Achieve Planner
Take control of your
time, your goals, and your life!
|
Achieve Planner time management and project
planning software contains powerful tools to
help you get organized, increase your
productivity, and make better use of your time.
|
|
|
|
I'm an organized person -- just ask
anyone who knows me. In spite of my
talents at organization, clutter loomed
its ugly head during our recent move.
You see, I'm committed to making the
most from what I have, and I can find a
use for practically anything. As a
result, I turned our home and my studio
and office into an attractive,
well-organized landfill.
I'm over it. After vigorously pruning
before the move only to find that I had
an additional ten boxes of books and
magazines (Are you beginning to get the
picture?), six more giant sacks of
clothes, and six boxes of unclassifiable
junk to get rid of, I saw the light.
Never again am I going to collect more
than I can keep attractively and
accessibly in the space I already have.
No more will I hold onto odd screws,
outdated clothes, and books just because
they could conceivably be useful to
someone, somewhere, someday.
If you, too, have been slowly
suffocating under growing piles of
indispensable clutter, it's time to take
the clutter challenge. Evaluate how true
each of these statements is for you on a
scale of 1 to 5. Be honest. Then choose
one area in which you fall short and
resolve to de-clutter there, this week,
without fail.
1. Each season I discard or donate the
clothing that I did not wear, whether or
not it still fits and regardless of
whether or not I made it myself.
2. I buy quality books in hardcover and
donate them to the library when I finish
them, except only books that I use in
the day-to-day operation of my business
or that I resort to on an ongoing basis
for inspiration and delight. (Note: the
test is not whether I might use them,
but whether or not I DO use them.)
http://www.plimus.com/jsp/redirect.jsp?contractId=1647673&referrer=bronwynr
3. I give away, recycle, or toss
anything I have not used for a year. (If
I do find I want something like it in
the future, I will happily borrow, rent,
or buy it, knowing that in the meantime
I have not had to pay to store it, clean
it, or look for it.)
4. I return -- immediately -- any
purchase that does not fit or function.
5. I repair anything within a week of
when it breaks or stops working or I
discard/donate it.
6. At the end of each year, I discard
files that are more than seven years
old.
7. I discard, donate, or recycle any
souvenir or memento that is not framed
and displayed within thirty days of
acquisition.
Action tip: Get a clutter buddy and make
a commitment to each other that you will
put these principles to work. Make a
date to go to the recycling centre, the
dump, and Goodwill together. Help each
other say "no" to the clutter in your
lives. Phone each other for support and
intervention whenever you are tempted to
rent a storage unit, buy new shelving or
drawers, or build a shed.
Bonus tip: Lose the catalogues. Recycle
them immediately and write the Mail
Preference Service of the Direct
Marketing Association to stop future
mailings. You'll prevent clutter from
both the catalogues and the umpteen
goodies that you don't buy because
you'll never know you need them.
About the Author:
Molly Gordon is a Certified Professional
Coach. Visit her website at
http://www.mollygordon.com for
hundreds of articles, exercises, book
reviews, and quotes and to subscribe to
her free email newsletter.
|
Bronwyn
Ritchie's
