Do you ever appreciate the peace of an empty inbox? Or is your inbox always overflowing with stressful messages?
Time to restore some order in our inboxes today!
- Make a new folder. Name it whatever you like, but this folder will be the place you immediately file all emails that require action from you.
- Now go through your most recent emails and place as many as 20 emails in this action folder. These are the important emails that require some kind of action from you.
- Now make another folder. Call this folder a “holding” folder. This is where everything else that is currently in your inbox goes right now. Don’t worry – you’ll get to these…but we’re putting them away where they won’t stress you out for the moment.
- NOW…promise yourself that you are going to file your emails as they come in. Here are your choices for processing your emails:
Delete them immediately
Deal with them immediately – these are the emails that require a 2 sentence response you can do it less than two minutes.
File them in your action folder
File them in your holding folder
Make a “reading” folder if you get a lot of newsletters. Place your reading emails in this folder and make it a point to get back to them and read them. Then delete them!
Wondering how to control the flood and reduce it?
- Ruthlessly unsubscribe to emails you don’t read and don’t want.
- Reduce the number of emails you send (and you’ll get fewer emails back!)
- Reduce the length of emails you send
- Make email rules so your emails get directed into the folders you desire. Make junk rules to delete the junk so you don’t even see it.
Oh…and I did promise! The emails in your holding folder. Start to go through them a few at a time and delete the emails you don’t need. You can also do a mass delete unless you are afraid you might miss something important. Spend five minutes at a time going through these old emails and you’ll probably be through them in less than a week. Then promise yourself…NEVER AGAIN!
Have you taken a good look at your bookshelves lately? Do you have a…gasp…unsightly mess? Could it be time to take inventory and overhaul your bookshelves?
Here are some things to think about:
- Decide what kind of bookshelves you need. Do you have books only on your shelves or do you have a collection of media and other items displayed on your shelves?
- First thing to do is go through and remove everything that isn’t pretty or attractive. Tuck these things away somewhere else and do not display them on your bookshelves.
- Make an interesting mix of what is left. Perhaps you have a collection of pictures, CDs, books (old and new) and display items. Find a few attractive containers to corral your CDs and other small items and allow these containers to add interest to your shelves.
- Keep some free space on your bookshelves to avoid a cluttered look. Some experts recommend one-quarter of each shelf free to keep an attractive balance.
- Place books both vertically and horizontally to add interest and variation to your shelves.
- Add a few empty frames at the backs of the shelves to spice up your arrangements.
- Don’t forget to add a few unexpected items, like pottery or striking statues.
I admit it…I am an unabashed organizational junkie. Nothing fills me with satisfaction faster than restoring order or bringing order to something that needs help. I am forever tinkering and rearranging little and big things in our home…sometimes this drives my poor husband to distraction, but most of the time I think he appreciates it.
Are you looking for new and exciting ways to get organized? Well…the retailers know that many people are thinking along these lines right now and they are rolling out some great deals! What could be better than some coupons to organize from Organize.com?
Save some money and bring some new order to your home.
“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” ~ A.A. Milne
How often have you said this: “I don’t have enough time!” or “There aren’t enough hours in the day!”
Of course, these statements are always said in frustrated exasperation as you survey your to do list or your messy house and you tell yourself you just cannot handle everything you have to do.
Time is an interesting thing…and so is the fact that we all have the same amount of it. 60 minutes in each hour and 24 of these hours in every day…seven days in each week and each year contains 52 weeks.
Aside from time it gets different for everyone. Everyone has different amounts of resources and health and usually these resources are a direct result of our efforts.
Nothing we do will give us more minutes in each hour or hours in each day…BUT…what we can change is how we use our time. How much time we use and how much time we waste.
Start by analyzing your use of your time. Jot down what you consider your three biggest time wasters. TV? Internet? Talking on the phone? Write them down. Often just being aware of these time-wasting traps can help us begin to minimize them. The next step is to make a plan. Set goals for each day (make sure they are realistic!). Having goals means you have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish with each day. What? you have more than one goal for each day? The next step is prioritizing your goals. Work on the most important things first and then work your way down the list of priorities.
