Organization The One Minute Organizer – Donna Smallin

1. Organization The One Minute Organizer – Donna Smallin

2. Why Organize? • Getting organized can give you: • More Time • More Money • More Freedom • More Peace of Mind • Start Right Now – One Step at a Time

3. Make a Plan, Keep it Simple • What can you do today? This week? This month? (Today: Organize handouts and other items in your binder, straighten up your locker, clean out one drawer when you get home or clean up your e-mail/texts) • Start with today’s mess. Keep up daily with your backpack, locker, room, and laundry. Set aside a little time each day to tackle a larger project. • Organizing it not a one-time-and-you’re-done kind of job. It’s an ongoing process.

4. Things to Remember or Do • You are not the same person you were 5 years ago. Surround yourself with things that are a part of who youare today • Still not sure? Pretend you are moving. Is it worth packing up and carrying out to a moving van? • Establish limits on what you can have. How many t shirts/bracelets/pictures of JB do you need? • Make your decisions quickly. If it takes longer than 60 seconds to decide you probably don’t need it. • Take pictures of art work or sentimental items. Keep the memory, let go of the physical.

5. Getting Started in Any Space • Declutter before you organize. • Trash wrappers, expired coupons, flyers, stained clothing, rusted or broken items, etc… • Put things into piles: • Give Away/Donate • Throw Away • Keep • Are you keeping something because you “might use it someday”? If you can get another easily and inexpensively let it go. • Everything should have a place where it belongs. • Group similar things together. • If you use it often, put it where you can get to it easily.

6. Clothes and Closets • If you haven’t worn it in a year, you probably won’t wear it. Donate it! • Use storage containers, closet and drawer organizers. • Hang like items together in your closet by season (long sleeve shirts together, etc.) • Collect all the clothing that needs mending. Put it in a basket or bag. Schedule time to mend it or take to a tailor, or just donate it if you aren’t going to fix it.

7. Paper Stuff • Find a calendar or day planner that works for you and use it! • Punch holes and put things in the rings of your binders. Don’t just stuff it in. Ask the teacher what needs to be saved and what can be recycled. • At home, create an area to file papers. The reason you file it is so you can retrieve it. Name your files well. (a folder for each year/report cards/things to buy/things you want to do) • Take care of something as soon as it arrives. Follow the rule: Touch it once! Don’t keep things just to move it to another pile later on. • Magazines, tear out articles or ideas, don’t keep the entire magazine. Pintrest is an online pinboard for web ideas. • Create a basket or tray for your school papers at home so that your parents can sign the permission forms or see your grades!

8. Electronic Clutter • Delete all e-mail that doesn’t require further action. • Create folders to file e-mail you want to keep on your computer. • Clean out folders at least once a year. (Beginning of school) • Print if necessary – especially things you need to do later.

9. Lots of Other Great Ideas! • If you had 20 minutes to evacuate your home, what would you take. Most things can be easily replaced. One you realize this, it’s easier to lighten your load. • Unclutter your mind, write things down rather than trying to remember them. • Establish routines; back up your computer every Friday, change beds on Saturday, do banking on Monday, clean out the refrigerator before going grocery shopping. • Don’t just put it down, put it away!