Helping your kids get organized

It can be a frustrating battle when you attempt to “organize” your kids. Many times they are reluctant to change, and all the containers you buy and systems you create go unused. Helping a child (young or teen) achieve balance and order in their surroundings cannot be done by sheer force. They need to be actively involved in every aspect of the process and then given expectations for how their things will be taken care after the initial cleanse is complete. -First, let them purge with you. Ask the hard questions, like when was the last time they really wore that article of clothing or when they last used an old toy. Try to put everything in a positive light. Explain that in order for them to have room for the stuff they really, really want, other items will have to leave or be stored elsewhere. Do not go through your older child’s belongings alone…they will feel as if their opinions do not matter and become reluctant to change. -Encourage generosity. Many people, kids included, can be motivated by helping another. Pick a charity you know will give toys away to less fortunate families, or have your teen pick a charity of their choice to donate old clothes to. Be sure to recognize and praise their act of kindness. -Third, let your child go container shopping with you. Let him or her brainstorm with you about the best place to put the hamper, what shoe rack would really make it easy to store all the sports footwear, or the most convenient location for a desk. Be sure to get their input on any storage containers you want to buy. If someone loves a good solution, they will use it! -Finally, set the expectation that any system put in place must be maintained. No item will put itself away. Create clear guidelines and agree upon how often things will be put away and cleaned up, and then stick to the agreement. You are not only helping your child become more responsible, you are helping them foster good organizing habits!

How to handle paper

Paper can be the most pervasive thing we encounter on a daily basis. You deal with it at work and then get attacked by paper when you come home. It is easy to become overwhelmed and not do anything. But as we all know this leads to piles and further sensations of having no control. Eventually everything just sits there and then important information starts to get misplaced.

To avoid this scenario, sort papers over a shredder and recycling bin. Right out of the gate you can get rid of any junk or obsolete information in the recycling, or shred documents with important information. By doing it at that moment you prevent build up of big piles that are harder to go through later on.

Have a home for everything. All paper should get trashed, go in a folder or basket for temporary holding or go on a memo board for easy access. If you have an upcoming event and get a postcard for it, record the event in your calendar and then place the postcard with directions in an “events” folder or tack it to a memo board. If you get a document at work pertaining to a specific project put it right with the related papers, either in a binder clip or folder and set it aside until you are ready to work on it.

As soon as you receive relevant paper distribute it to its proper home and watch the piles slowly go away!

Why we save things

Sometimes when you sort through your belongings and papers you come across things that have an obvious solution: a broken lampshade that is past its useful life and should be tossed, the first communion dress that is kept as a memento and the pair of jeans that no longer fit but can be used by someone else. These decisions feel like no brainers, questions with easy and direct answers.

What happens when you encounter an item you need to think twice about? People hold onto things for many reasons. The item may be valuable, it might have emotional meaning, it could be useful in some way or you feel compelled to keep it because it might come in handy down the road. Occasionally you may find a gift that has remained in hiding because it never really found its place in your home.

To avoid being overwhelmed in clutter by putting off decisions, do not overlook these more difficult situations and work to determine if something is important enough to keep. When you are faced with this scenario, ask yourself the following questions:

Do I love it?

Do I really need it? Can something else do the same job?

Do I have to keep this in the unlikely event I use it, or can I simply purchase it later if I am in need of it?

Is it worth making room for and do I want to spend the time to create a permanent home for it so I can find it again?

Can someone else make better use of this?

Is it part of the solution or part of the problem?

How to let go

Sometimes when you are sorting through your belongings and papers you come across things that have an obvious solution: a broken lampshade that is past its useful life and should be tossed, the first communion dress that is kept as a memento and the pair of jeans that no longer fit but can be used by someone else. These decisions feel like no brainers, questions with easy and direct answers.

What happens when you encounter an item you need to think twice about? People hold onto things for many reasons. The item may be valuable, it might have emotional meaning, it could be useful in some way or you feel compelled to keep it because it might come in handy down the road. Occasionally you may find a gift that has remained in hiding because it never really found its place in your home.

To avoid being overwhelmed in clutter by putting off decisions, do not overlook these more difficult situations and work to determine if something is important enough to keep. When you are faced with this scenario, ask yourself the following questions:

Do I love it?

Do I really need it? Can something else do the same job?

Do I have to keep this in the unlikely event I use it, or can I simply purchase it later if I am in need of it?

Is it worth making room for and do I want to spend the time to create a permanent home for it so I can find it again?

Can someone else make better use of this?

Is it part of the solution or part of the problem?

