Huge Time Waster: Looking for Things!

An easy way to create space in your day is to stop wasting time looking for objects.

How much time do you waste looking for the same items, every day, over and over? Keys, cell phone, Blackberry, etc.  How much time do you spend looking for what you need every time you start a project or task? What a waste of time! You go to do some cleaning, and you left your supplies in another room. You are ready to start a job fixing something, and you cannot find the tools you need to start, let alone finish. You go into your office and nothing is where you thought you left it.

Stop. It’s time to get organized. Break the organizing into small steps and do it once and for all.

• Decide on a place for items like keys, phone, etc. and always keep them there. Sounds simple, but so many of us do not follow this rule, and we spend way too much time looking for lost items and getting frantic on our way out the door. •
• Children and students need to find one spot for their backpacks and school supplies. Every night, backpacks, lunches and projects can be put in the same place, preferably near the door, so there is no last minute freaking out before the day even begins. •
• Think of the trouble spots. Where do you get slowed down the most? Start with the one that bothers you the most, and go to that area. Buy containers and boxes to hold supplies. Keep them in the same place, all the time, with warnings like DO NOT TOUCH if you anticipate problems. (My children always used to take my tape and scissors. I now hide them.)
• If you are overwhelmed, there are professional organizers who do this work. They are able to help you “zero in” on the trouble spots and give you good, solid suggestions on how to become more organized. Once you have your tools and supplies in place for all projects, and your phone and keys in a regular “home,” you will save huge amounts of time.