Quick Tips for Getting Organized

Volume 2 – April 2007

Health & Beauty
Exercise should be an important part of everyone’s day, but if you are having trouble falling asleep when it’s time for bed, try not to exercise within two to three hours of bedtime. Working out first thing in the morning will give you the most sleep benefits according to recent studies. Aim for at least 30 minutes a day and break that up if necessary. 10-minute walks three times a day is better than nothing at all!

On the Go!
If your diaper bag or toddler bag is like the bottomless pit and you can’t seem to find your keys or favorite lip gloss when you need it fast. Consider designating one compartment or pocket for just your things. That way when you walk out of the grocery and the sun blinds you, you can close your eyes, reach into your bag and know right where to find your sunglasses!

Home Keeping
When some things need cleaning it’s obvious—dishes, laundry, children. But what about the rest of the house? Here’s a simple guideline to help keep you on track. Take a moment and mark your calendar!

Weekly: dust furniture; vacuum rugs; mop floors; clean toilets, sinks & shower/tub.
Monthly: vacuum upholstery; disinfect wastebaskets, doorknobs and kitchen cabinets; clean microwave; change air conditioning filter.
3-6 months: vacuum mattress and flip; wash windows and blinds; vacuum drapery; clean refrigerator.
6-12 months: clean oven; wash lamp shades; vacuum refrigerator condenser coil; wash stove-hood filter.
1-2 years: Carpet/Rug professionally cleaned; wash walls (unless you have small children where this may be DAILY).

Closet Maintenance
Hang a shopping bag marked DONATE TO SOMEONE WHO WOULD LOVE MORE THAN ME (or something like this) on your closet door and every time you try something on and decide not to wear it because it’s too tight, too big, you don’t really like it or doesn’t go with your skin/eyes/hair, put it in the shopping bag to share with a friend or donate to someone in need.

Time/Tasks
Time keeps on ticking and we have no control over the fact that it does. What we do have control over is our ability to stay on task. Here is a simple way to help do just that.
Every night before you go to bed write down 6 things you want to accomplish the next day. Do this right before going to bed so that your subconscious mind can mull over this list while you sleep. When you awake the next morning look at your list and pick the one MOST IMPORTANT thing you must do that day. Do it first if at all possible and then work down your list. The idea with this exercise is to isolate the most important thing out of all the million little things that vie for your time. Think about how your week, month and year would look and feel if you had accomplished the most important thing each day. All the other little tasks would be in the proper priority and you would have a true sense of accomplishing what really needed to be done.
I got this tip from author Michael Clouse, but I know it’s been around awhile. I personally do this almost every night and it really helps me stay on task the next day. Give it a try for a week and see if you are more efficient with your time.

Schedules
Take time either monthly or weekly to sit down with your significant other and plan out your schedules as much as you can. Decide when you are going to be eating out & cooking in. Then whoever does the cooking can start meal planning. Talk about which nights are for friends, family or date nights and line up necessary sitters or invite friends over. Don’t forget to schedule time for you to do something alone or with girlfriends!

Family
April showers keeping you indoors? How do you keep your toddlers busy when you can’t leave the house? Head to the bathroom and take advantage of the bathtub. Draw a bath and throw in some clean sponges. Let your toddler “clean” the tub while you multi-task and clean the sink and rest of the bathroom. You could even add a clean squirt bottle to the mix. Show how to spritz the shower walls, not the room and then wipe clean with the sponge.

Cooking & Kitchen
Wood cutting boards can be a daunting item to clean and disinfect. Don’t use a wooden cutting board with raw meat of any kind since the juices seep into the wood making cleaning even more difficult. For general cleaning, scrub with hot soapy water and a brush, rinse and dry with a towel immediately. For a deep cleaning, sprinkle the board with coarse salt and rub with ½ a lemon; rinse and towel dry. A second option for deep cleaning your boards is to coat the cutting board with a water and baking soda paste; leave on for 5 minutes and then rinse and towel dry. If you can take time weekly to give your wood cutting boards a deep cleaning they will last a lot longer. Once the board is thoroughly dry you can rub with oil to moisturize, protect and seal the wood.

Relationships
Take a moment to think about where you spend your time. Yes, we all have the day in, day out tasks that must get done but remember that time is your most valuable resource. It can only be spent once and relationships are the only thing of eternal value you can spend it on.

To touch the soul of another human being is to walk on holy ground.

If you like to send me your tips for consideration please email me at
kim@smartmoms-smartbusiness.com.


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