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Published by BlueMoon Publishing.

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m so excited that you requested my Easy Tips & Tricks to Help You Get
Organized Now!TM. Part of getting organized is being able to clear out
your clutter and find more time in your busy schedule, but in reality, its

so much more than that.

Being organized is the key to happiness. Its the secret ingredient that allows
you to achieve more goals, find lots of hidden time for yourself and your
family, feel more motivated about life and dreams and everything
wonderfulall without barriers.

Youre about to discover

The Infamous Organizational Myth

This is a huge eye-opener. Think you know what it means to be organized?
Come up with your own definition first, and then read our philosophy. Were
sure its going to be a big surprise!

Less is More: 15 Ways to Simplify Your Life:

The society in which we live is all too often obsessed with how much we
have. We spend a lot of time accumulating things and have a hard time giving
things up. All the extras can add up and stress us out. Youre about to
discover 15 things you can do to help simplify your life and free up your time
for the things you love to do.

10 Little-Known Benefits of Getting Organized:

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself how you can benefit from being
organized? While some benefits, such as freeing up space, might be obvious,

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there are lots of other reasons to get rid of clutter and manage your time.
Check out these 10 little-known benefits!

The Paper Pileup and how to Banish It:

Paper is a part of everyone's daily life. There is no way to avoid it. However,
if you do not manage paper on a regularly scheduled basis, it will manage you
and pile up fast! It is best to not allow that to happen. Banish the paper pile
now. Here's how.

Think Like a Professional Organizer:

Yes, there are actually people who organizing for a living. You can become
more organized by incorporating some of the basic rules that professional
organizers follow in their organizing businesses. Here are a few to get you
started.

Are you a Packrat, Perfectionist and/or Procrastinator?

Are one of your P tendencies getting in the way of you getting organized?
Whether you're a packrat, a perfectionist or a procrastinator, a stress-free, less
chaotic, organized life is in your reach.

No Time? No Problem. Organizing Ideas You Can Apply

Lickety-Split:
Let's face it. Life can get very hectic. With work, meetings, kids activities,
and daily household duties, it seems like there are never enough hours in the
day. Spending hours trying to organize every room in the house is something
few of us ever have time for, but organizing doesn't have to take hours. Set
aside just 30 minutes to put these 6 quick tips in place and start to see the
timesaving results.
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How Much Is Your Time Worth?

If you had to place a dollar value on your time, what would it be? Now
imagine those dollars flying out the window for every moment of wasted time
in your day.

Take Time to Sharpen Your Ax:

This simple story reveals why you dont hae to work longer and harder each
day.

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The Infamous Organizational Myth

The Infamous Organizational Myth:
To be organized means to be neat or tidy.

Yes, we will admit that you can be neat and organized at the same time.
But, there is also a huge percentage of neat people who are extremely
disorganized.
In fact, and this one's probably going to throw you for a loop -- you can be
the total opposite of neatyou can be sloppyand still be organized!
So, what does it mean to be organized?
Truth:
To be organized means:
1) You get everything done when it's due.
2) You find everything you need when you need it.

It's really that simple.

Keep these two phrases in mind, and you're well on your way to optimum
organization.

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Less is More
15 Ways to Simplify Your Life

he society in which we live is all too often obsessed with how

much we have. We spend a lot of time accumulating things and
have a hard time giving things up. All the extras can add up and

stress us out. Below is a list of 15 things ways to help simplify our lives
and free up our time.

1.

Limit commitments

Many of us have a hard time saying no. Even when we're overworked and
overbooked, we often feel guilty telling people no. You now have
permissionits okay to say no and not feel guilty. When you have too
many commitments, you aren't able to fulfill them to the best of your
ability and you add unnecessary stress to your life, not to mention all the
time that those commitments eat up. Next time you're already committed
and asked to take on more, gracefully apologize and say
noremembering that next time the need arises you may not be so busy.

2.

