The List.
I love lists. Lists can be powerful productivity tools. Or they can just be words on a page. I want my lists to work for me. So I turn my lists into Action Plans with a few simple steps.
Let’s turn that jumbled bunch of ideas into a list and then a useful, manageable Action Plan!
I worked with a client last week. We were scheduled to work on a couple of projects, but when I arrived, she mentioned that what would really help her to feel organized was to plan for an upcoming brunch she was hosting for family. She said she always got anxious about hosting big meals, and she really just wanted to enjoy her family this time! Her goal was to be done and leisurely sipping a cup of coffee 30 minute before the guests arrived.
Here is what we did:
Write it all down. ALL OF IT.
Is your brain full? Of thoughts and ideas and to-do’s, Oh My!
Every once in a while, I sit down and get all the thoughts and ideas and tasks out my head and down on paper. I used to call this activity a Brain Dump, but that seemed inelegant, so my friend Jen came up with “Cranial Cleansing”. This is a very useful activity!
Write it all down, don’t bother to edit. Just get it all out. And “write it all down” could also be “makes notes on your computer or smart phone or Ipad”. I use either my Bullet Journal (by hand) or Evernote (technology) for such things!
With my client, we started with the notes she had already jotted down. We added a lot more items, without editing, just adding them to the list!
The list included:
- clean the house;
- iron the napkins;
- hang the wreath;
- take the Christmas decoration storage bins downstairs;
- organize the holiday storage closet;
- make the breakfast casseroles using her mom’s special recipe;
- set the table;
- wash the china and wine glasses;
- decorate the Christmas tree;
- make the grocery list;
- go to the grocery;
- pick up champagne and other beverages;
- get the table linen cleaned and pressed;
- take back returns;
- put appetizer trays together;
- print up the Christmas photo and keepsake poem;
- buy the paper to print up the photo and poem;
- make or purchase desserts;
- put together the salad;
- clean the garage.
Make a Not Today or Not Now List.
A few items on my client’s list, like “Clean the Garage” and “Organize the Holiday Closet”, are good and worthwhile projects but were not necessary to the success of the Holiday Brunch. So we put them on the “Not Right Now” list, and focused on the work in front of us!
Enlist Aid. What can be delegated?
Fortunately, this client hires cleaning people a couple times a month, and they were scheduled for the next day. Also, she and her husband would be home together on Saturday, and he had offered to take care of some of the errands.
Realistic Time Estimates.
This looks like a very long and overwhelming list, I know. But when you start to break it down, 
most of these tasks are actually pretty short and to the point. So we assigned time estimates to them all, so we could be more objective.
Assign a Day, sticking with your strengths.
As we worked on the list, my client mentioned she had a full day of work the next day, so we didn’t put too many tasks on that day (Friday). Also, she likes to go to the grocery around 8 pm, as it tends to be empty that time of night. So we worked with those details!
So, after the above steps were applied, our Action Plan looked something like this:
THURSDAY:
- (Thursday, 10 minutes) hang the wreath
- (Thursday, 10 minutes) take the Christmas decoration storage bins downstairs
- (Thursday, 20 minutes) make the grocery list
- THURSDAY ERRANDS:
- (Thursday, 10 minutes) drop off table cloth to be pressed
- (Thursday, 30 minutes) buy the paper to print up the photo and poem
FRIDAY:
- (Friday, Cleaning team) clean the house
- (Friday or Saturday, 30 minutes) print up the Christmas photo and keepsake poem
- FRIDAY ERRAND
- (Friday evening, 90 minutes with putting away) go to the grocery;
SATURDAY:
- (Saturday, 45 minutes) make the breakfast casseroles using her mom’s special recipe
- (Saturday or Sunday, 20 minutes) put appetizer trays together
- (Any day, picked Saturday, 10 minutes) iron napkins
- SATURDAY ERRANDS (husband will run):
- (Saturday, 10 minutes) pick up table cloth; cleaned and pressed
- (Saturday, 30 minutes) bakery to purchase desserts
- (Saturday, 30 minutes) pick up champagne and other beverages
SUNDAY:
- (Sunday morning, 20 minutes) wash the china and wine glasses
- (Sunday morning, 15 minutes) set the table
- (Sunday morning, 20 minutes) put together the salad
Not Now List:
- take back returns;
- clean the garage
- organize the holiday storage closet;
We spent a little time and effort at the beginning, turning jumbled thoughts into a solid, easy to follow and completely manageable action plan! What was really great was that once we completed this process, which was quick and easy and painless, we had time to tackle some of the items on her list!
How can you apply these steps to a current project? Give it a try!
(P.S., I texted the client this afternoon to see how the brunch went, I’ll let you know her response next week!)
