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,
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This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative
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with the understanding that the publisher and the copyright
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While due care has been exercised in the compilation of this
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Cover Design: Joseph Gracia
Please direct any comments, questions or suggestions regarding
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BlueMoon Publishing
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Printed in the United States of America.
ongratulations! By requesting the Get Organized Now! Idea-Pak,
you ve just embarked on an organizing journey of a lifetime
one that will help you clear the clutter, find more time, reach
C
your goals and live a happier, stress-free life. Here are 50 simple
tips and ideas to help you get started.
50 Simple Organizing Ideas
1. Determine your goals
Before you start anything, determine its goal. If you don't know where
you're going, how will you ever get there? Set mini-goals and reward
yourself for successes.
2. Don t rely on your memory
You run the risk of letting tasks fall through the cracks. The best way to
never forget an appointment, a deadline or a detail again is to write
everything down.
3. Consolidate similar activities
Instead of starting and stopping at different levels of activity, you'll save
time by making all of your outgoing telephone calls together, taking care
of all your errands at once, etc.
4. Clean out your files
Before you go through the expense of purchasing more file cabinets,
folders and other organizing tools and supplies, take the time to purge all
unnecessary paperwork and materials.
5. Use one calendar
The biggest mistake people make when using planning calendars is using
more than one at a time. Keep personal, professional and family items on
one calendar. It will help to eliminate scheduling conflicts. Heed the
saying,  the man who wears two watches, never knows the correct time.
6. Reduce telephone tag
Plan telephone calls whether to doctors, plumbers, clients, etc.
 whenever possible. Have all necessary materials in front of you. Write
key questions down in advance.
7. Set up files for projects
Don't waste time searching for papers when you need them. Keep all
paperwork that pertains to a certain project together in one large folder.
8. Set time limits
Say,  I've got only 5 minutes to talk. Outline your calls, Say,  I'd like to
discuss these 2 possible solutions to problem A . . .
9. Make time for yourself
Make at least one screened appointment with yourself each day. Screened
time is quiet, uninterrupted time that allows you to concentrate on a
project or catch up on your reading.
10. Declutter your desk
An uncluttered desk erases unnecessary distractions and helps keep your
mind on tasks that need immediate attention. Keep only the items on your
desk that relate to your current projects. Once you do, your creativity will
begin to soar!
11. Delegate
Realize that you can't do everything. Delegate in the office and at home.
To use an effective delegation system, you must train, entrust, follow-up
and evaluate.
12. Don t overstuff filing cabinets
It s extremely frustrating having to file papers in a filing cabinet that is
overloaded! Leave enough room in file drawers so that you're not using all
your energy to get a piece of paper in or out.
13. Develop false deadlines
If you have a deadline at the end of the month, record the deadline four
days earlier. You'll eliminate the last-minute rush to complete the project
because you'll have given yourself ample padding.
14. Use timers and alarm clocks
Allocate time for your daily activities, from working on projects to doing
household chores. Then set timers or alarm clocks to help keep you on
schedule.
15. Make good use of space
Add shelving for reference books and manuals. Add space extenders in
desk drawers. Buy full-suspension filing cabinets. Use stacking bins.
16. Make the most of idle time
Catch up on your reading or balance your checkbook while you wait for
appointments. Audio cassettes of an educational or motivational nature are
a great way to make use of your time while driving to work.
17. Get the kids off to school quicker
Don't leave decision-making for the morning. The night before, help your
children choose their outfits, decide what they want to eat, and determine
what they need for school.
18. Set time limits
If you have to work late, or during the weekend, set time limits for
yourself. Once you hit that limit, stop working and enjoy the rest of the
evening or weekend.
19. Identify
Don't just toss your spare keys and other widgits in a shoebox without first
identifying them. Label each item or packet..
20. Eliminate brush fires
Brush fires are almost always caused by disorganization. Eliminate the
disorganization and you'll eliminate the brush fires.
21. Determine the best time for tasks
Use your most productive time to do your most productive work. Are you
more alert in the morning, or do you consider yourself more of a night
owl? Tackle your most difficult, important work during the time of day
when you're at your best and you're most likely to complete
it accurately.
22. Use Master Lists and To Do Lists
Take control of your time. When used properly, these effective tools give
you a specific idea of what you need to accomplish.
23. Set deadlines
Setting a deadline forces you to work towards it. Set a definite date and
time. Saying,  When I get a chance or  Sometime in the near future is
both insufficient and ineffective.
24. Use a greeting card organizer
Consider a greeting card organizer to remember birthdays, anniversaries
and other special events. These look like a notebook, except that each page
has a monthly pocket to hold cards. You can pencil in birthdays, events,
etc. for each month, plus, you can purchase your cards ahead of time!
25. Plan your garden early
Start planning your garden in the winter. Decide what you'll plant. Read
up on the proper care of your plants, flowers and veggies. Sketch your
garden out on paper. When spring arrives you'll be ready to  grow.
26. Store similar items together
Categorization is very important when you're getting organized. Keep all
bill paying supplies in one place. Gather all of your craft supplies in a
basket. Keep your photo supplies in one plastic bin. When you need to
work on something, everything will be easily accessible.
27. Categorize your files
First, decide on broad categories according to the particular work
materials in your office. Then, file alphabetically or chronologically
within these categories.
