How to Get Organized

Instructions

• Step 1: Maintain a schedule Maintain a written weekly schedule of responsibilities for everyday responsibilities. Routines aid in accomplishing tasks quickly and efficiently, allowing you to stay focused.
• TIP: Encourage everyone in the house to use checklists to join you in getting the family's act organized.
• Step 2: Throw things out Throw things out. Determine whether something is needed and then take action. If you haven't used something in a year, pitch it -- it's time to get lean, mean, and organized.
• TIP: Avoid the temptation to jam things into drawers for appearance's sake.
• Step 3: Assign locations Assign everything a location. Remember -- "a place for everything and everything in its place."
• Step 4: Stack, rack, and box Use containers, baskets, shelves, and cabinets for commonly-used items so they're easier to find. Keep your containers stacked, racked, boxed, bagged, or hung.
• Step 5: Arrange areas Arrange desktops, cooking areas, dressers, and counters with self-contained units and compartments dedicated to objects and utensils for a clean look and easy access.
• Step 6: Remove clutter Keep your dining room, kitchen, and end tables clear of clutter. Restrict paperwork to personal rooms or an office area, and unneeded clutter can be trashed.
• Step 7: Change storage Change from round storage containers to more sensible and space-saving square ones. Install two-tiered turntables in cabinets, and take advantage of space by replacing cookbooks with less bulky, plastic-sleeved recipe pages.
• Step 8: Take advantage of the organization Put everyone's routine on your kitchen or computer calendar, and then schedule a family night when everyone's free to do something together.
• FACT: According to the Mayo Clinic, compulsive hoarding can begin in people as young as twelve years old.

You Will Need

• Schedule
• Decisiveness
• Containers and compartments
• Restrictions
• Turntables
• Calendar
• Checklists (optional)