have to go on a search for the right thing to wear and if something needs washing or pressing you know it before you or your children are in the morning rush. Pack their school backpack and place it by the door so it is ready for them to take in the morning and no searching has to be done at the last frantic minute.
Do your banking on line, pay bills on line. This not only saves time but it saves money on stamps and envelopes.
There are many places where you can fix two weeks worth of meals and freeze them. Then on the nights you are too rushed to cook or just don’t feel like cooking you can pop a meal into the oven. Some places will deliver the meals to your door.
Keep a pen and paper near your phone center so you don’t have to look for a pen when taking a message. If you don’t have a designated drawer a small attractive basket with paper and pens can be kept on top of the fridge. Your family will get used to this and you’ll never have to look for a pen or paper again to take a message.
It is the little things you do to save time that add up to big savings in time and less hassle in your life.
The Author:
Marilyn Bohn is a creative organizer who has been organizing for over 20 years. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and is working towards becoming a Certified Professional Organizer. Professionally she has been organizing homes and offices for over two years. She holds a bachelors degree in Social Work. She has reared five daughters and currently lives in Utah.
