by kathilipp | Aug 10, 2018 | Blog, Clutter Free |
Get motivated to declutter YOUR home with this declutter before and after story.
Tina knows the feeling of overwhelm all too well. Chronic depression made getting started on a project seem impossible. Tina found help when she received a copy of the book Clutter Free, by Kathi Lipp. In the beginning, she says, “I would go and stand in the room and just stare. At everything. And not know where to begin. Sometimes I’d walk out and other times I’d put in 15 minutes.”
Can you relate?
Tina ’s clutter challenge was boxes of paper from many years past, some stuff that belonged to her kids and other things that were her Grandparents’. It all needed to be sorted and passed on to her siblings. She also accumulated things over the years that she had a hard time letting go of, even though they had no sentimental value.
The most valuable Clutter-Free tip Tina used was asking herself the 3 questions:
- Do you love it?
- Would you buy it again?
- Do you need it?
This simple tip helped Tina so much. She said, “I took my boys their things. I went through my closet a number of times, once passing on 16 pairs of good shoes. I passed on purses and clothes I never used to my daughter-in-law, who has an online store. Many things went to the thrift store. I passed on books I’ve had for years and never read. Out went about 12 cook books!”
She started calling her “junk room” her office and eventually shredded boxes of old bills, bank statements, etc. “My husband used to say ‘Less is more’. I believe him now!
Tina learned that she did not enjoy clutter. She just thought that was how people lived because she grew up in a cluttered home.
“I like to have a place for everything and everything in its place. I’m not a stickler about it, but if I’m going to another room and see something that goes in that room, then I’ll take it with me and put it in its place. I still have more to do but I can now use my office as a reading room, a quiet place, an exercise area,” Tina says.
I’m so thankful to Kathi Lipp!” she exclaims. “Her books, videos, blog and Facebook group inspires me. I could not have done this without her tips and encouragement.”
If you could use some encouragement in your battle against Clutter, why not head over to the kindest corner of the internet, Kathi Lipp’s Clutter Free Academy Facebook group? There, you’ll find encouragement, tips and motivation to continue the practice of living Clutter Free.
by kathilipp | Aug 6, 2018 | Blog, Clutter Free |
The Simply Organized Home – Learn ten cute ways to store your stuff.
Oh friend, when it comes to having a cute house you love to live in and look at, you really only have two options: either make sure your stuff is cute, or make sure your storage is. (I wish there were a third option, like something from Star Trek where you push a button and whatever you want either materializes or disappears, but sadly, I think we are still a few years from that.)
It’s great when your stuff is beautiful and you want to put it on display. But we all have those necessities of life that need to be stored out of sight, but not out of mind. (When I need that bottle of Tylenol, I want to know where it is, no matter how cute the storage is.)
So how do you have cute storage and find things at the same time? Here are some ideas to keep you – and your house – cute and organized.
I’ve taken a lot of these ideas from Melissa Michaels’s new book Simple Organizing: 50 Ways to Clear the Clutter. (Check out my interviews with her this Tuesday and Thursday on the podcast.)
The Simply Organized Home: Contain Your Stuff
Look around at the items you need handy on a regular basis and see if there is a way you can contain them in something cute.
Bathroom Toiletries
Use white canisters for things you’d like to hide, and clear, glass canisters for things pretty enough to display. (Cotton balls come to mind.)
Anything can look tidier when you put it in a container.
The stuff on my kitchen sink went from scattered to downright adorable once I put it all in this white enamel bucket from grove.co.
Laundry Supplies
One of my favorite ways to keep the laundry area tidy is to use a tissue holder to dispense dryer sheets. Also, having a little garbage can for used dryer sheets, lint and oddities left over from someone’s pockets is a way to keep things looking lovely. I use glass containers for my Homemade HE laundry detergent as well as my Method laundry pods.
Makeup
I love a good makeup caddy (this one is a lot like the one I use.) The key to a cute makeup caddy is to:
1) not overstuff it – just store in it what you actually use;
2) throw it in the dishwasher once a month to keep it looking great.
Cooking Utensils
My most valuable real estate in my house is my kitchen counter space. But I also love to have some of my tools within easy grasp when I’m cooking. Use crocks to store utensils on the counter for a fun, country feel.
Look at how Melissa stores her antique wooden spoon collection! Adorable!
