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Published by BlueMoon Publishing.

Copyright © 1997-2011 by Maria Gracia.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or informational storage and retrieval systems without written permission from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is offered with the understanding that the publisher and the copyright owner are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person who specializes in that particular field should be sought.

While due care has been exercised in the compilation of this ebook, we are not responsible for errors or omissions. This reference is intended to assist in providing information to the public, and the information is delivered as accurately as possible.

Cover Design: Joseph Gracia

Please direct any comments, questions or suggestions regarding this publication to:

BlueMoon Publishing

611 Arlington Way Watertown WI 53094 USA Printed in the United States of America.

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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, it’s

so much more than that.

Being organized is the key to happiness. It’s 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 wonderful—all without barriers.

You’re 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. We’re

sure it’s 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. You’re 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 don’t 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 neat―you can be sloppy―and 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 permission―it’s 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 no―remembering 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 multi-task―especially when they’re 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. You’ll 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. You’ll 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. You’ll 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. You’ll 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 surroundings―good enough to invite people in without worries.

5. You’ll 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 you’re disorganized, tons of your focus is on stepping over your clutter, trying to find lost items, apologizing for missed appointments, making excuses why you can’t spend time with your family and friends, worrying that someone will ring your doorbell unexpectedly and you’d 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 you’re organized, on the other hand, you don’t have to focus on chaos—because 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. You’ll 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. You’ll save money When you're organized, you'll always know what you have, before you buy more.

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10. You’ll 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 basis―preferably 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 write—and lose—on 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 you’re 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. Don’t 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 habit―then 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 Let’s 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 you’re 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 tomorrow’s To Do list. This is generally the last task of my work day—making sure I know exactly what’s in store for tomorrow.

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8. One in, one out For every item you purchase and bring into the home―even if it is a used item but new to your home―one item already in your house must leave. This will ensure the volume of your belongings doesn’t increase and helps to prevent chaos in the future.

9. Store it where it’s 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 it’s 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. Don’t 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 them―to 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 co-workers. 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 off―this time in the basket rather than on the floor―and 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 like-wires 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 fresh―or old―your 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 drawers―and bags―especially 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 willing―or not willing―to 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.

T

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Goodies Available from Get Organized Now! Finally Organized, Finally Free – For the Home Discover tons of tips and ideas to help you get your home and your life organized, including how to banish clutter, better manage your time, get more done and so much more! Finally Organized, Finally Free – For the Office Discover tons of tips and ideas to help you get your office and your life organized, including how to banish office clutter, better manage your time, be more productive and more! 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 won’t believe all the time you’re about to save for the people, events and things you love! My Oh-So-Organized Filing System This is the new, revolutionary, easy and time-saving way to file, organize and find all your documents and files within seconds! This pre-categorized filing system makes the job of setting up your home filing systems a breeze. The Easy Organizer It's not just a planner. It's much, much more! Loaded with easy-to-use forms to help you eliminate those notorious scraps of paper and consolidate all of your home-related data into one place so you can find your info when you need it. The Easy Bill Paying System Pay your home-related bills on time, easily organize your statements and conveniently keep track of your expenses with this simple, but powerful, system. The Ultimate Guide for Professional Organizers This comprehensive guide contains everything you need to know about starting, running and growing your professional organizing business, while making a great profit! If you’ve ever dreamed of owning your own professional organizing business, this guide is the only one you’ll need.

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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 business. By Joe Gracia. The Christmas Holiday Planner A must-have planner to help you get and stay organized for a stress-free, enjoyable holiday season.

For more information about any of these products, please visit: www.getorganizednow.com and click on the STORE link.

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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 Maria’s ten years with Dun and Bradstreet’s 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 oriented-organizational 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 Woman’s 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

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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. Bernard’s 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.

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Your Tips, Ideas and Comments Write to us

Do you have an organizing tip, success story or comment you’d like to share? We’d love to hear from you. Feel free to email us at getorgnow@charter.net 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, there’s 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. We’ll 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 we’ll bring it to Maria’s 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 can’t respond personally to every single one we receive. However, please be assured that we do read and consider all correspondence.