If only I had time to organize all my photos, I could find things faster.
If only my craft projects were organized so I could make a great gift for my friend.
If only all my movies were quickly available and easy to index.
If only I could make myself exercise every day.
And on and on. There are a thousand ways we could all be more organized, more productive, and therefore more relaxed. Over the next six months you can have an organized life by working on a project every weekend. Above that, there is a little maintenance that is necessary every week to keep everything organized. There are 27 projects, but in the last few weeks, there are some projects that may not apply to everyone, like a hobby area or a pet area. Below is a list of projects for each week:
- Calendars – Create calendars and schedules for cleaning, maintenance, and a weekly schedule. Also view my Cleaning Chores and follow-up Weekly Cleaning Calendar. You can also view my Home Maintenance article and bonus Get Healthy article. (Published 5/12/12)
- Office Papers – Organize papers into Trash, File, Scan and To Do. As you are doing this, fill out bill sheet – payee, address, payment, balance, due date, payment method. Put bills in an online calendar with reminders. If some bills can go paperless, save the environment. Missing something? See the How to Replace Important Documents article. (Published 5/20/12)
- Finances – Make a proper budget and payment plan. Execute it. Organize your bank accounts. ( Published 5/27/12)
- Documents– Gather all data and documents, including USB drives, external hard drives, etc. Get all the documents in one place like your computer or an external drive. Two places if you’re paranoid – which you should be. Organize. (Published 6/3/12)
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4.5 Kindle Collections – organize your digital books into collections on your Kindle. Also see the Scan Books To Kindle article if you have a bunch of books sitting around that you’d like to get into your Kindle. (4.5 Published 6/19/12)
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- Email, Contacts, Passwords, Bookmarks – if you’re not happy with your email provider, now is a good time to switch. Set up dummy accounts. Clean out and update contact lists. Get birthdays and put them in a calendar. Organize all your passwords. I recommend a service like LastPass. Organize your bookmarks as well. XMarks is good for this. (Published 6/10/12)
- Photos – Organize all Digital Photos using Picasa. Collect all photo prints and put into one location, like a large plastic bin. (Inside – not in the garage or attic) Scan and organize all photos. Store hardcopies if desired. (Published 6/17/12)
- Music – Gather all CDs and digital music to one drive. Organize them so you can access it the way you want. (Published 6/24/12)
- Video Media – Movies and TV: Rip those DVDs to a home media system. Consider using DLNA. (Published 7/1/12)
- Backup System – Design and implement a backup system for photos, documents, music, etc. Look at free and paid options. (Published 7/8/12)
- Hardware and Cables – Organize the cables in your media cabinet. Decide if you need all those devices. Do you need cable or Dish? In the office, clear out old computers, cables, peripherals. (Published 7/15/12)
- Life Papers – Create a will/death packet and organize your life papers such as your passport, birth certificates, etc. (Published 7/22/12)
- Recipes -Having your recipes available will make you more organized to create your weekly menus. Scan to file, type, and copy/paste your recipes into one location. (Published 7/29/12)
NEW: Organize Your Recipes Online – Learn how to use Pinterest, Google Drive, and Paprika to organize your new and existing recipes so that you can test recipes and then share your favorite recipes with friends and family or export your recipe collections as HTML to share on your personal website. (Published 7/19/2016) - Car – Clean and organize your car. You’re in it every day! (Published 8/5/12)
- Entry Area – Declutter and organize the space for coats, shoes, keys, and drops. (Published 8/19/12 – Yes, we took a week off!)
- Food – Organize your refrigerator, freezer, pantry, spice rack. (Published 8/26/12)
- Kitchen – Get busy on the rest of the kitchen, including dishes, bakeware, plastics, utensils, small appliances. (Published 9/3/12)
- Home Supplies – Organize and get into one place: Cleaning products, medicines, first aid, travel supplies, emergency kits. Also organize the laundry area. (Published 9/9/12)
- Clothes – in the closet, dressers, and storage. Clean, clear, donate, toss, and purchase new! (Published 9/16/12)
- Bedrooms and Bathrooms – clutter and storage – organize bedstand, jewelry, other things in the bedroom. Bathrooms: declutter sinks, cabinets, showers, drawers. Evaluate. Organize or toss. (Published 9/23/12)
- Guest Area – create a space for guests. Keep the good sheets, good towels, and small travel items in that area. (Published 9/30/12)
- Linen Closet – check the condition of your linens and get them organized (Published 10/7/12)
- Exercise Area – get workout resources together and easy to access. Don’t forget the fan and clean towels. (Published 10/14/12)
- Storage – Organize storage in areas such as a shed, garage or attic. ( Published 10/21/12)
- Tools Area – this could be the shed or garage. Organize lawn and home repair tools and supplies (Published 10/28/12)
- Craft Area – organize supplies, projects, games (Published 11/11/12)
- Pet Area – organize all supplies in one place. (Published 11/18/12)