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coat closet, etc. However, many of us do not come and go from that front door. Last week, a friend asked if I could help with her new homes’ back door / drop zone / launch pad. In her words,
members can drop their bags as they come home. But they lack coat / accessory / bag storage.
for accessories and keys, and the lower set, installed 6-8 inches below the upper set, for coats, umbrellas or longer hanging items.
I detest errands and shopping. The expense, hassle and time spent. But, of course, there are items – food, clothing, supplies, etc. – that I need for my family, our home and my business. Errands and shopping are a necessary evil.
I have been pondering how to spend less time, money and hassle on running errands and shopping. I’ve talked to a lot of people also working on the same challenge, and we’ve learned a lot from each other!
it was my constant companion. Most days, amidst working and family and living our lives, I was also planning / orchestrating / cleaning or occasionally waiting for activities centered on the Kitchen, and by extension, my office. No summer va-ca for this girl.
track lighting. As soon as we stood at a counter to work on food prep or anything else, we would block our own task lighting. The under-cabinet lighting makes the whole kitchen GLOW, while providing task lighting any where we need it! This is a simple upgrade. You can purchase ropes of LED lighting that simply plug in at any home improvement store.
also beautiful, I am truly loath to leave anything on them. One of my favorite (and cheap) purchases to complete the project was this dish drain that fits over the smaller side sink and can be easily slid over or rolled away (Amazon.com, ILifetech Roll-Up Dish Drying Rack).
now have a breakfast station. My coffee maker lives on this small counter, along with the fresh fruit basket and napkins. In addition, the cabinet above houses breakfast bars and Pop Tarts (my sons’ quick breakfasts of choice), our daily vitamins and supplements, the toaster, and coffee / tea / hot chocolate supplies, etc.
The tops were dusty, and storing stuff up there looked cluttered, so we never used the space. If you don’t want to remodel, you can also re-imagine how you use your cabinets. Use the bottom shelf or 2 for daily use items, the middle shelf for items you use once a week, and the top shelves for items you use less often but would still like to keep accessible.
Fall is in the air.
hello boots and wellies. Toss the old or unmatched flip or flop, get rid of all but the last pair or two of sneakers (“Truly, dear, no one needs 4 pairs of old sneakers for ‘yard work.'” ). Take in any shoes in need of repair, and put away the rest. Then make space for the colder weather shoes and boots. Do the same with sport items. Play it Again Sports, anyone?
returned to a store? Stuff that belongs to other people? Take those piles / bags and boxes that are next to the door or already in the car, and get them Gone, gone, gone!!
First things first, purge the garbage / recycling / donations. And pull out the cars while you work!
boxes. I know, it’s tough to decide do we keep the box the vacuum / lamp / appliance came in or recycle it? However, we’ve discovered that if we do need to pack the item up or return it, we can find another box (more come all the time!) or return the item without it. If you just can’t part with the boxes, break them down and store them flat.
outgrown sports items, chose to leave the items there (instead of hassling with selling them on consignment), they cut me a check. Beautiful! Try listing outgrown bikes and scooters on Facebook sell pages, there is a market for such things! And, thinking vertically again – install some hooks on the walls or beams, to get those summer toys and bikes off the garage floor for winter!
how long to keep certain types of papers. One idea that I shared with the group was the idea of “20 Minutes or 20 Dollars”. A couple of people made a point to tell me that they really liked the idea, so I thought I would share.
20 Minutes: 
The black spaghetti mess of unmatched, unlabeled and unclaimed charging cords from ancient phones or digital cameras gone by? Look around. If what you use regularly already has a cord attached, you could probably purge all of those unclaimed cords and spend $20 someday on a replacement in the very remote chance you actually needed one of those random cords. Clear up a whole lot of space, and bank on the fact you don’t need what is in that THAT box!
Sombreros (or similar items, you get the idea!). Sombreros are big. Awkward to store. Not a commonly used items, let’s face it. If you EVER had a need for a sombrero – party, costume, school presentation – you could either spend the $20 to buy one at a party store or on-line, or better yet, ask 10 friends if anyone has a sombrero, and I bet someone does!
already, especially considering we just painted the kitchen and office. We will also look for any supplies, like paint brushes and rollers, etc., before we head to Home Depot to buy paint and supplies.
today, I asked my high school senior (in jest) if there were any really important, hard-hitting organizational questions he would like to ask.
As we stood in the very long line (I love my son very much), I was still ruminating on how to craft our experience into a meaningful blog post (doesn’t everyone use their waiting-in-line time to mentally write articles?). I asked him what organizational tips we could learn from our experiences. Here is what we came up with :