Work as efficiently as you can to accomplish your goals. Streamline your processes wherever possible. Avoid perfectionism because this will definitely slow you down and impede your progress. Don’t fall into the opposite of perfectionism; however, and resort to sloppy work to accomplish your goals. This will not serve you in the long run. Strive for a balance between perfectionism and sloppiness.
Suggestions For Improving Your Efficiency:
- Assess your system and eliminate what isn’t working.
- Multi-task – to a point
- Work when you are most efficient – morning person? Work in the morning. Night owl? Work at night.
- Find people you can work with and trade services.
I recently decided to do a deep clean of my china hutch. What an adventure that turned out to be! Emptying it of its contents was a trip down memory lane that I thoroughly enjoyed. Finding old china “friends” that I had long forgotten was a special treat that I would recommend. Not only is my hutch sparkling now, but I have reacquainted myself with old treasures that I will make a point to use soon.
I reorganized it as well and rotated the things that had held prominent display positions to the back and brought other things to the front for their chance in the spotlight.
In this process, I decided to part with a few things. I found one or two things that I decided to give away…always a good thing to do!
So, after completely emptying the hutch, I wiped down the entire inside well. I used a glass cleaner on the glass shelves and doors and made sure the entire inside of the hutch was sparkling. I gave the crocheted doilies a good shake and replaced them on the shelves.
Then came the task of washing all of the contents to remove dust. This was an excellent opportunity to assess each piece and make sure I wanted it to be in the hutch and decide where I wanted it to go. I made piles of pieces that would go back in and decided to part with a few things (not as heartbreaking as I thought it would be!).
I took my time putting the pieces away, making sure that everything had a perfect spot and that each piece was perfectly organized in an ideal place in the hutch.
The finished result? It sparkles and looks like a whole new china hutch. I also have reminded myself about what treasures I possess in my hutch and will be using one or two pieces very soon. The time I spent going through the contents of my hutch was a stroll down memory lane, which I recommend to anyone who has a china hutch. A very enjoyable project with beautiful results!
Technorati Tags: china hutch
I seem to find myself on a continual quest for organization. I am always tweaking my systems and trying to make them better. Always going through things and trying to cull the clutter. Always looking at possessions with a keen eye for how they might be used or whether or not they should be gotten rid of. It seems like a well-ordered home can never be allowed to rest on its laurels. This is largely due to the fact that there always seems to be a continual stream of new items coming through the door that must be managed. Eventually, if older items don’t make way for newer items the place becomes overrun.
I am a particular fan of the sturdy high-quality discount moving boxes that can be purchased. These boxes are not the flimsy ones you can pick up from the grocery or liquor store. These boxes often have lids and are designed for safe and long term storage. If you have items that need longer term storage (like in a basement or attic) I would recommend using boxes like this.
My husband dabbles in computers, among other things. The other day he decided that it was time to take inventory of his stock of computer accessories and parts. I somehow got trapped into helping him! AHHHHHHH…you know, sometimes being the organizational queen comes back to bite! We were up to our armpits in such things as ddr3 memory for a good few hours…but in the end we got a good handle on what he has on hand and we have restored order in his office. As distasteful as reorganizing can be, it sure feels good when it’s done!
Emails piling up? Yeah…me too. It can be scary how quickly inboxes can become clogged with junk. Here is what I do if I let down my guard for a day or two and my inbox becomes too full of spam.
1. Highlight all junk mail, chain emails, newsletters, offers for weightloss pills, shopping notifications, auto-replies, etc., and delete them unread. You’ll never miss them…I promise!
2. Highlight 50% of the other emails that you can tell are not important from the subject line and archive them. You probably won’t miss these either.
3. Skim through the rest and archive 98% of these. Choose a few that need replies or actions from you and save these.
4. Reply to these few emails as succinctly as possible immediately and file the email away in the appropriate folder as taken care of.
Email is a great barometer of life. Do you feel you need to reply and act on every single request that comes in? Wouldn’t you rather take control of your time and do what you feel is important instead of letting outside forces dictate this for you? You don’t need to respond to every email or even read everything that lands in your inbox. Choose what is important to you and focus on these. After you get good at doing this with your email inbox…try it out on the rest of your life!