Shorten To Do lists

Get rid of all the sticky notes and scraps of paper on which you've jotted
down things to get done. Consolidate everything into two lists. One list
should be your To Do list for work and the other one for home. Each list
should only contain the most important things in order to keep your lists
short and easier to complete.
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3.

Control wasteful actions

Think about your typical day. How much of that time is spent doing things
that don't really have a purpose? Things like watching hours of TV and
pointless Internet surfing often draw us in and waste more of our time than
expected. Gain back some of this time by making such activities more
difficult to do or by avoiding them altogether.

4.

Reduce clothing

Many Americans have closets and drawers full of clothes, much of which
they haven't worn in months or even years. Look through your clothes.
Take out anything that doesn't fit, is out of style, or hasn't been worn in
over six months. Donate these items to a local charity, sell them at a
garage sale, or give them to a friend who could use them.

5.

Donate books

Books that aren't useful anymore and ones that you do not intend on
reading again are just creating clutter. Go through your books and weed
out all of your clutter books, including college textbooks, reference and
self-help books you don't use any more, and books you'll never read
again. Either sell these items at a garage sale or donate them to a friend
or charity.

6.

Consolidate email accounts

If you have multiple email accounts, consolidate them. Send out a mass
email to let people know you're changing your email address. Keeping

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track of more than two email accounts can prove to be a waste of time.
Keep one personal account and one work account.

7.

Focus on fewer goals

Having goals is a great thing, don't get me wrong. Everyone should

have goals. But working toward too many at one time can be
detrimental to your success. Focus on only two or three goals at a time
and you will find it much less stressful and much more enjoyable as
you achieve more success.

8.

Curb credit cards

Credit card debt is a major problem for many Americans. One way to
avoid this problem and stress is to limit credit card use by limiting the
number available to you. Scale back to only one credit card and one
backup. If this just won't do for you, try scaling back the number of
cards you carry around with you daily.

9.

Reduce banking institutions

Let one bank supply all of your banking needs. Some banking
institutions consolidate all of your accounts into one statement each
month, reducing the number of papers to sort through and file. It will
also reduce the number of websites you have to login to each time you
want to check balances and activity online.

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10. Reduce bills needing to be mailed

There are many recurring payments that we make each month, from
cable bills to car and mortgage payments and even utilities. Sign up
with the companies or your financial institution to have these charges
automatically withdrawn from your checking or savings account. In
addition to saving the time and hassles of mailing in your payments, it
also saves you any late fees you may otherwise incur in the process.

11. Eliminate car clutter

Get rid of the trash and anything else that doesn't belong in your
vehicle. Keep a small bag in your vehicle for any garbage that may
accumulate while you're driving. Make sure everything that belongs in
your car has a place. Most commuters find that they do some of their
best thinking while they're on the road. It's rather hard to think and keep
your mind clear when the space around you is a mess. It's also not a
very good environment in which to decompress after a long day at
work.

12. Control Communication

Email, instant messaging, cell phones, paper mail, Skype, Twitter,
Facebook, and forums can all rob us of our precious time if we're not
careful. Allow yourself a reasonable amount of time to communicate
and socialize with friends and family, but don't let it overwhelm your
day. Schedule certain times during the day for such communication, but
only allow a certain number of minutes and stick to your schedule.

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13. Plan dinner choices

Create a weekly dinner menu. It can be something as simple as 10-day
rotation of a chicken dish, a pasta dish, a veggie dish, and so on. Need
more variety? Combine your favorite recipes into one binder and make
weekly dinners from that one recipe book.

14. Multi-tasking may not be helping

Very often, people are less productive when they multitaskespecially when theyre multi-tasking several important projects
at once. It sometimes adds more stress and makes things more
complicated. When working on projects that require your focused
attention, stick with a single task until you can cross it off your to do
list and then move on to the next thing.

15. End gossip

Gossip creates drama whether it's at work or in your personal life.
Eliminate the majority of this drama by not repeating any of the gossip
you hear. It'll make you a more enjoyable person to be around and a
better friend.

