Staying Organized

Part of staying organized (which means MORE TIME FOR ME… YAY!) has to do with the word “immediately”.

Here’s an example: The other day I got in the mail a catalog of tools/supplies from what appears to be a model train company. It’s actually called something like micro-tools, though. Anyway, I decided to flip through the catalog while I was eating breakfast and I kept seeing things that I either want or at least want to look into at a later date.

I don’t want to keep the whole catalog so I just cut out each item I was interested in. At the end of my meal, I had a small pile of clippings.

If I put them in my room, do they just get added to more piles of papers that serve no purpose until I need something then go through the entire stack to find what I’m looking for? Eek! Not anymore.

So I “immediately” take a manila folder (I keep a stack in a handy place… it’s always there… I never have to look for manila folders) and slip the clippings into it, writing a note on the label tab: “Micro Tool Catalog”.

Then I place that manila folder alongside other ones in a green hanging folder in my file cabinet which is labeled: “To Order Someday”.

My file cabinet is very much like my computer. Folders and sub-folders. But it’s all organized and it makes sense to me and I can find what I need when I need WITHOUT wasting time.

If I had a penny for every minute I spent in the past 50 years LOOKING for things, I would really have an obscene amount of pennies.

I was wondering if anyone would be interested in seeing some of my bead and tool organizing tips in my upcoming book.

I used to have boxes of papers. And each time I wanted something, I’d sit on the floor with a box in front of me and go through the entire stack to find what I needed. That is NO WAY to live your life, seriously.

Y’know, these were all papers I was going to file “someday”. Ugh!

Being organized is such a time saver. And truthfully, time is one of our most precious commodities these days. So I’m trying. I’m trying to put things into a place that makes sense… immediately.

Granted, there are times when my workspace looks not unlike that of Einstein’s desk…

… but I try to keep that to a minimum.

I'm a little behind in showing you any of my latest listings. I made a couple of necklaces that are pretty noticeable.

You can click on either of these photos to see details of the necklaces.