Coffee Supplies
We are coffee lovers, and we don’t mind if the world knows it. We put our addiction out there for the world to see. We use glass canisters to hold our coffee and filters, and ceramic canisters to house our Splenda and KCups. I’ve turned this corner of my kitchen into my favorite coffee bar.
Office Supplies
Of course, my goal is to have as little paperwork as possible (because, the best-looking paperwork is NO paperwork). But for the papers I do need to keep, I use my galvanized bucket with file folders. For office supplies, I use a combination of fabric shoe boxes and filing boxes in neutral colors. So simple, so cute!
The Simply Organized Home: Embrace Every Day On Display
One of the concepts I love in Melissa’s book is the idea of “Every Day on Display,” which is simply the act of taking what you already have and arranging it in a beautiful way. Here are some ways to take everyday necessities and turn them into something beautiful so you can have a simply organized home.
Bulletin Boards
One of the things I love about bulletin boards is their ability to tell a story about your space. Don’t overcrowd your board, but leave enough space that it becomes a feature, and a focus of the room.
Silverware Caddy
When the handles of your silverware are this cute, you want to put them on display. (Plus, if you hate to do dishes as much as I do, you will feel like you’re cheating when you just dump your silverware into a basket.)
Buy Cute
When shopping for that new coffee grinder or your next pair of scissors, decide whether you are going to need to contain them or find something that is cute enough to be on display. Normal scissors? Boring. Pink-handled scissors? They demand to be on display.
Consider the Finish
If you decide on a finish for a room, and buy containers with that design, it can pull together the whole look of the space. Here are some of the finishes I have in my house that I just can’t get enough of:
- White enamel
- Galvanized metal
- Fabric
- Wicker
So much of the time, having a simply organized, beautiful space isn’t about your stuff – it’s about how you’ve arranged your stuff to make it beautiful.
Would You Like to Have a Simply Organized Home?
What’s your favorite way to stay cute and organized at the same time? Comment below, and you will be entered to win this Simple Organizing gift pack from Harvest House Publishers in celebration of Melissa’s new book Simple Organizing: 50 Ways to Clear the Clutter!
by Guest Blogger | Aug 2, 2018 | Blog, Guest Blog |
Learn 3 simple ways to get tasks done so you can spend time on what matters most.
If I could pick one word to describe being a single mom, that’s the word overwhelmed. When Kathi Lipp and Cheri Gregory came out with the book Overwhelmed: How to Quiet the Chaos and Restore your Sanity, I’m pretty certain I was one of the first to sign up to be on the book launch team. I was only a few chapters in when I went to my Small Group Coordinator at church and offered to lead a women’s small group diving into it.
And that group filled up fast.
It’s. Not. Just. Me.
So many of us struggle with that feeling of being overwhelmed and how to get tasks done. Where do I even start with this? Overwhelm can apply to a lot of things in our lives—our clutter, our calendars, our projects that need to be tackled on top of daily necessities, or our daily necessities!
When my husband was alive, we could divide and conquer. And if I was just out of steam, he could cheer me on to finish or begin a task that needed to be tackled. He helped me with motivation and I helped him. (Ever seen a husband’s face when you hand them a Honey Do List on a sunny Saturday? That’s encouraging them to be productive, right?)
So what’s the secret to tackling the must-do-but-not-fun-to-do things when you are the grown up and there’s no one there to help you get motivated? How do you persevere to complete the things you’ve been avoiding once you realize YOU are the grown up?
How To Get Tasks Done
Microsteps for the Win
In Overwhelmed, Kathi and Cheri talk about microsteps. It’s such a simple concept, really, but one that we often forget. I even forget to use it when trying to get my kids to do their chores or tackle their odious tasks. Microsteps are simply breaking the big task down into smaller pieces and then breaking those pieces into smaller steps.
There’s a psychological payoff to this that might seem silly, but has been proven. When you accomplish something and put a little check mark by it on your list, you get a bit of a mental rush. “Yay! That’s done!”
Recently I needed my kids to step up and clean up the house for my son’s graduation. Company was coming and I’ll be honest—I’m not the best at housekeeping. I can let it go for too long until it’s a whole lot harder. Tackling this kind of huge cleaning project often led my kids to losing momentum and devolving into whining and complaining. Instead, I put this micro step plan into action.
I didn’t say, “You clean the bathroom and you clean the living room.” I wrote out all the things that needed to be tackled in each room we were cleaning. Then I said that anyone could tackle any task, just let the rest of us know what you were working on and put a check with your initials when done. The bathroom list, for example, included:
- Clean outside of the toilet.