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10 Little-Known Benefits of
Getting Organized

ave you ever stopped and asked yourself how you can benefit
from being organized? While some benefits, such as freeing up
some space, might be obvious, there are lots of other reasons to

get rid of clutter and manage your time. Check out these 10 little-known
benefits:

1.

Youll be able to relax more

When you're climbing over clutter or struggling to find something in

your filing cabinet, your blood pressure is bound to go up. By getting
organized, your stress levels will go down, and you'll be able to live a
less chaotic, more relaxed life.

2.

Youll have more time for yourself

By being efficient, like getting your projects done quicker, being able
to delegate, wasting less time looking for things, and being able to
make quicker decisions, you'll spend less time working and have
more time for yourself and the things you love to do.

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3.

Youll have more time for your loved

ones
An organized person is always able to fit in time for friends and family
members. You'll also have more time to help out in your community or
church if you wish.

4.

Youll feel good about your environment

Being disorganized often results in embarrassment. You may feel
concerned when visitors drop by your home or office and see clutter or
things out of place. Get organized, and you'll always feel good about
your surroundingsgood enough to invite people in without worries.

5.

Youll be an even better role model

If you have kids at home, being organized is very important. Your kids
will take cues from you. If you don't put things away, chances are your
kids won't either. However, when your kids see how organized you are,
they'll know you practice what you preach. If you teach them how to
get and stay organized now, that's something that will help them in all
the years they have ahead of them.

6.

You, and your family, will be healthier

Get organized and you'll have more than enough time to exercise and
cook healthy meals for yourself and your family.

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7.

Your focus will be redirected to happiness

When youre disorganized, tons of your focus is on stepping over your
clutter, trying to find lost items, apologizing for missed appointments,
making excuses why you cant spend time with your family and
friends, worrying that someone will ring your doorbell unexpectedly
and youd be too embarrassed to let them in, and stressing over your To
Do list that you can never seem to catch up with. In a nutshell,
disorganization results in unhappiness. When youre organized, on the
other hand, you dont have to focus on chaosbecause there is none.
Your mind and your time are now free to focus on the people, events
and things that bring happiness into your life.

8.

Youll breathe easier

An organized environment, also tends to be a much cleaner

environment. Less dust mites. No empty soda cans strewn about. No
dirty clothes on the floor or tossed over chairs. No paper piles reaching
for the ceiling.

9.

Youll save money

When you're organized, you'll always know what you have, before you
buy more.

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10. Youll achieve more

When you're disorganized, there are always barriers that hold you back
from reaching your goals. But organized people find ways to eliminate
tasks that aren't necessary and streamline those that are taking too much
time. This leaves plenty of time to work on achieving all of those goals
on your list.

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The Paper Pileup

and How to Banish It

aper is a part of everyone's daily life. There is no way to avoid it.

However, if you do not manage paper on a regularly scheduled
basis, it will manage you and pile up fast! It is best to not let that

happen. Banish the paper pile now. Here's how:

1.

Weed regularly

A sure way to keep paper from piling up is to go through your files and
toss out all outdated and unused information. Be sure to do this on a
regular basispreferably monthly.

2.

Request online statements

Request that any statements you receive from various sources, such as
cable, credit card companies, electric company, etc., be sent online to
your email account instead of on paper through the post office.

3.

Take advantage of online bill paying

Check out your financial institution's online bill paying system. Setting
up an account to pay your bills online through your bank eliminates the
need for envelopes and postage. You can set up your account to pay
with your approval each month or set it up to pay bills automatically

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with no effort on your part. It is a safe and easy way to organize all
your bills in one location.

4.

Delegate financial organization to software

Consider investing in a financial management program, such as Quick
Books. Financial management programs will turn your piles of receipts
and statements into something manageable.

5.

Reduce junk mail

Junk mail is out of control these days. You can eliminate receiving
some of it by calling the Preapproved Credit Card Opt Line for the
three top credit unions at 888-567-8688. This will eliminate receiving
all the credit card offers that are sent. You can also register online with
the Direct Marketing Association and request to be removed from junk
mail mailing lists.