Technorati Tags: barometer, email, inbox
Is a stress-free life possible? Stress is a response to challenges. A life without challenges would be quite boring when you think about it. Most stress is unnecessary, though, and we should try to eliminate it if possible. There are some methods for reducing daily stress. It’s not a quick fix, but if you apply these methods you should be able to reduce the stress in your life over time.
- Identify the Stressors: Figure out what stresses you out. Take ten minutes to think about your daily and weekly stressors and what causes these stressors. Make a list and then look at your list to determine what can be eliminated from your life.
- Eliminate Commitments: We all have commitments that are unavoidable. I’m not talking about things like work, family, home maintenance, etc. These things are unavoidable. However, consider each of the other commitments you have, the positive things you get out of them and the amount of stress they create. Remove the commitments that are not worth the stress they cause.
- Procrastination: Don’t allow things to accumulate. Make a “Do it Now” habit to keep your inbox and desk free of piled up work.
- Disorganization: It seems like even the best organizational systems tend to shift toward disorder over time unless we are scrupulously diligent about maintenance. Disorganization creates stress, however, so it should be avoided if at all possible.
- Running Late: Running late causes stress because of the rush involved. Strive to be early instead because there is much less stress if we are habitually early. Make a note of how long it takes you to do certain things so you know how much time to allow to get yourself out the door.
- Let Go of Control: A need for control causes stress. When we try to control situations and people we create stress. Learn to let go…the only thing you can control is yourself.
- Limit Multitasking: While it may seem that having a bunch of stuff going on at the same time is making you more productive, this way of doing things actually causes stress and prevents a focus on one task.
- Eliminate Energy Suckers: Have you noticed certain activities that drain your energy? Certain things tend to create exhaustion. Identify these things and eliminate them.
- Avoid Difficult People: We all have these people. If possible, avoid contact with these people.
- Simplify: Simplify your routines, your commitments, your clutter.
- Un-Schedule: Keep wide open blocks of time that are unscheduled. You will come to love having an open schedule like this.
- Slow Down: Take things at a slower pace. Enjoy mealtime, enjoy your family, enjoy nature.
- Help Others: Helping others gives you a good feeling and also lowers your stress level.
- Relax: Take mini-breaks during the day. Stop what you’re doing, get up and stretch, walk around, get a drink. Life doesn’t have to be all about productivity.
- Exercise: This not only relieves stress, but also prevents it. Exercising helps relieve stress and makes you more fit. A fitter person is better able to handle stress.
- Eat Healthy: Become healthier your stress levels will dissipate measurably.
- Be Grateful: Develop an attitude of gratitude. Eliminate negative thinking and reduce stress. Learn to be grateful for what you have and the people in your life.
Technorati Tags: daily stress, stress-free, stressors
An heirloom is “a valued possession passed down through succeeding generations.” If you have linens you have inherited you likely consider them valuable heirlooms. How do you care for these heirlooms? Have you made sure that they are safe wherever you have them tucked away?
Textiles are very fragile. The fibers in any cloth will eventually start to deteriorate. If you have treasured heirlooms, your goal must be to protect them and keep them nice for as long as possible.
Enemies of textile heirlooms are:
- Light
- Dirt
- Humidity
- Heat
- Insects
- Pressure
Never expose any quilt to strong direct light. Antique quilts are made with fabrics that were either colored with natural dyes or newer synthetic dyes. These dyes were not color-fast. Even current products will fade when exposed to light.
If you are storing a quilt, clean it before storing. Bugs are attracted to food stains and spray starch. This is why you must make sure the quilt is clean before storing it. Consult an expert before washing an antique quilt. Never dry clean an antique quilt.
Do not store an antique quilt in a plastic bag. Fabric needs to breathe. Mildew is a very real possibility for fabrics sealed away in plastic bags. Wrap quilts in clean, natural muslin. Air the quilts out every three to six months. Inspect for signs of bugs or new stains at this time.
When you put the quilt away again after airing, fold it in a different way. For example, fold it in thirds this time instead of halves or quarters. Don’t crush the quilt with folding. Fold with the backing on the inside. Minimize wrinkles by placing crushed, acid free tissue paper between folds of the quilt.
Enjoy these beautiful heirloom quilts, though! Use them if you have them! Place them on quilt racks or quilt stands and incorporate them into your home. They are a priceless link to your past!
Technorati Tags: heirloom, quilt, quilts, Textiles