- Clean inside of toilet.
- Clean mirrors.
- Wipe down tub.
- Sweep floor.
- Wipe down floor and baseboard.
- Pick up dirty towels and take to laundry room.
You get the idea.
It was an amazing change. The house was cleaner than it had been in a long time. No one fought. And only the littlest one ran out of steam before we were fully done.
Make a List and Check it Twice
Santa’s not the only one who likes lists. Writing down the steps of tackling an overwhelming job can help you feel like you’ve got a plan. It lays out for you in black and white exactly what needs to take place and lets you mentally follow the progress and celebrate each step accomplished as you get tasks done.
Set a Reward
Kids aren’t the only ones who like a reward for finishing something loathsome. My reward for my kids when we tackled the whole house was a promise of no one having to get up early the next day (teens love their sleep) and no one having to do any chores either.
But what about you? Do you give yourself a reward for finishing the grown-up list that you need to tackle? Maybe it’s getting to binge watch your favorite Netflix or Hulu show for a bit. Maybe it’s going to coffee with a friend. Maybe it’s doing your nails or some other type of self-care pampering. You may not need a trip out for ice cream, but setting yourself a reward for finishing a task is a mental motivator that shouldn’t be overlooked.
We all have those things that we hate to do—cleaning, running errands, making appointment calls, balancing the checkbook…. I could go on for a while. But we all have to get tasks done so sometimes we need to just do it. Help yourself by using micro steps, making a list and rewarding yourself to make it fun.
Now go out there and be productive! You can do it!
Jenn Buell is a writer, speaker, radio DJ and widowed mom of four kids who lives in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. She loves using her superpower of encouragement to cheer on other Christian single moms through her blog and podcast, “Right There With You.” You can connect with Jenn at JennBuell.com.
by kathilipp | Jul 30, 2018 | Blog, Clutter Free |
Learn how to pack and move without all the clutter!
In 2003, I became a single mom. Not only did I have to sell my first house, I had to take the contents of that three-bedroom, two bath home and move it into my parents’, where we would have two bedrooms (one for me and my daughter, one for my son) and a small living room area.
I researched all the ways I could organize, so I could move as cheaply and easily as possible, and shocker — the most common suggestion was to get rid of absolutely everything you could before the move.
When it comes to relocating, it’s not about reorganizing – it’s about reducing.
What to Consider Before You Pack and Move
Why declutter before you pack and move? Let’s consider your four most precious resources when moving: Space, Time, Energy and Money.
Space
Whether you are upsizing or downsizing, the idea of bringing all your old stuff into your new space should fill you with abject terror. And if you are downsizing, you won’t have room for all that stuff anyway, no matter how much you “organize” it.
No matter what size home you are moving into, space is limited. Spend it wisely from the start. You don’t want to start in your new home feeling cramped and pre-cluttered.
Time
Your biggest time suck when it comes to moving? Packing things to transport. That is why decluttering before a move is so vital: the less stuff you have the less you have to transport – so the less packing you will have to do.
And it’s not just packing it up on the moving end . It’s unpacking at the new house, and then making a decision about where each item goes. Once you get to the new house, much of your time will be spent finding everything you need amongst all the stuff that you brought (most of which you probably don’t need).
Just think of how much time you will save for every object you decide not to bring with you.
Energy
Trust me, on moving day, you will be so grateful to have gotten rid of so much stuff before your move. The less you have to take, the easier it will be on you when you’re hot, sweaty and just done with it. (Why is it that it’s always a thousand degrees when you’re moving? Is it somehow a law that we can only move on the hottest day of the year?)
Money
One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is trying to get “some money” out of an item they bought. They paid $20 for that salad spinner and want to recoup at least $10. So instead of donating it, they take it to the new house.
Don’t do that.
If it’s something you don’t use and can’t sell immediately, it is time to give it away.
What not to bring with you? Much of this depends on how far you are moving and who is paying for the move. When you see how big a moving truck is, you might be tempted to just throw everything in there and sort it out later.
Resist that temptation. It’s now more important than ever to ask yourself the three questions of decluttering:
- Do I love it?
- Do I use it?
- Would I buy it again?
I often ask my Clutter Free Academy people when they are really struggling with a decision about whether to keeps something or not, “Would you pay to move it?
But remember, there are several ways to “pay” for something: Space, Time, Energy, Money.
