Kids School/Artwork

-        Use a lidded box, color coded per child and label

-        Use large envelopes, labeled by year and child

-        Transfer yearly papers to labeled accordion file keeper

Travel/Sightseeing Memorabilia

-        Have a journal with you to notate date, locations, and events

-        Gather tourist brochures, postcards, etc. in journal

-        Transfer to accordion file keeper, categorized by year

-        Tear pages from journal and include with memorabilia

Got 5 minutes?  Then you can stay organized!

Remember kindergarten? Specifically, do you remember the kindergarten routine? I had a chance to visit a kindergarten last year. My client at that time was a kindergarten teacher.  Not much has changed in the kindergarten classroom since my kids were in kindergarten. There’s still the reading/story time area, the activity tables, the colorful bulletin boards and the art area. What also hasn’t changed in kindergarten is the importance of routine. Every kindergartner knows what happens in their classroom when they first arrive, then what happens next and what comes after that – all the way to the end of  their day.

Just like kindergarten, we all have routines. Having a routine helps you get through your day smoothly. It’s predictable and heck, most times it’s downright comfortable.

Do you need to get a handle on your routines? Sometimes our routines need to be re-evaluated, adjusted and/or added to.

Re-evaluate

Is your routine working?  Is there room for improvement? Is the routine an old habit that no longer serves you? Is it time for a change? Our lives are not stagnant so sometimes the routine needs an adjustment. Take a moment and assess what part of your routine is working and what may be missing.

Adjust

The first adjustment that might need to be made is your outlook.  Do you have a good attitude towards this routine or do you do it begrudgingly? If your routine no longer serves you, be realistic- say good-bye and stop doing it. Often a routine simply needs to be tweaked or changed a little depending on the present day situation. Sometimes just shifting the time of do in which you do a routine will make it more effective or work better in your day. Make small adjustments at a time and give yourself time to get used to them.

Add

If you are happy with the routines you have, is there another routine you would like to establish? The best way to create a new routine is to pair it with an existing routine. Plot out the new routine and begin to establish it, but give it time. It takes time to get “in the groove” of a new routine and have it established.

“You have to have consistent effort to win the game, period.” -Chris Smith

Once you have a handle on your routines, don’t forget to periodically revisit these three steps –  reevaluate, adjust, and add – to keep your routines working optimally for you.

“So many things to do, places to go, people to see…

How do I even have time to stay organized?!”

You’re busy, you wear many hats, I get that.  Even though I LOVE to organize, you probably don’t.  Being and staying organized is truly a balancing act. After all, it can’t all be about organization; there are other things to enjoy about your life and family. That’s why I coach many clients to help them find the balance between living life and keeping up the organization systems they/we have put into place.  Having an organized life is possible if you remember these 3 points. READ MORE

For the spiritual aspect of your life, begin by thinking about what “spiritual” means to you and then follow that line of thinking. Some examples may include:

1. Read the Bible for 15 minutes per day
2. Read a daily devotion or affirmation
3. Spend time alone meditating
4. Seek out a new book on spirituality
5. Visit a church, temple, synagogue
6. Create a space for yourself, with books that inspire your spirit & things you enjoy looking at

In paying attention to the physical aspect, think outside the norm here. Joining a gym is probably high on the mental list of most people, but it is not necessarily the answer. What needs attention, physically, for you? Here are a few tips for this area of your life:

1. Get a pedometer, try to get your steps up to 10,000 per day.
2. Go for a walk after dinner.
3. Take a class – yoga, salsa, aerobic, line dancing
4. Research and begin a multivitamin regimen
5. Get a physical exam.
6. Wake up 15 minutes earlier and do stretches each day

The examples I have offered are just to begin to fuel your mind as to the different ways you can choose to create more life balance. I recommend creating a page in a notebook for each of the seven areas and then brainstorming what you would like to do. After that choose one or two to start with and try it for 30 days.

I can give you a six-word formula for success: Think things through, then follow through. ~ Captain Edward V. Rickenbacker