11 ways to not prioritize

I have been reading ADD Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life by Judith Kolberg and Kathleen Nadeau. While the strategies and and examples in the book deal with the difficulties of ADD, I find much of the book can be helpful for anyone. Judith and Kathleen wrote a short section on the challenges of prioritizing and I wanted to share them. You can find this section on page 70 and 71 of their book: It is only when we take stock that we can prioritize, asking ourselves, "Is this really necessary?" "If I'm going to take this on, what am I going to give up?" "Am I really living life according to my deepest values, or just reacting to whatever pops up?" Prioritizing is difficult for everyone, especially in the fast-paced life that so many adults live today, bombarded with choices and burdened with high-pressure jobs in addition to the responsibilities of home and family. When ADD is added to the mix, prioritizing often goes out the window in favor of rapid reaction - reacting to demands as they hit you, without deciding whether they are your top priority. Rarely in a jam-packed day, does an adult with ADD take time to realistically assess what can be accomplished and then prioritize, asking, "If I can only accomplish three tasks on my list, which three should I choose?" Often, top-priority items may be the least likely to be chosen, while many less important things are placed first. Instead of prioritizing "first things first," many people make choices according to other rules: Whatever is on top- Paper shuffling Whatever is the easiest- Easy does it Knock-knock- Responding to whomever asks me first False Progress- The more I can check off my list the more productive I feel Proximity- Might as well do it while I'm passing by You decide- I don't want the responsibility Conflict avoidance- If you yell loudly about something, it'll go to the top of my list Whatever I'm in the mood for- I'll do it if I feel like it Save the worst for last- Anything but that! Go with the flow- Doing whatever the others do Habit- Just doing the usual All of these ways of "prioritizing" are not really prioritizing at all. In fact, they are ways to avoid prioritizing, letting habit, circumstance or the priorities of others determine how you spend your time. Adults with ADD who "prioritize" according to these rules often find they've never met many of their life's goals.

Organizing for Spring

After a long, winter hibernation we can look forward to the beginning of spring this weekend! However, along with the warm air and sunny days comes the task of helping our homes recover from the colder months now behind us. There is a sense of starting fresh even though 2010 began almost three months ago (yikes!). Here are some of the areas you could focus on as you start your spring-time organizing and cleaning:

-If you personally do your home’s spring cleaning it can be quite an overwhelming chore. Creating a simple list of what you need to do in each room is always the best way to proceed. You can methodically clean each room in an order that makes sense to you and you are less likely to forget anything. Create the list in Excel and you can use it over and over as well as edit the spreadsheet.

Go into each room and list the areas that need to be addressed. Some good ideas would be: launder draperies, scrub trim, dust sconces, dust radiators, wash floors and walls etc.

-With new school sports starting in the spring and a whole new slate of potential commitments, it is important to assess your current schedule. You do not want to be a slave to over-commitment. List all your present activities and projects and consider what is already happening before you allow another activity on your schedule. If your calendar is packed commit to dropping a current activity before adding a new one. Always go back to what is most important and vital to you to help facilitate a good decision.

-Create more space in your closet by rotating out the heavy, dark winter clothes. Not only will your closet look more perky but you will have more space overall. You won’t have to wade through a ton of clothing to find the one article you need. Designate a spot in the basement or attic for plastic bins and storage wardrobes for seasonal clothing. Don’t forget to organize your new clothes into the closet, keeping shoes, belts, hats, shirts, pants and other garments in their proper areas.

Prepare for 2009 taxes

Have these documents ready for your 2009 Taxes: -Your tax return from 2008 and the cost of preparing it, if prepared by someone other than yourself -Any forms that have W-2, 1098, 1099 etc. printed on them -The total amount of local and state taxes you paid in 2009 -All relevant social security numbers and birthdates required on your tax return (children, spouse, other dependents etc.) -Documentation of all contributions you made to retirement plans or IRAs -Any expenses related to your investments -The purchase date and total investment in all stocks or other property you sold -Records of additional income, such as rental property, a hobby, jury duty, alimony, gambling etc. -Expense and income documentation for work that is not already shown on your W-2 or 1099 -Income from unemployment and expenses related to your job search, if applicable -Expenses related to your job, such as publications, travel, tools, dues, uniform etc. -Records for personal property tax, real estate and mortgage interest -Total miles driven for medical purposes or charitable purposes -Non-cash charitable donation records -Amounts donated to charitable organizations, schools and religious establishments -Documentation to support higher education and childcare costs -Amounts paid for health care insurance and also to doctors, hospitals etc.