Tips on Organizing, De-Cluttering and Time Management

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Permalink Reply by Vee on November 21, 2009 at 3:05am

My big stumbling block in the home is PAPERWORK. I avoid it like the plague, so of course this is not a good thing when bills and important papers get mixed in with all the junk. I have a shredder so I try to periodically get rid of what I don't need. It's just a matter of getting started! I started keeping binders categorized to the things I need to keep track of. One binder holds financial matters (bank statements, investments, bills paid, auto insurance policy and payments. Another holds all my medical history (the biggest and fullest binder!) I have five different binders started and that's just the beginning.
I have a large laundry basket loaded down with all the paperwork that I've been collecting since my divorce almost 3 years ago. I imagine I'm avoiding the monumental task because every time I do try to tackle it I run into something that upsets me, or that I don't quite know how to categorize it. I tend to sink into a deeper depression when I come across something I've been avoiding, and so I avoid the entire mess because of this. But that's another story! So now I pretty much set those things aside and move on.
My landlady let me borrow this thing that helps you to organize paperwork. I don't even know what it's called, so I'm uploading a picture of it. Now a few times a week I spend about 20 minutes a day filing a few of the papers alphabetically with this paper "organizer." I can then punch-hole the pages and put them in the appropriate binders. I file everything by date, with the most recent items filed on top. It may not be the very best system but so far it's working fairly well for me.

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Permalink Reply by Vee on November 21, 2009 at 4:08am

I love this idea but I can't SEE what they look like, the thumbnails are way to small to see the quality, etc.
Otherwise, I'd order one. Oh well.

Terry Matlen said:

Too funny! I sell those here, in my store and use them myself. I love them!

You can check them out here
(Scroll all the way to the bottom to find it).

Judy Van Valkenberg said:

I bought a purse organizer that I saw reviewed in ADDitude magazine called a Purseket, (www.purseket.com) . It works great. It lines all around the bottom of your purse with pockets.Now I can use cute purses that have no pockets inside with my purseket and still find things in my purse. Before I always had to buy purses with a million pockets so I didn't lose everything.

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Permalink Reply by Roselle on February 6, 2010 at 11:26pm

I want to share this product that I found. I'm a 31 yr old Mom from Canada with 2 kids- a 3 year old and a 5 year old. I found this wrist watch on E-bay and I started using since the New Year. (Amazon sells it too)

Casio LA2002-5ADF Digital Purple Square Women's Watch

I really like it because you can put 5 daily alarms ( I set an alarm for waking up, an alarm to tell me it's time to get ready to get out of the door to bring my 5 year old to the school bus stop, an alarm to remind me to get ready to pick him up, one for feeding them dinner, one for "start getting ready for bed" and one alarm is "free". It also has 3 timers and a stopwatch. You can have the option of setting the watch so that it beeps every hour (the beep is not bothersome, it's pretty faint, but loud enough--you can change the sound, there are 3 kinds). It's easy to use (just make sure you keep the manual).
I find it very helpful because I have trouble with keeping track of time.

And on top of all of this, it's also fashionable and waterproof. The only thing is that it doesn't have a light.

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Permalink Reply by Cecilia on February 7, 2010 at 3:57am

I have this device on my cellular phone and use it all the time. I can also add notes so I know WHY it sets off! My best aid ever! I wake up to it and tells me what to do next and how long time I've got for every setting. It's small, handy, easy to get around and saves you a lot of time-wasting trouble! If you haven't got a phone where you can administrate different times, get yourself one! My phone doesn't fry an egg but it tells me when and why to do it!

Roselle Rabanillo said:

I want to share this product that I found. I'm a 31 yr old Mom from Canada with 2 kids- a 3 year old and a 5 year old. I found this wrist watch on E-bay and I started using since the New Year. (Amazon sells it too)

Casio LA2002-5ADF Digital Purple Square Women's Watch

I really like it because you can put 5 daily alarms ( I set an alarm for waking up, an alarm to tell me it's time to get ready to get out of the door to bring my 5 year old to the school bus stop, an alarm to remind me to get ready to pick him up, one for feeding them dinner, one for "start getting ready for bed" and one alarm is "free". It also has 3 timers and a stopwatch. You can have the option of setting the watch so that it beeps every hour (the beep is not bothersome, it's pretty faint, but loud enough--you can change the sound, there are 3 kinds). It's easy to use (just make sure you keep the manual).
I find it very helpful because I have trouble with keeping track of time.

And on top of all of this, it's also fashionable and waterproof. The only thing is that it doesn't have a light.

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Permalink Reply by silverwings002 on February 8, 2010 at 11:05am

For right now, paper works best for me. I'm just barely starting to really get a paper system to work for me. Though I know eventually I will switch to digital. All that tech is too overwhelming to me right now, but as I get used to it [and learning about it ina safe way, like these women are doing] I will get excited and learn all about it. Most of my "apps" on my prepaid phone overwhelm me yet!
I know "apps" means applications, but what the heck does it mean?? Its all very confusing- I hate the phone commmercials...

Terry Matlen said:

Paper or digital? What works best for you?

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Permalink Reply by Essie on February 9, 2010 at 10:40am

I tried digital for a couple of years. My hubby seemed to think it would cure all my problems because he can not live without his. I was determined to make it work; I really wanted a "cure." After the first six months, I felt discouraged but still determined to "make it work" even though it felt wrong. I figured, as usual, that I was doing something wrong. I adjusted and adjusted and tweeked and tried . . . After 2 years of feeling I just could not get "it," but in a job that I needed to get "it," I decided that the digital way was not going to help me out. I went back to paper - a good old fashioned planner. I will never go back. The act of writing helps me to later visualize the date and event. I remember to look and bring my planner with me. Sometimes I do it right!! I forget that quite frequently. I need to write a note to myself in my planner to trust my gut more and my hubby less . . .

Terry Matlen said:

Paper or digital? What works best for you?

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