6.

Avoid mailing lists

Try to avoid getting your name put on mailing lists. Tell every
company with whom you do business not to sell your name. Never
enter contests or fill out surveys with your name and address on them.
Always keep in mind where your name and address is going.

7.

Reconsider magazine subscriptions

Do you subscribe to many magazines and/or newspapers? Keep only

those subscriptions that are most important to you. Most major
magazines now carry many of their articles, if not the entire issue, on
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their websites. Consider donating old magazines to doctors' offices,

shelters or senior centers after you read them.

8.

Use a binder system

Use a binder system, such as the Get Organized Now! Easy Organizer.
This organizer is perfect for helping you keep track of all the
information you would typically writeand loseon sticky notes.
Binders are a great way to organize many types of paperwork that you
reference frequently. Use index tabs to organize the information in the
binders so whatever youre looking for is easy to locate.

9.

Determine if you should keep it or purge

it
Check with the IRS, in addition to your accountant and attorney, to find
out how long to keep documents. Before you put documents into
storage, mark them with an expiration date, if they have one. Some
documents do need to be kept permanently. When you go through your
files in the future, you will know which ones to purge.

10. Make a decision

Make a decision with each piece of paperwork that goes through your
hands. Do not put papers into a pile and say you will deal with them
later. Decide to do something with them right away and take some sort
of action whether it is to read, pay, file, perform an action, or toss.

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11. Dont print everything

Do not let your computer increase the amount of paper you collect. It is
easy to print out a lot of things that do not have to be printed. If it is not
critical, do not print it out. Keep in the back of your mind that the
information will more than likely still be online to reference again later.

12. Make time each day to process

paperwork
As part of your daily schedule, set aside a certain amount of time to
process paperwork. Open and sort mail every day. Immediately recycle
anything you do not need. Handle all important documents in one
designated area. Divide the papers into main categories of action, such
as Read, Pay, File or Do.

13. Ask, Do I need to keep it?

It is common to file papers that are never going to be looked at again.
Before you file anything, ask yourself one question, Do I really need
to keep this document?

14. Use a scanner

If you own a scanner, use it to its full potential to eliminate a good
portion of the paper piled up in your home. You can scan a wide variety
of items onto your computer or store onto CDs or DVDs. Scanners can
scan most documents and pictures onto your computer for paper-free
storage.
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15. Tackle it in baby steps

If you have a large amount of paper piled up, you do not have to tackle
it all at once. Do it in sections taking baby steps. Once you start and
continue to work on your piles, you will see results. It just takes that
first step. Once you have the paper pile-ups banished, regularly manage
and act on all paperwork to maintain order. Make it a habitthen it
will become second nature.

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Thinking Like a Professional Organizer

ho better to follow for organizing advice, than a Professional

Organizer who lives and breathes organizing every single
day. You can become more organized by incorporating some of

the basic rules that professional organizers follow in their organizing

businesses. Here are a few to get you started.

1. Sort and group

Put all the sporting equipment in one place and all the gardening supplies
in another. When similar items are grouped together, it makes finding
items much easier for everyone.

2. Pick a number, any number

How many of a specific item does a person need to keep? Every person
needs to determine what that particular number will be so they can account
for the amount of space and storage in their house. When you pick a
number, stick to it..

3. One small step at a time

Tackling large projects works best by breaking them down into smaller,
more manageable steps. Taking baby steps will make the project easier to
handle and moving along to completion.

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4. Put it away
Put everything away after you are done using it. No excuses.

5. Give everything you own a home

Designate a particular spot for everything in your home. This means books
on bookshelves, silverware in a drawer in the kitchen, etc. By
communicating to all family members that they put things away where
they belong, things will be easier for them to find and the house will be
more tidy and clean..

