Thirteen Cool Organizing Links & Tips
Every year I make the same resolution. Be more organized! Be More Organized!! BE MORE ORGANIZED!!! And by the middle of February, I’m back to my evil, unorganized ways. But occasionally, I will come across something that actually helps me be a little bit more organized. I’m not saying that these will work for you, but they work for me.
- Google CalendarI love Google Calendar because it’s a calendar that I can access it anywhere from the Internet. The interface is much simpler than other online calendars I’ve worked with, and (I love this) you can create multiple calendars which will display simultaneously. I have calendars for my personal stuff, a separate calendar for each of my classes, a calendar for the Key Club I sponsor, a work calendar, and a “miscellaneous” calendar. All of the calendars can be accessed by other people through a weblink.
- GmailGmail is by far the easiest and most user-friendly webmail program out there. At it comes with 2 GB of storage, so you can Archive all of your e-mail instead of deleting it. The best feature is that it refreshes itself so you don’t have to keep clicking on your Inbox to see if you have new mail. Additionally, you can use Google to search through your e-mail to find something you’ve archived. It’s about 1000% better than the webmail our district provides and 950% better than the webmail provided by Cox Communications.
- Google Reader
If you read more than one blog, you definitely need to check out Google Reader. You can subscribe to a blog’s RSS feed and see all of the new blog entries as they are written.
- Mission: Organization and Clean Sweep Both of these shows (Mission: Organization is on HGTV and Clean Sweep is on TLC) focus on people who desperately need to “get it together.” With the help of professional organizers and sometimes carpenters, painters, etc., people tackle one or two rooms with dramatic results. I know these shows probably don’t actually help keep me organized but they do give me a little inspiration.There are also a couple of other home improvement show that I really like called Designed to Sell (HGTV) and Flip That House (TLC) which help people make changes in houses to make them more marketable. I know, not exactly organizing, but you might want to check them out.
- OrganizedHome.comThe best thing that I’ve pulled away from this website is the Household Notebook. Basically, it’s a nerve center for all of the really important information in your household all in one place. Everyone’s HN (computer geeks love acronyms!) is a little different. Mine contains an address book and sheet protectors which hold important things like insurance cards (I was constantly having to look for a copy of mine before I implemented the HN), copies of our taxes returns, etc. Basically, my thought process in creating our HN was “What have I spent an insane amount of time and energy looking for?” And that’s what ended up in our HN.
- A computerized address book is the best! We use Microsoft Access to keep track of our addresses. We can print envelopes or labels for Christmas cards and once the address book reaches “critical mass” (the point at which there are more address changes, etc. than I can handle), we simply update the database and print off a clean copy of the address book.
- RealSimple magazine (and website)RealSimple is a “women’s” magazine that I got a gift subscription for my wife. But the thing is, if you skip the articles on make-up, clothes, and relationships, it’s actually got some good stuff! Its website even has an entire section dedicated to organizing. One of the things that I really like on their website are their printable forms. They’re PDF’s of lists that help you get your stuff organized. Some of their forms are a little out-there for my tastes (e.g., the Houseguest Worksheet), but a lot of them are useful. For example:
- RealSimple’s Ultimate Family Contact Sheet I’m still working on mine. But I like the general idea!
- RealSimple’s Typical Day WorksheetIf you ever have to have someone watch your kids for an entire day, this is a good resource to give your sitter an idea of what kind of schedule the kids are used to. Of course, that’s assuming your kids are used to some kind of routine (easier said than done)!
- RealSimple’s Holiday Gift List Sheet.I haven’t used this exact sheet but something very similar. I found it useful in helping me to remember what gift I had given people in the previous year. It was also helpful in budgeting spending for the holidays.
- RealSimple’s Sample Grocery Shopping ListI’ll admit. I HATE GROCERY SHOPPING. I have a hard time deciding what to cook for the next meal, much less facing the myriad choices that the local supermarket presents. I created a list in Microsoft Word based on this list and it really helps me to know what I need when I go to the grocery store. Having a list helps me control impulse shopping (”Oh, look, chickpeas! Emeril just did a whole show on chickpeas–I must buy them!!”) and helps me get in and get out in the shortest amount of time possible.BONUS TIP: Clean out your refrigerator before you go grocery shopping. It’ll help you know what you have at home and what you need to buy. Also, it’ll make room for all of the refrigerated stuff you buy at the store.
- You’ll probably only appreciate this next tip if you’ve ever been a substitute teacher. But I keep a Sub Notebook in my desk drawer with class rolls, seating chart, and (this is the best part) pictures of all my students with their names (I love the digital camera!!). I also keep a Microsoft Word template with the day’s schedule, assignments, a feedback form, and classroom expectations. I simply open it up, fill it out, and put it in the notebook whenever I’m going to be away from my classroom.
- “Opt Outs.”I don’t mind telling you that I absolutely hate talking on the phone. And I really, REALLY hate it when it’s a telemarketer. Junk mail, especially pre-approved credit card offers are almost up there on my things-that-annoy-the-living-crap-out-of-me scale. So, here’s a couple of websites that I recommend:Telephone Solicitations
www.donotcall.gov — From the NY Times website (click here for full article). The downfall: calls from non-profit organizations, political parties, or businesses with which you’ve already established a relationship with are not included in this opt-out. So, to deal with those, I simply use the following line: “I’m sorry. My wife and I have decided that we will not respond to any solicitation that we receive by phone.” And then we hang up before the person on the other end of the line can respond. (Yes, I know it’s rude to hang up on people but they were rude to call while chances were that I would be EATING DINNER!!) Or you can go with, “I’m sorry, I’m just housesitting.” Or the ever-popular, “We were just about to leave and I can’t stay on the phone.” Or how about, “My son just projectile vomited across the living room…I’m going to have to go!”
Additionally, just don’t answer any phone call that comes up with “Unknown Name/Unknown Number” or any 1-800 or 1-866 or 1-877 number on the Caller ID.
Pre-Approved Credit Card Opt Outs.
The amount of pre-approved credit card offers we receive in a month is staggering. You can go to https://www.optoutprescreen.com and be added to a list so that you’ll not receive any more of this stuff. Or you can continue to receive, shred every bit that comes to you and then cram the debris back in the self-addressed envelope it came with. I know, passive-aggressive as all get out but oddly satisfying!
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Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same. 
