Day 30 of 30 to a More Organized You

Today is our thirtieth day to having a more organized month.

Let's do this!

Challenge
You've done it!

Reward yourself with a day of doing nothing, and you'll feel simply relaxed!

Day 29 of 30 to a More Organized You

Today is our twenty-nineth day to having a more organized month.

Let's do this!

Challenge
Be charitable.

Swing by your favorite charity with the giveaway boxes you've been filling all along. Snag a tax receipt if your donations total value is over $250.

Day 28 of 30 to a More Organized You

Today is our twenty-eighth day to having a more organized month.

Let's do this!

Challenge
"Hair" you are.

Eliminate bathroom clutter by tossing outdated beauty products. A few opened bottles of shampoo? Combine into one container.

Schedule an appointment with your hairdresser. If you've been thinking about shorter hair, now is the time... and it's faster to style in the morning.

Day 27 of 30 to a More Organized You

Today is our twenty-seventh day to having a more organized month.

Let's do this!

Challenge
Document it.

Gather important family papers, such as birth certificates and insurance policies, in one place. It's important to know where to locate them in an emergency.

Good options for storage, combining organization and protection, are a bank safe - deposit box or a fire-safe chest in your home.

Day 26 of 30 to a More Organized You

Today is our twenty-sixth day to having a more organized month.

Let's do this!

Challenge
Write away.

Today's the day to catch up on letter writing. Remember, a short note is better than none at all.

Stay on top of future correspondences with a stack of note cards kept in your glove compartment. Instead of fuming in traffic, pour out your heart to an old friend.

Day 25 of 30 to a More Organized You

Today is our twenty-fifth day to having a more organized month.

Let's do this!

Challenge
Bag it, please.

Heavy pocketbook bringing you down? Trash the odds and ends, keeping essentials only. Make it a habit to weed out your bag weekly.

Day 24 of 30 to a More Organized You

Today is our twenty-fourth day to having a more organized month.

Let's do this!

Challenge
It's a wrap.

Photographs don't require albums to be orderly. Acid-free photo file boxes, which include archivally safe envelopes for sorting and identifying, are a quicker solution.

Pitch blurry and interior photos. Do you really need more than a few great shots to represent your vacation?

Day 23 of 30 to a More Organized You

Today is our twenty-third day to having a more organized month.

Let's do this!

Challenge
Don't miss your calling.

No more missing telephone messages! Hang a small bulletin board near your phone and subdivide it with masking tape. Each member of the clan will have a space for his or her "while-you-were-out" slips.

Save time with your own personal yellow pages. Use a three-ring binder to organize frequently used numbers. Create sections for take-out menus, school car-pool lists and a church directory.

Day 22 of 30 to a More Organized You

Today is our twenty-second day to having a more organized month.

Let's do this!

Challenge
Make the most of it.

Maximize total storage by looking high and low. Favorite knickknacks add a festive touch when displayed above kitchen cabinets. Windowsills offer shelf space for small collectibles.

Day 21 of 30 to a More Organized You

Today is our twenty-first day to having a more organized month.

Let's do this!

Challenge
A penny saved...

...can cause clutter. Collect extra change from desk drawers and dresser tops. Sort it, roll it and exchange for bills at the bank.

...can make your future carefree. Schedule an annual review with your financial planner and make an appointment to update your will.

Day 20 of 30 to a More Organized You

Today is our twentieth day to having a more organized month.

Let's do this!

Challenge
Update catalogs.

Let go of some of your many catalogs. Pick the ones you like the best and call the rest to have yourself removed from their mailing lists.

When requesting a catalog, specify you don't want them to share or sell your name.

Keep all catalogs in one basket, and it will be easy to find the outdated one to recycle when the new one arrives.

Day 19 of 30 to a More Organized You

Today is our nineteenth day to having a more organized month.

Let's do this!

Challenge
Tripped up by time traps?

Identify where you repeatedly lose little bits of time. If you search for your keys each morning, hang a nail inside the front and back doors. Deposit your keys there each time you come home so when you're ready to leave, you'll know exactly where they are.

Always dashing to the drugstore for a birthday, anniversary or get-well card? Buy a dozen blank greeting cards and write your own wishes for any occasion.

Day 18 of 30 to a More Organized You

Today is our eighteenth day to having a more organized month.

Let's do this!

Challenge
Be a movie star.

Unlabeled videotapes and DVD's are often lost and hardly ever enjoyed. Sit down with a glass of hot cocoa, and pop your home movies into the player. Once identified, affix a label to each of them, listing the subject, place and year.

Store videotapes and DVD's vertically, like books on a shelf, and the one you want will easily be easy to locate. A stack of blank labels nearby insures your library will always be up to date.

Day 17 of 30 to a More Organized You

Today is our seventeenth day to having a more organized month.

Let's do this!

Challenge
Make a home.

Help children find a place where each toy lives. At day's end, when little ones are off to bed, their toys can go home to bed too.

Adults can adopt that thinking as well: Return everything to its home before retiring at night, from dinner dishes to the TV remote.

Day 16 to 30 to a More Organized You

Today is our sixteenth day to having a more organized month.

Let's do this!

Challenge:

Major in addition and subtraction.

Base new purchases on this simple equation: Will "adding" this "subtract" from my life? Will it be more work to store it, clean it, repair it than it's worth?

Plastic "money" can really add weight to a wallet. Streamline by the canceling of credit cards you never use.

Day 15 to 30 to a More Organized You

Today is our fifteenth day to having a more organized month.

Let's do this!

Challenge:
Money matters.

As each bill arrives, open it, note the "pay by" date and write it on the outside of the envelope. Stack chronologically, with the next to be paid always on top. Each morning, glance at the top bill to see if anything needs to go out that day.

Or purchase a pre-labeled 1 to 31 sorter, available at office supply stores. When bills arrive, slip into the slot that corresponds to their chosen pay-by date. A bonus: You can also file theater tickets and greeting cards by the date you'll need them.

Day 14 of 30 to a More Organized You

Today is our fourteenth day to having a more organized month.

Let's do this!

Challenge
Chill out.

Clear out leftovers from the back of the freezer. Wipe out the compartments and run ice cube trays through the dishwasher.

From now on, use masking tape and a permanent marker to label containers before freezing. Don't forget to write down the date!

Day 13 to 30 to a More Organized You

Today is our thirteenth day to having a more organized month.

Let's do this!

Challenge
Ready, set, go!

Create and eye-catching spot for outgoing items: packages to mail, clothes headed for the dry cleaners, a stack of coupons for the grocery store.

A plastic milk crate in the trunk of your car can hold everything headed back home. It's lightweight and easy to transport into the house.

Day 12 to 30 to a More Organized You

Today is our twelfth day to having a more organized month.

Let's do this!

Challenge
Wash and save.

Tack a small bag to the wall above the washer to hold found items such as buttons and coins.

Clean socks and underwear can wait to be folded. But hang up shirts immediately out of the dryer. They'll remain relatively wrinkle free and be quicker to iron.

Day 11 of 30 to a More Organized You

Today is our eleventh day to having a more organized month.

Let's do this!

Challenge:
Fashion a workable wardrobe.

Close the door on clothes you don't wear. Resolve to buy wardrobe basics that mix-and-match easily. Avoid trendy garments, employing fashionable accessories to keep an outfit current.

Be honest with yourself. If an outfit no longer fits right, get rid of it. Note the colors that look best on you - if your eyes sparkle when you put it on, it's right for you.

Enroll in boot camp! Give infrequently worn shoes their "marching orders." They belong in the donation box.