6. Touch it once
Lets say you toss your shirt on the bed because you are going to hang it
up or throw it in the laundry basket later. Or you shove it on a shelf in the
closet and will hang it later. Later often never comes, and you end up with
clutter all over your home. A better way: Follow the touch it once rule.
The coffee cup goes in the dishwasher as soon as youre done with it; not
on the counter and into the dishwasher later. The mail coming in the house
should be dealt with immediately; not put on a pile where you touch it
more than once.

7. Review tomorrow
Set aside 10 minutes each day, at a consistent time, to review your
schedule and tomorrows To Do list. This is generally the last task of my
work daymaking sure I know exactly whats in store for tomorrow.

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8. One in, one out

For every item you purchase and bring into the homeeven if it is a used
item but new to your homeone item already in your house must leave.
This will ensure the volume of your belongings doesnt increase and helps
to prevent chaos in the future.

9. Store it where its used most

Items should be stored near the place where they are used. This saves time
and energy and makes finding the items much easier. For example, store
your printer paper near your printer, not in a room on the opposite side of
the house.

10.

Use the appropriate levels to store

stuff

Keep the things you use most often at eye level, store heavy items below
waist level, and infrequently used items on a high level and harder to
access shelf or in another area of the house.

11.

Have a garage sale

Garage sales are a great way to get rid of clutter. Once a year, go through
the house and gather up all the items that are no longer used, are
duplicates or damaged, old clothes, furniture and appliances. If you do not
want to do a garage sale, donate your items to charity..

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12.

Just because its on sale

You will see good sales throughout your life. That does not mean it is a
good idea to purchase items now while they are on sale. Often they will go
on sale again. Do not keep too many items on hand, even for
replenishment of items you use regularly. Choose your bulk purchases
carefully.

13.

Hangers in one direction

Place all of your hangers in the closet hanging in one direction. After you
wear an item and hang it back up in the closet, place the hanger in the
opposite direction. After a season, any hangers still hanging in the original
position indicate clothing that was not worn. Consider donating, tossing or
repairing these items of clothing..

14.

Dont leave it to chance

Knowing what you need to do and outlining a plan will prevent time
problems. By setting goals and knowing how much time you need to
accomplish these goals, you will be saving time throughout your daily
routine..

15.

Be flexible, but have a schedule

Having a schedule will help you to stay organized. It will be easier for you
to manage your time day to day. This will also help you handle
unexpected events and interruptions, and leaves room for flexibility. You
will know what you need to do to get back on task.

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Are You a Pack Rat, Perfectionist or

Procrastinator?

re one of your P tendencies getting in the way of you getting

organized? Whether you're a packrat, a perfectionist, or a
procrastinator, a stress-free, less chaotic, organized life is in your

reach.

For the Packrat

1. Visualize lighter surroundings

Having a clutter-filled home is not safe or healthy. For one thing, it makes
deep cleaning your home nearly impossible. Dust and other allergens will
remain trapped on shelves and in carpets that can't be accessed. There's
also the safety issue of having clear floors so no one trips and hurts
themselves. You want to be able to walk from room to room in the dark if
needed, secure in knowing you won't run into anything. Imagine each item
you don't use and/or love magically floating away, and visualize what a
breath of fresh air it will be when your house is lighter.

2. Use the rotation system

In order to really enjoy the things you do care about, you need the space to
see them, touch themto display your collectibles or cherished family
heirlooms. We want to be able to properly respect and honor the memories
as well as the items themselves when we are entrusted with our family's
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treasures. If these things are tossed in boxes alongside a bunch of

everyday stuff, we are not caring for them properly and might as well not
have them. On the same note, most people cannot display all their family
treasures at once. Consider putting many of these personal items into
storage, and displaying just a few at a time. That will truly spotlight these
few items. In a month, rotate some of the items on display into storage,
and a few currently in storage back on display..

3. Get help from a trusted organized

friend
I've never heard a packrat say that they enjoy being a packrat. We want to
set a good example for our children, other family members and coworkers. We want to feel proud of our surroundings. Don't go through the
decluttering process by yourself. Invite an encouraging friend or relative
to help you weed out some of the stuff that's really not that meaningful
and just taking up space.

