Organizing

Now that the holidays and holiday shopping are upon us, here are 10 simple ways to organize and simplify your spending.

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____ Nov 1 Daylight Saving Time Ends. If you didn’t already
do that before bed last night, move your clocks back one
hour. Now is also a good time to change the batteries in
your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.

____ Nov 2 Put up bird feeders in your yard. In addition to
a seed mix rich in sunflower seeds, hang suet blocks when
below freezing temperatures hit.

____ Nov 3 Clean out your medicine cabinet. Get rid of
expired medications (check with your pharmacist for safe
disposal instructions) and replenish your supply of cotton
swabs and cotton balls, along with bandages and first aid
creams.

____ Nov 4 If you haven’t already, switch out your summer
clothing. It’s time to pack those away and dig out the cold
weather wardrobe. Before packing away the summer clothes,
make sure they are clean and repaired. It will save you
steps in the spring.

____ Nov 5 Move your house plants closer to windows to
maximize their exposure to the sun. Don’t forget to scale
back on the amount of watering and fertilizer that you use
as their growth slows.

____ Nov 6 Clear off the surface and top of your
refrigerator.

____ Nov 7 Planning Thanksgiving at your house? Issue
invites now so everyone has plenty of planning time. Also,
make up your holiday menu now. If you should decide to have
guests bring a dish, having your menu planned ahead makes
it easier to assign dishes.

____ Nov 8 Are you planning a live tree (either with a root
ball or in a container) for Christmas? Now is the time to
prepare the hole for planting, before the ground freezes.
Be sure to put your fill in the garage or basement to avoid
it freezing.

____ Nov 9 Do you have coats, boots and snow-pants that
your family has outgrown? Donate them to a local shelter or
coat drive.

____ Nov 10 Clean under and behind your refrigerator. When
you vacuum the vents and coils you improve the efficiency
of the appliance.

____ Nov 11 If you don’t already have one, purchase a
humidifier/vaporizer to add moisture to dry winter air.

____ Nov 12 If you haven’t already, get the whole family in
for flu and pneumonia shots.

____ Nov 13 Be prepared for possible power outages. Store
flashlights with fresh batteries in convenient locations
throughout the house. Make sure there is at least one in
every bedroom of the house at minimum.

____ Nov 14 Clean or replace the furnace filters on your
furnace. Before you start using the fireplace, have the
chimney and flue cleaned. This will ensure safe burning
throughout the season.

____ Nov 15 What’s lurking under your bed, or your kid’s
beds? Clear out that area underneath. If you need to store
things under your bed, do so in under-bed storage
containers to keep everything neat and organized.

____ Nov 16 Pack a winter emergency kit for your car. Pack
blankets, water, high energy food like granola bars, a
folding shovel, cat litter that can be used for traction,
emergency flares and so on. If your car has a block heater,
include a heavy duty extension cord in your kit.

____ Nov 17 Now is the time to hang your outside holiday
lights, before it gets too cold and blustery. It will go
much faster than it will when it’s cold and snowy!

____ Nov 18 Buy or make a table runner, placemats and
matching napkins for your holiday table.

____ Nov 19 Today is the 146th anniversary of Lincoln’s
Gettysburg Address. Spend time with the kids researching
and reading this document and discuss its impact even
today.

____ Nov 20 If you haven’t already, decorate your mantle
with autumn leaves, pumpkins and gourds and even pilgrim
figurines if you have them.

____ Nov 21 Do you have favorite soup and stew recipes?
Incorporate these into your menu plans. If fixed in a crock
pot, they make a hearty hot meal possible even when you are
in pre-holiday rush mode.

____ Nov 22 Take time to reflect on the things that you are
thankful for. As you head into the final days before
Thanksgiving, it helps to reflect on your blessings.

____ Nov 23 Check your frozen turkey for weight and
instructions for safe thawing so that you will have a bird
ready for baking on Thanksgiving day.

____ Nov 24 If you haven’t already done so, do your grocery
shopping for your holiday meal. Work on any dishes that can
be prepared ahead. Pick up any items you ordered for your
holiday meal.

____ Nov 25 Get every last bit of clutter off your kitchen
and dining room tables.

____ Nov 26 Thanksgiving Day. Count your blessings and
enjoy your day with family and friends.

____ Nov 27 If you don’t do your Christmas shopping on
Black Friday, spend the day working on a puzzle with the
family, or playing cards or a board game.

____ Nov 28 Spend the day putting up your Christmas
decorations. Involve the kids.

____ Nov 29 Today is the first day of Advent. Put up an
Advent Calendar and begin the countdown to Christmas.

____ Nov 30 Print out your Christmas card list and update
it with additions, subtractions and corrections. Then print
out corrected address labels for mailing your cards. If you
don’t have return address labels then print out a few
sheets of those also. This will save you time when you are
preparing your Christmas cards for mailing.

Once at workshop, a time management expert stood in front of the group he was presenting to and said, "Okay, time for a quiz."

He pulled out a one-gallon, wide mouthed mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced a dozen large rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?" Everyone in the group answered, "Yes."

He replied, "Really?"

He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he proceeded to pour the gravel into the jar. He shook the jar, causing the pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the rocks. He continued to do this until no more gravel could fit. Then he asked once more, "Is the jar full?"

By this time, the group was onto him. "Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied.

He reached under the table, brought out a bucket of sand and started dumping the sand in. It went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more, he asked the question, "Is this jar full?"

"No!" the group shouted.

Once again he said, "Good!"

Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. He looked up at the group and asked, "All right, what is the point of this illustration?" One business professional raised her hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit more things into it!"

"No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The point is that if you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all."

What are the big rocks in your life? More time with your loved ones? Advancement in your education? Business growth? Greater wealth? Something else that you've always wanted to accomplish?

If you don't take the time to prioritize (put your major goals in first), then all your time will be used up by less important things.

Make an appointment with yourself today to think about and reflect on this story. Ask yourself the question: What are the major goals in my life or business? Then, remember to put these major goals in first, or you'll never get them in at all.

Ever begin doing something that you do for a few days, and then simply stop doing it?

For example, let’s say you promised yourself that you were going to file papers immediately before they got out of hand, but then something else came up, and the next thing you knew, you had another pile of papers that needed to be filed.

Or perhaps, on January 1 you made a vow to yourself to exercise for 20 minutes every day. You exercised for a few days. But then, by January 5, you gave up.

This happens to everyone on one occasion or another. But, you really can start getting things done!

Next time you really want to do something, and you want to actually start and continue doing it, realize that doing it for one, two, or even three days in a row is usually not enough.

It takes at least 21 days to form a habit. This means that you have to do something at least 21 times before it begins to become part of your everyday routine.

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