Items You Can Leave Behind When You Pack and Move
Here are some items you can leave behind:
Curtains and Window Treatments
I’ve heard from many military families that curtains never work from house to house – it’s better to just leave them.
Furniture That Doesn’t Have a Spot
If you can’t picture that extra wingback chair anywhere in your new house, don’t bring it with hopes that you will magically find a place.
Paint
Break up with the paint colors from your old house (and be a good guy and leave touch-up paint behind for the new renter/owner.) It’s time to dive in new into your new space and give it some fresh paint love.
Parts
Why would you bring parts from your old house to your new digs? Again, be a champ and leave them there for the new tenant.
Decorations
It may be time to get rid of décor that you loved but haven’t pulled out in a couple of years. Each house has its own vibe, and you are going to want to make your space your own over the next few years.
Appliances
Not all appliances automatically work in every space. Do your research before dragging that dishwasher across town (or especially across the country).
Knowing I had to move everything three hours away, and that our space had been cut in less than half, I had to get very specific about what I would bring and what I would leave behind.
Here are four questions to ask when you’re making those types of decisions:
- How much time do I have before my move?
- How much energy do I want to put into getting money out of my stuff?
- How much do I need to get rid of to fit into my new space?
- How much will it cost me to move?
4 Ways to Declutter Before You Pack and Move
So how do you get rid of all that extra stuff before you make your move?
Buddy Blessing
Early after we decided to move, I gathered up everything I knew I wanted to get rid of: books, decorations, food, school supplies, kids’ clothes, jewelry, my clothes, accessories, videos, kitchen supplies, tools, camping equipment and small appliances. Then I put it all in my living room and invited friends to come by and take what they wanted.
It was the fastest way of decluttering, and it’s good for the soul.
Free Pile
I had a yard sale and made some money from that, but then I put a “free” sign in my front yard. I would haul things out there, and twenty minutes later, they would magically disappear. Turns out the same family kept driving by my house, waiting for me to put stuff out. Finally, I just had them come into the house, point to the things I was getting rid of, and they hauled them away for me. It was a wonderful arrangement. They were taking the stuff to the flea market to sell, and I was thrilled to get it out of my house. (I was past the garage sale point – I was at the “Just get it out of my house!” point.)
Garage/Yard Sale
I’ve written a whole guide on How to Have a Clutter Free Garage Sale, and make a little money in the process. One of my readers, Mellanie, gave me this great idea for prepping for a garage sale: “My sister encouraged me to keep a package of sales sticker dots and a package of blank dots along with a permanent marker in a handy drawer. During the year when I came across something I didn’t use anymore, I put a sticker on it and put it in a box or storage container marked for garage sales. I have them down in my basement all stacked up. I tried it this past year and my stuff is already to sell. I just need to carry the boxes outside.”
Nextdoor App
Now, when I’m decluttering, I put things up on Nextdoor under the free column. I put in the description that someone has to come pick it up. I love not having to drag things to a donation center. It’s like a valet for my stuff that I don’t want anymore.
Moving is an opportunity. Look at your move as a fresh start in in new place when it comes to clutter.
If you’ve moved before, tell me in the comments below your best moving trick. You could be featured in an upcoming article here on Clutter Free Academy.
by Tiffany Baker | Jul 26, 2018 | Blog, God, Hope |
Learn how to respond to and overcome tough times.
There you are, going about your everyday life, minding your own business and it hits.
Out of nowhere.
A phone call. A text. A conversation. A situation.
You didn’t expect it or maybe you’ve been running from it, but you can’t run any longer. It just became real and rocked your world.
Maybe it’s a diagnosis, a divorce, a demotion, a detour, but all of a sudden you’re experiencing tough times.
I remember it like it was yesterday. We were minding our own business, enjoying a family vacation visiting my husband’s parents in Pennsylvania. While feasting on pancakes after church at a large rural restaurant known for their just-tapped homemade maple syrup, I could tell our youngest, who was 11 at the time, wasn’t feeling well. I took her to the bathroom thinking she needed to throw up and a few minutes later she was in my arms, sprawled across the floor, with her lips turning blue after her body collapsed in what I assumed to be a grand mal seizure.
What was going on? I remember thinking to myself, “I must be dreaming, this isn’t happening to me, am I being punked?”