4. Toss 5 a day
Looking for an easy way to curb your packrat tendencies? Challenge
yourself to toss five items per day for a month. By the end of the month,
you'll have lightened your load by 150 items. Sounds like a lot but you'd
be amazed at how quickly you can find things to toss or donate.
Everything counts and if you can find more than five things a day, all the
better!.

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For the Perfectionist

5. Just start
Are you afraid to start a task or project without knowing the right way?
There is no one, correct way to de-clutter and organize. If one way doesn't
work well for you, try another approach. The only wrong way is to not
start at all. It doesn't matter where you start. Just start..

6. Choose small projects you can complete

Are you afraid to start if you're not going to be able to finish the whole
thing all at once? The most important thing to remember is the concept of
BABY STEPS. For example, you don't have to organize an entire house
all at once. Do one shelf, one drawer or one closet if you get really
ambitious. Every little bit counts and makes a big difference towards your
eventual goal..

7. Do it now, improve later

What if the end result isn't perfect? Give yourself the OK to do what you
can, and improve later. It's rare that the initial system is the very best way.
Always keep continuous improvement in your mind and you won't have
to worry about getting it right the first time..

8. 15 minute blocks
Do you feel that you have to complete everything you start, or you won't
begin? This kind of mindset will be a huge barrier to you getting anything
done. Take large projects and break them down into a series of 15 minute
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tasks. This way, your goal is to complete 15 minutes of time working on

your project. Tomorrow, you can start and complete the next 15 minutes.
This system will help ensure your project gets started and moves along at
a good pace.

9. Give yourself a break

Be realistic about your expectations. The houses you see in magazines are
staged. No one lives in them. There are no kids, no pets, none of life's
normal problems or the things that make staying organized a challenge.
Give yourself a break.

For the Procrastinator

10.

Follow the just do it slogan

The more time you spend moving stuff or papers or decisions from place
to place repeatedly, the less time you have to actually live your life and do
things you enjoy. Sometimes we just have to buckle down and deal with
the stuff once and for all. Take one box, or project at a time and just do it..

11.

Be honest with yourself

Be honest with yourself. If you keep saying that you'll do it tomorrow or

next weekend, that time will never come. You will continue to have it
hanging over your head causing you stress. If you're not going to do it,
cross it off your To Do list. If you are going to do it, schedule it on your
calendar, and work on it when that date and time rolls around.

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12.

Find the source of your

procrastination

Determine why you're procrastinating. Are you not even sure the task
needs to be done? Are you not sure where to start? Do you need
information from another source? Figure out where your procrastination is
stemming from. Once you know, list 5 things you need to do to overcome
that obstacle, and start working on those things one by one.

13.

Find a clapping audience

Find a cheering section. Let someone know about what you're trying to
achieve and ask him/her to nag you a bit and cheer you on as you
accomplish each mini goal. Very often, that's all it takes to get something
done.

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No Time? No Problem!
Organizing Ideas You Can Apply
Lickety-Split

et's face it. Life can get very hectic. With work, meetings, kids
activities, and daily household duties, it seems like there are never
enough hours in the day. Spending hours trying to organize every

room in the house is something few of us ever have time for, but
organizing doesn't have to take hours. Set aside just 30 minutes to put
these six quick tips in place and start to see the timesaving results
immediately.

1.

Caddy your cleaning supplies

How many times during your cleaning routine do your find yourself
walking across the house to swap your glass cleaner for your all-purpose
cleaner and then again for your dusting supplies? Although this may be
good exercise, it isn't efficient use of your time. Simply put all of your
cleaning supplies in a caddy or even just a basket with a handle. Don't
forget to include a few dust rags or old t-shirts. The next time you have to
clean, just carry the entire thing with you to each room and rid yourself of
those wasted steps.

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2.