28. Plan your meals
Plan your meals before you write out your shopping list. It will save time
because you'll know exactly what you need. Your meals should 1) be well-
balanced and nutritious, 2) offer variety, 3) be within your food budget,
and 4) fit your time and energy limits.
29. Put things away each day
Take time to put things back where they belong. Put things back
immediately after you're finished with them or set up a 15-minute
appointment with yourself to put things back at the end of each day.
30. Toss old reading material
Go through your reading stack. Get rid of outdated newspapers. Ditch
magazines older than three months. Keep only a few catalogs that you
truly enjoy.
31. Clean out your library
Look through your bookcases and give away books you've had for years
and will never look at again. Charities are always looking for donations to
their reading programs.
32. Enlist your friends
Perhaps your house needs to be painted, or your basement needs to be
organized, or you can use some help at your next rummage sale. A great
way to get the job done quickly is to throw a party. Your friends supply
the help. You supply the pizza, snacks, beverages and dessert.
33. Keep receipts together
Keep an envelope in your purse or wallet to hold receipts that you may
need for expense records or tax purposes. When you get back to the office,
put the receipts in pre-designated envelopes business meals, fuel, rental
expenses then keep all the envelopes in a larger expanding file or box.
34. Ditch outdated computer stuff
Unless you can donate them, toss software disks, CDs, computer manuals,
etc. for computer programs you no longer use and never will again.
Chances are, if they re outdated, they won t be useful to most people.
35. Coordinate with others
Work together with others family, co-workers, friends to come up with
organizational systems that are simple and effective for everyone
involved.
36. Use a desk organizer
Keep a sufficient supply of pens, pencils, paperclips, scissors and other
necessary supplies in a desktop holder on your desk or a tray inside your
desk.
37. Create an effective work area
Create a pleasant, well-equipped work area. Whether it's a nook, cranny,
or a large office, your work area should be conducive to performing your
daily work. It should contain all necessary supplies and equipment within
arm s reach or in easily accessible areas.
38. Magnetize your medicine cabinet
Mount a long magnet along the back of your medicine cabinet to hold
tweezers, clippers, little scissors and other small metal objects.
39. Rest and relax
Get a good night's sleep 7 hours or more. Adequate rest tonight will help
you to be alert, on time, and effective tomorrow.
40. Make your move easy
Color code your boxes with a self-stick yellow dot for those that go to the
kitchen, a red dot for the office, a blue dot for the garage and so on. Go to
your new residence ahead of time, and place a corresponding colored dot
on the appropriate rooms.
41. Prepare outgoing mail ahead of time
If you mail out a rent check each month, make a sheet of labels on the
computer so you don t have to keep writing out the address month after
month. If you send the same brochures and other materials to customers
for your home or office business, make your packages ahead of time.
Include all necessary materials and store them away until you need them.
Make outgoing mail ready to go in a snap.
42. Create reference lists
Reference lists are wonderful tools for remembering and accessing
everything easily. Create reference lists for:
" Personal goals and dreams
" Birthdays
" Favorite restaurant phone numbers
" Web sites you'd like to explore
" Books you'd like to read
" Things to pack when traveling
" Gift ideas for friends and family
" Computer files
" A wish list for yourself
" . . . and more. Your choices are endless!.
43. Create forms for everyday tasks
For example, type up your own Fax Transmittal Form that includes your
name, personal or company name, and other pertinent information. Make
copies and leave them by your fax machine for efficient and effective
communication.
44. Create a  driving directions folder
Create a file folder for Driving Directions to places you go to infrequently.
Write down the directions and keep them in this folder for future use. You
won't have to keep asking how to get to where you're going.
45. Give driving directions with ease
Create driving directions to your home or office, coming from North,
South, East and West. Make copies and keep in a file. When someone
asks, you can mail them, fax them or read them over the phone.
46. Determine how long it will take
Estimate how long it's going to take to get there. Divide the total miles of
the trip, by your average speed (e.g. 60mph). The result will be your
driving time. (Example: 120 miles to be traveled divided by 60mph is
approximately 2.0 hours of driving time).
47. Cut down on junk mail
Visit the Direct Marketing Association Web site and ask them to remove
you from direct mail lists you don't wish to be on: http://www.the-dma.org
48. Combine your time
Look for things you can combine to save time and accomplish more. Walk
your dog and you'll be exercising at the same time. Go to the beach with a
motivational tape, and you'll be relaxing and getting inspired
simultaneously!
49. End each day on a good note
Save your easiest tasks for the end of each day. You'll be able to complete
them, and end each day on a positive, rewarding note!
50. Continuously improve
Get organized and stay organized with the many free resources available
on the www.getorganizednow.com web site! You ll find monthly
checklists, weekly challenges, reader tips, organizing clinics, quick tips,
organizing articles, e-courses, recipes, inspiration, our weekly blog, and
our world-famous discussion forum where you can post specific
organizing questions and comments, and get ideas and answers from
thousands of people around the world!
In addition, we offer tons of wonderful organizing products to help you on
your organizing journey. They re all listed on the next page and are all
available on our web site:
www.getorganizednow.com
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
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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,
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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
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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
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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.
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
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.
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 [e-mail]
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.