This was the straw the broke the camel’s back. You see, we were already going through tough times as my husband had quit his job as a pastor at a large church in the DFW metroplex about four months earlier. At God’s prompting we decided together that it was time for him to take a leap of faith and pursue the dream that God had placed in his heart years earlier.
In the previous four months we experienced so much “stuff” that I started to keep a list on my phone. I called it “My Redemption List.” This was a list of all the bad things that were happening during our leap of faith season. Every day I believed and decreed that God was redeeming those things one by one as well as the entire season for our family.
But this was a low blow. This one really hurt. Shortly after this bathroom experience our daughter, our sunshine, was diagnosed with epilepsy.
Maybe you’ve been there too… or are there… or for sure will be there.
You’ve been standing on a promise, following a dream, or just living your life.
You may have just been knocked down and feel like you have been punched in the gut. The wind has been taken out of your sail. Where do you go from here? How do you keep the low blow from keeping you down? Should you get up or move on?
How to Overcome Tough Times
You may not be able to control a lot of the things that happen in life, but you can control how you respond to the blows. You have four choices. They are truly up to you. But how you respond will determine what happens next.
Give Up
It’s been too hard for too long to stand on the promise without seeing the results. You just don’t know how to keep going. You can choose to give up and move on.
Give In
You can give in to what’s happening. Give in to what you feel, become negative and live in what is happening in your natural circumstances. You may be tired of being tired so it seems easier just to give in.
Give It Over to God
You can’t do it, but God can. You can choose to lay it at His feet, maybe for the first time or the millionth, and seek Him. Seek the giver, not the gift. Let Him be your source for everything you need right now.
Give It A Loud “Heck no satan!”
Stand your ground, hold onto the promises God has given you and move forward bravely with boldness.
So, what response do you choose?
Maybe it’s a mixture of these.
I would propose you spend some time with God and give it over to Him. Then, give it a loud “Heck no satan! Not this time, Not ever.”
Don’t give up. Don’t give in.
“For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again.” Proverbs 24:16a (NIV)
Get up!
Next Steps: What’s your battle cry? When you get punched in the gut or life doesn’t go as planned, what’s the promise you stand on? If you don’t have one, dig into the bible today and come up with a life verse to stand on when the going gets tough.
Here is a battle cry you can use today as you give it over to Him…
“The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid? For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, “Seek His face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek. I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” –Excerpts from Psalm 27
Fighting the good fight,
Tiffany
Tiffany Jo Baker MA, CLC
Tiffany Jo Baker is a mom who has birthed seven children, but only two of them were her own. This three-time Surrogate, Speaker, Writer and Couples Life and Fertility Support Coach, continues to help women and couples birth their dreams and thrive thru infertility. If you or someone you love find themselves on a harder than expected path to parenthood, you can find hope, free resources and more to help navigate the road and relationships while trying to conceive at www.tiffanyjobaker.com.
by kathilipp | Jul 23, 2018 | Blog, Clutter Free |
The Life Organization File: A step-by step guide to Creating Your Own Home Office Filing System
If you are anything like me, you have a million “notes to self,” and every once in a while, a little piece of paper can get lost in your shuffle. (Or let’s be honest – all the time.)
I have found a very simple system that can help even the most hopelessly unorganized amaze her friends and family with clever holiday ideas and on-time birthday greetings, (as well as getting the bills paid on time.)
The Life Organization File is based on the tickler file system. Here are the items you will need (most of which you probably have on hand):
Materials Needed for Your Home Office Filing System
How to Create Your Life Organization File
On each of the tabs of the 43 folders write one of the months of the year, (January – December) and, the days of the month (1-31) (Or you can download the label templates linked above to make it extra cute using Avery Labels #5160.)
Using your home calendar, write the names and important dates of events in your family that reoccur annually on the inside of the folder. For instance, the June folder in our house looks like this:
12 – Grandma Connie’s Birthday
25 – Our Wedding Anniversary
30 – Kimberly’s Birthday
For one-time events (graduations, baptisms) or holidays where the date changes annually (Father’s Day), write the information on a post-it note and place it on the inside of the folder along with the annual events.
How to Use Your Life Organization File (LOF) Home Office Filing System
Once your file is put together, the hardest part is over. Now all you have to do is begin
using it.
For Everyday Life
Paperwork Day
One day a week, I set aside some time to file any paperwork that needs to be filed. Say that my paperwork day is Monday and the next Monday is the 14th. Any paperwork that I need to file, pay or take care of goes in the file on the 14th. When Monday the 14th comes around, everything I need to file is right there in that folder. I also use that time to deal with the rest of my paperwork.