Rid your laundry of lost treasures

Laundry rooms tend to accumulate money, gum, and lone socks. In many
homes these items take up precious counter space or flood the top of the
dryer. To tackle this common problem, keep a mug and a small basket in
the laundry room. As you are loading laundry into the washing machine,
place any small objects found in pockets into the mug so all family
members know just where to look to find their forgotten items. After
folding the laundry, place any unmatched socks into the small basket. As
their mate is found, the socks can be retrieved from the basket and paired
back up.

3.

Corral your hats, mittens and scarves

If hats, mittens, and scarves tend to get lost or strewn around your
mudroom, it's time to corral them. Keep them all in a decorative basket
near the current drop-off point of the family. This way everyone can still
quickly drop them offthis time in the basket rather than on the
floorand know exactly where they will be the next time they need them.

4.

Tame out-of-control cords

Computer wires and entertainment system wires often become a tangled

and unattractive mess. To tame this mess you can either buy some flexible
plastic tubing, cut a slit up the side, and wrap it around all the cords, or
you can use mailing labels. When using the mailing labels, group likewires together, wrap the label around the cords, and fold the label back on
itself so you have a small tab sticking out. On this tab make sure to write

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what the cords are so later you can quickly find any cords you need to
access..

5.

Number your leftovers

To keep track of how freshor oldyour leftovers are, use a simple

numbering system. Inside a cabinet door that is close to the fridge, place
pieces of tape that are each labeled with a number from 1 to 31. If you
often have more than one container of leftovers in a day, you will want
multiple sets of numbers. As you prepare leftovers for the fridge, simply
take the number that corresponds to that day's date and put it on the
container. This will allow you to quickly know if the food is a few days or
a full week old. When you finish eating the leftovers in the container, just
take the number off and put it back in the cabinet to use again the
following month.

6.

Divide and conquer your drawers

Junk drawers and makeup drawersand bagsespecially tend to lack

organization. We waste a lot of time shuffling through these drawers
searching for things. By sorting the items and adding compartments, we
can save ourselves a lot of time. There are many options when installing
compartments into your drawers. Some people choose to buy kitchen
utensil trays that already have compartments of various sizes for larger
drawers. If you have a smaller drawer or don't want to spend much money,
small baskets, plastic butter containers, baby food jars, and boxes could all
work as inexpensive dividers. Sort the items so that like items are together.
Each group should find a home together in a suitable compartment within
the drawer.
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How Much Is Your Time Worth?

f you had to place a dollar value on your time, what would it be? $50
an hour? $100 an hour? I know someone who values his time at over
$5,000 an hour! He certainly knows how precious his time is.

Have you ever felt that your time was being wasted? Maybe you've been
on the telephone talking to someone when he or she decided to put you on
hold to take another call. Possibly you were once working on an important
project, when someone decided to just stop in your office and shoot the
breeze. We're all familiar with these common time wasters.
Let's suppose you value your time at $100 an hour. Then imagine
throwing $100 down the drain every hour. Ouch! That's exactly what
you're doing if you're wasting your precious time. If you knew that you
were losing $100 an hour, would you continue to let your time dwindle
away on unimportant activities? Probably not.
Placing a dollar value on your time will help you determine what you are
willingor not willingto spend your time on. Don't ever sell yourself
short. Establish how much your time is worth and use that value to make
decisions on how to spend it.

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Take Time To Sharpen Your Ax

here was a woodsman who had a new ax. The first day he was able
to chop down twenty trees. With each passing day, he worked
longer and harder, while chopping down fewer trees.

A friend wandered by and suggested, Why don't you sharpen your ax?
The woodsman replied, I'm too busy. I've got to chop down more trees!
Working longer and harder will not help you find more time. In fact, it
will make the problem worse. As you get stressed and frustrated, your
goals and dreams will get put on the sideline.
The simple answer to this problem is to get organized! The only thing you
can do to save time, is to waste less time.
The next time you hear yourself saying that you can't spare a minute, it's
time to collect your thoughts and re-evaluate how you can work smarter so
that you have plenty of time to reach your goals.

