Tag: organization

Achieve a Clutter-Free Home: Simple Steps to Organize

Did you make any resolutions this year? Is one of your goals to organize your home? Are you searching for practical tips? These ideas can help you organize your home in the new year.

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1. Declutter

Declutter your living space. Begin by observing unnecessary items in your home. When possible, reduce, reuse, or recycle your unwanted items.

  • Every Room: Go room by room and remove unnecessary items.
  • Give to Charity: Donate items in good condition. Send unwanted household appliances and other usable items to your local thrift store. Consider donating clothing to a local women’s shelter. Worn or unwanted blankets are generally a need at your local animal rescue or shelter.
  • Recycle: Rid your home of unwanted magazines, plastic bags, cardboard, and other recyclable items. Donate items to your local recycling center.

2. Create a Master Calendar

Establish a space to organize your personal, work, social, and financial commitments. Create a habit of checking your schedule daily.

  • Go Old School: Use a wall calendar or daily planner for a visual overview of each week or month.
  • Set Dates: Mark important dates, appointments, and deadlines. Use various colors to aid in organization.
  • Create Reminders: Set or write in reminders for recurring tasks (bills, birthdays, etc.). Fill out the months in advance.

3. Set Realistic Goals

  • Lists: Make lists. Use a notebook to write down your overall weekly or monthly goals. Crossing off completed tasks provides a great sense of accomplishment.
  • Mini Tasks: Break large goals into smaller, achievable steps.
  • Track Progress: Review and adjust your goals monthly.

4. Organize by Category

  • Home: Create zones for different activities (work, relaxation, play).
  • Paperwork: Use folders, bins, or digital systems to store documents. Or invest in a filing cabinet to store important documents. Also, filing cabinets are great for storing your children’s artwork by grade.
  • Clothing: Sort by season. If your space is limited, pack your off-season clothes into totes for storage.
  • Kitchen: Group similar items together and label containers.
  • Recycling: Create an area for your recycling items. Use bins, totes, trash cans, or boxes to sort the materials.

5. Tidy Up Daily

  • Daily Tasks: Spend 10-15 minutes each day straightening up.
  • Delegate: Involve family members and assign age-appropriate tasks.
  • Routines: Do a quick clean-up before bed to start fresh in the morning. Establish morning and evening routines for everyone in your household.

6. Digitally Declutter

Along with physical items, organize files and photos on your computer and phone. Unsubscribe from emails you do not read. Then, clear out old apps and software.

Reflect on your accomplishments at the end of each month. Celebrate small achievements to avoid being overwhelmed. Stay flexible and adjust as needed.

How to Make a Christmas Organization Notebook

Staying organized during the holiday season is essential. Making a Christmas organization notebook is one of the best ways to keep all your information in one place. Fill the pages with Christmas card lists, recipes, gift ideas, grocery lists, receipts, and much more.

I begin the Christmas Organization Notebook by decorating. When I write out my lists or tape return addresses inside to use later, I want a festive and fun covering. Make the notebook part of your holiday crafts.

Making a Christmas Organization Notebook

Each Christmas Organization Notebook is a personal process. Decorate or leave plain, the choice is up to you. The idea of the notebook is convenience. When you are sipping your morning coffee, you can glance through the notebook to add or cross off items. I leave mine on the end table. When I am relaxing in the evening, I write down what I would like to accomplish the following day. Or add to lists that I need to finish before Christmas gatherings.

Materials I Used:

  • Christmas Cloth (I buy the pre-cut pieces at Wal-Mart. At $1.47, the price is right for simple crafts.)
  • Composition Notebook (I love these notebooks. They are inexpensive with a sturdy cover.)
  • Construction Paper
  • An Envelope ( I actually used an old one)
  • Scissors
  • Marker
  • Embleshiment
  • Hot-Glue Gun

The basic materials for your Christmas Organization Notebook

Measure and cut the cloth to fit around the notebook. Leave room to fold the fabric over to glue down.

Cut the fabric piece to fit around your notebook

Before gluing the fabric down on the inside, cover the inside with construction paper. This step is optional. I like using the green and red construction paper to add to the Christmas theme.

Construction paper covers up the inside information.

Next, begin gluing. Before careful, the contents are hot. There is a reason for the name hot glue gun. When folding the fabric over to glue, you will need to cut the middle to allow the cloth to lay flat.

Next, glue the envelope in the back. I like having one place for all my shopping receipts. Placing them in the envelope, allows me to keep track of spending. I have the receipts on hand in case I need to return anything.

An envelope for the receipts.

Finally, add your embellishments. Since my fabric had snowflakes, I added a large snowflake to front of my Christmas Organization Notebook. I wrote in the year. I keep my notebooks as resources for the following year.

 

I record my purchases in the notebook. I can look back to see what I bought each person on my list. This way I know I do not purchase similar items the following year.

Genealogy Series: Tips for Researching Your Family Tree

Researching your family tree is a fun, exciting hobby that can instantly turn into an addiction. As you begin your search, the photos, stories and historical data become threads. When woven together, you will discover the very fabric of your roots. So, how do you begin? Well, you may not like the answer: you simply just need to start.

Tips for Researching Your Family Tree

1. Get Organized

Researching requires note-taking and gathering data. Setting up a small space to gather your research is one of the best ways of staying organized.

  • File cabinet
  • Folders and binders
  • Plastic holders to keep clippings and photos safe
  • Computer, printer and the Internet
  • Printing paper
  • USB’s or backup discs

Depending on your organization preferences, you may also want to purchase colored pens, markers, and highlighters.

2. Just Start

After gathering your basic organization materials, just start. Yes, there’s the simple advice again. Start with the information you already know about your family history. Begin by building your family tree online or simply start making notes. Gather any relatable materials already in your possession.

  • Family photographs
  • Newspaper clippings
  • Birth certificates
  • Family Bible
  • Letters
  • Invites, thank you notes, or other saved material
  • Diaries or journals

The smallest piece of information may provide larger search details in the future.

3. Start Asking Questions

Asking questions prior to loved ones passing is crucial for gathering firsthand information. Begin by asking parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles about your family history.

  • Who? Ask who your ancestors are?
  • Where? Ask where did they originate? Where did they live?
  • When? Ask for any dates that may help with your search.
  • How? Ask how your ancestors came to live in a specific area?

Go beyond asking about the facts, ask about the memories. Writing out short stories about your ancestors is a great addition to your family tree.

4. Use the Internet

Using proper documentation techniques, the Internet can be a wonderful resource tool. Some sites are only available with payment. Others are free to browse. Backing up the sources should be part of the search to verify the data is correct.

5. Join Local Genealogical and Historical Societies

Contact your local genealogical and historical society for help. Many organizations will help you without charge. Over time, you may want to join the organization to learn about other researching techniques. Many societies have weekly or monthly meetings. Others go on trips to local cemeteries or other historical sites. One of the greatest aspects about joining a genealogical group is each member understands your quest for knowledge. Often a fellow genealogy buff will know how to research a subject area, helping you further your research.

Genealogy research is both fun and frustrating. However, over time the journey may bring you closer to your family roots.