Suggestions:
- Make your meal plans.
- Make your grocery list.
- Make your list of errands.
- See what sales are coming up (because you put all your sales flyers in the 14th folder).
Kids’ Stuff
This is also the folder where I drop all the information the kids bring home from school. I would check any notices to see if I can (or must) take care of it immediately. If not, I drop it in the Monday folder.
Mail
I have a place in the kitchen where I put mail as soon as it comes in the door. But when it’s time to deal with the mail, I always do it with my recycle basket, calendar, and LOF right next to me. Dates get entered on the calendar, papers are recycled, and forms, bills and important paperwork are dropped into the LOF to be taken care of.
Coupons and Store Cash
Is there anything more frustrating carrying around Kohl’s Cash for a month, just to check the date and realized it expired yesterday? When I get a coupon or store cash that is valid at a later date, I drop it into the date it starts so I have the best chance of using it.
Projects
If I’m working on an ongoing project, when I finish up each afternoon, I will put it in the next day’s folder so it’s not cluttering up my desk and I’m sure to find it the next day.
To Dos
If I need to call the doctor’s office and it’s after hours, I will just drop a note into the next business day’s file as a reminder to do that as early in the day as possible.
Errands
If you have a regular day you run errands, put a post-it note on that day and drop in any coupons you plan on using. Plus, this is a great place to store your printed-out shopping list to be able to add to it.
For Special Occasions
About the 20th of each month, I pull next month’s folder and note upcoming birthdays and special events.
If you don’t have a card or a gift already for the event, you have at least a week to get that together. If you have been dropping in cards and gift ideas as they strike you throughout the year, you should have most of the work done in advance.
With your address book and stamps handy, address cards and notes and get them in the mail. (If the birthdays are later in the month, I just stick those cards in with my bills that need to be mailed about the same time.)
Here is the really great part. You know how you see a really great recipe for Christmas cookies, and it is January 15th? Clip out that recipe and drop it in your December file. It will be waiting for you next holiday season.
Have vacation plans for Thanksgiving? Place the tickets in the November file and you will be able to find them when it’s time to go.
Find the perfect Maxine card for your sister, but her birthday is still months away? Buy it now (saving you an emergency trip to buy a card!) and file it her birthday month’s folder.
See a great article on the net on flower pot painting and want to try it out when you visit your mom in May? Just drop it in the May folder and you will remember to take it with you. (And your mom will think you’re a genius!)
Some additional tips:
Once a year I go on a greeting card-buying spree. I buy cards that are “just right” for the people in my life, and some general ones to have on hand. When I get the cards home, I address them and stamp the envelopes, but do not sign them until I am ready to mail them. I want my greetings to be fresh and interesting.
This makes a great gift for an older family member who likes to send cards. Show them your file first to see if it would be something they would use. (Some of my relatives in their 90’s have better memories than I do and have no need for a file system!)
When I look through a catalog and see a gift idea, I rip it out and put it in the appropriate file. Even if I do not end up purchasing that exact item, it is nice to have ideas.
I also have a selection of thank-you, thinking of you, get well and a few sympathy cards on hand for last-minute notes.
The files are a great place to store directions to events such as weddings, and parties. You can even keep tickets to future events in the appropriate month’s file (instead of hanging out on the fridge for four months).
How to Keep Up Your Life Organization File
The most important part of this system (besides filing all your papers) is to check that day’s folder, every single day.
One of the tricks I played on myself when I was first trying to get used to using my LOF was to get four $5 Starbucks cards and have one of my kids randomly drop those cards throughout the 1-31 files. For four days a month, I got Starbucks just by checking my folders. $20 is a small price to pay for not being late with bills, remembering birthdays and generally killing it organizationally.
Set one day a week to do all your paperwork. If it is Monday, and this week Monday falls on the 14th then all that week, just drop any paperwork into the folder marked 14th. I will stick a giant Post-it on the Monday folder, so it’s easy to drop papers into for review. Once I’m done with that Monday, I will move the Post-it to the next Monday.
By using the Life Organizational File, you’ll be amazed at the amount of paperwork lying around your house that you can now organize and store in your files.
If you struggle with paperwork, this will solve 90% of your problem. Promise.
Tell me in the comments the biggest source of paper struggle in your home. I may feature your question in an upcoming post!