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organized, including how to banish office clutter, better manage your time, be
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501 Tips and Ideas for Finding More Time For the Things You Love
Now you can have more time with your family, with your friends, with your
hobbies, for play, for achievement, for simply enjoying your life! You wont
believe all the time youre about to save for the people, events and things you
love!
My Oh-So-Organized Filing System
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find all your documents and files within seconds! This pre-categorized filing
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The Easy Organizer
It's not just a planner. It's much, much more! Loaded with easy-to-use forms
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The Give to Get Marketing Solution

Have a small to medium-sized business or thinking of starting one? Kick start
your marketing program into overdrive with this all-encompassing guide that
will help you develop a solid strategy for attracting customers to your
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- 36 -

About the author

Maria Gracia, founder of Get Organized Now!, specializes in helping people
get better organized to live the kind of stress-free life they've always dreamed
of.
During Marias ten years with Dun and Bradstreets Nielsen Media Research
in New York, Maria worked as a marketing, organizing and management
specialist.
Throughout her tenure, she managed the data analysis department, worked
with hundreds of television stations and advertising agencies and developed
effective, productive systems for her clients and staff.
Today, Maria, her husband, Joe, and their beautiful daughter Amanda Grace,
live in Watertown, Wisconsin. Joe and Maria own and operate their
company, Effective Business Systems. Maria founded Get Organized Now!
as a division of the company in 1996.
The Get Organized Now! Web site is currently visited by over a million
people per year. Maria has hundreds of thousands of people on her Get
Organized Now! newsletter list.
Specializing in peak time and space management, Maria has over 20 years of
organizational experience. Her broad range of skills covers clutter control,
planning, scheduling, peak productivity, records management, space
planning, time and paper management, filing systems, computer orientedorganizational systems and more.
Maria Gracia has appeared at, wrote for, or has been interviewed by hundreds
of international, national and local media and organizations such as Womans
Day Magazine, Country Living Magazine, Access Magazine, USA Today,
Staples and hundreds of television and radio stations.
Maria is the author of the Finally Organized, Finally Free series. Her books
have been read by thousands of people all over the world. In addition, she has
created a variety of other helpful organizing products, sold worldwide, which
can be found in her Get Organized Now! Store on her Web site:
www.getorganizednow.com

- 37 -

On the homefront, Maria is a huge proponent of family time and enjoys as

much time as possible with her husband Joe and daughter Amanda. She has
served on the board of the Watertown Newcomers Club and the St. Bernards
Home and School Association in Wisconsin, including being President of
each for several years. Maria is an avid scrapbooker, attends monthly book
chats and enjoys cooking, traveling and entertaining.

- 38 -

Your Tips, Ideas and Comments

Write to us
Do you have an organizing tip, success story or comment youd like to
share? Wed love to hear from you. Feel free to email us at
[email protected] OR write to us at:
Get Organized Now!
611 Arlington Way
Watertown WI 53094 USA
Please include your name and full mailing address on all correspondence.
If you send an organizing tip or a success story, we may publish it, along
with your name, city and state as the contributor, on our Web site, in our
newsletter, in a media press release or in one of our future products.
Spelling or link corrections
While careful care has gone into the writing and editing of this book,
theres always the possibility that we may have missed something. In light
of this, if you happen to notice a spelling error or a Web site link that no
longer works, please feel free to write to us at the above address. Well
then have the opportunity to correct it in future printings. Please be sure to
include the page number where you located the error.
Grammatical corrections
As far as grammatical errors, Maria Gracia has always said, I write the
way I speak. If I followed every grammatical rule there was, my writing
would be awfully stiff and stuffy. My main concern is that I get my point
across. But feel free to write to us about any grammatical error that truly
bothers you and well bring it to Marias attention for consideration.
Correspondence
Although we do respond personally to some of our mail, due to the
thousands of email messages we receive each week, we regret that we
cant respond personally to every single one we receive. However, please
be assured that we do read and consider all correspondence.

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