Last week, I presented to a lovely group of women and made them laugh by expressing my love for clipboards.
I do love clipboards.
They are so useful! They keep our important papers corralled and are easy to find in a crowded briefcase. They provide a sturdy surface for writing, are inexpensive and are available in lots of snazzy colors.
I love more than just their physical attributes, though. People feel empowered when holding a clipboard, and that power shows on the outside. Imagine – a crowded room with people milling about and one is carrying a clipboard. If you need direction or information, you will go and ask the clipboard carrier.
What’s not to love?
In my Clear the Clutter presentations, I suggest that folks grab a clipboard to start their organizing plan. With Spring here and lots of projects to tackle, it’s the “Grab Your Clipboard” time of year again!
Here’s what you do:
(Updated, Spring 2022: You can achieve the benefits of the “Clipboard” by using technology, as well, or even just an extra notepad! Most of my “clipboard” notes go into Evernote and then into my Master To-Do list, but the thought process and the results are the same!)
Grab your clipboard, paper and a pen. Walk from room to room in your home and note the projects, organizing and otherwise, that you would like to accomplish in each space. For example:
- Master Bathroom: clean out under sink, find new wall art, buy new shower curtain
- Dining Room: clean out coat closet, paint trim, wash windows
- Hall closet: talk to electrician about updating the light fixture
- Home Office: organize book cases, clean out bottom file cabinet drawer, recycle old printer
You may find that some of your rooms are just fine as is. If so, congratulations! Pat yourself on the back, and move on to the next room! Keep this process up, taking notes but not action, until you’ve addressed all the areas of your home, inside and out.
Review the room-by-room list on your clipboard. You may realize that the solution to a couple of projects may be the same step. For example, “update light fixture” in the closet and “add security light to garage” would require just one call to your electrician. Or if you want to get rid of an old family room couch and bedroom dresser, you might arrange one charitable donation pick-up to take care of both.
Glancing at the list, you may also notice recurring themes. Let’s say “Move the pile of books” is on the list for every room. It seems a house-wide book review and purge may be in order!
Right now, this clipboard activity generated a wish list instead of an Action Plan. So now you need an ACTION PLAN!
Pick one project to start. Just one, not all of them at once! Pick one.
- Your #1 Priority may be clear. For example, a client who is having surgery needs the main floor bedroom organized before her surgery date. Obviously, she knows where to start! However, if you’re not sure…
- Start with the hardest project, since that may take the longest overall;
- Line up an assistant for the project requiring heavy lifting or two people;
- Start with the project that will help you right away and every day, like the kitchen cabinets or your closet; or
- Just pick the one that seems like the most fun, to boost your motivation!
- The most important step is to JUST START!
Pick your project, set aside some time on the calendar to get it done (either a big block of time on a weekend or evening, or in a handful of shorter sessions), and get going!
Keep your clipboard and list handy, and once the first project is complete, refer back to the clipboard list and tackle the next most important project. Happy Organizing and Happy Spring!
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some. And that feels GREAT! We look around and see clear and calm spaces. We breathe a sigh of relief and contentment. And then we put away our good stuff, pat ourselves on the back, and happily bump along for a while.
Sometimes, I feel like Mr. Incredible when he said, “No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again. Sometimes I just want it to stay saved! You know?! For a little bit. I feel like the maid: “I just cleaned up this mess! Can we keep it clean for, for 10 minutes?! Please?!”
re-think some of our systems. Most of our kitchen items when back similarly to the old kitchen. But we had enough new drawers and bigger cabinets, so we used the opportunity to make positive change.
AND can always find what they’re looking for and look fabulous?
lasts three (ish) months. Here in Chicago, the weather can change 30 degrees in a few hours, but Spring is Spring. I have dark, heavy clothes that I won’t wear again until Fall, regardless of how cold the weather gets. If I need to make room in my closet, I can hang just the items I’ll wear in the next three months, storing colder weather clothes and really hot weather clothes on a high shelf or under the bed.
multiple sizes of clothes cluttering their closets. Again, ask the “three month” question. Do the math – a healthy weight loss strategy suggests losing a pound a week. In three months, that would be an amazing 12 pounds! 12 Pounds may move you up or down one size from your current size, but only one. If you want to keep your much-smaller clothes, go for it, but don’t store them in your closet if you don’t have room. And purge the too-big stuff, so you’re not tempted to backslide!
And I brought the Fabulous to the front to make them easier to see. Meaning: Fellas? Ties. Ladies? Scarves.
week, I was reminded of the importance of having a Home for Your Papers, and wanted to share!
upcoming purchase, forms to complete and return. The most important thing about Active Papers is to take action on them, so their HOME needs to be convenient and close at hand.
wills, etc. The most important thing to remember about Archival Papers is to protect them, so their HOME needs to offer protection (a safe or a bank safety deposit box) and may be a little less convenient to access. But that’s OK, since we don’t need to access Archival Papers often. For example, I registered my youngest for high school last Saturday and his birth certificate and social security number were both required. Grabbing both took all of 10 seconds, since we have one and only one very safe and specific place for such vital documents. And of course, I PUT THEM BACK when I was done with them!
schedule to take care of business.
Sometimes action costs money or time or other resources, true. But if you’re procrastinating around a business venture, or health care issue that you can’t seem to make the appointment for, or house repair that you’ve been avoiding, the better question is “Can you afford to NOT do this?”
to sleep well every night, and 71 percent of us sleep better in a fresh-smelling bedroom. A cluttered room reminds us of unfinished tasks, whereas an uncluttered room helps us relax. Closing closet doors and dresser drawers further soothes us. In addition, 75% of people sleep better when they have clean sheets.
help, or a cool vaporizer like the one we run all winter helps drown out nighttime noise.
our best lives. Some folks need less and some need more, based on age, physical demands, individual rhythms and a host of other variables. Fix your wake-up time, and work back from there for your bedtime, first with 8 hours, then 7.5, then 7.
as has dinner meal planning to make sure I have a meal planned that works with the next day’s schedule.
morning breakfast meeting today, so last night, I made sure my notes were in my bag. We still stumble, as the completed forms I laid on the middle-schooler’s backpack for him to take back to school today are still laying on his dresser… but tomorrow is another opportunity to turn stuff in!
“What Do I Do With All Those Magazine Articles?”
if you want to read your information like a book, or if you want your information to stay portable.
category. As you collect the articles, filing becomes so easy! Then, when you’re ready to review the file, you can pull out all the similar articles at once.
cluttering the pile contents and adding attractive large wicker baskets to hold the bags and gear in the habitual drop zones seems a better solution than trying to establish new habits and drop zones elsewhere.
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consistent Bill Paying! Try these 4 tips to Streamline Your Process!
used their shared work space. One person had a place to always tuck the bills to be paid. The other person had no idea that was the system in place!
individual vendor files and just have monthly folders for all income and banking info. Any paid bills, receipts, bank statements, etc., get added to those monthly files. Finding info is so easy, as is filing!