Organizing Theory
Stop Telemarketing, Junk Mail and Email Spam!
Should I Keep It or Throw It Out?
Office Organizing Tips
Storage Tips
Safe Deposit Box Contents
Suggested Reading List

	Clutter is visual chaos resulting from delayed decision making.
	When attempting to deal with clutter, your brain calculates how long each pile will take to handle and you immediately become overwhelmed. This process takes less than 3 seconds!
	There is no magic in "I'll do it later."
	Being organized does not necessarily mean being neat and clean.
	Do what works, there are no right or wrong ways to organize.
	Keep it simple - minimize the steps it takes to get any task done.
	Form follows function - organize your life in realistic ways.
	Every home needs a "Home Office" where the household files, bill paying, and office supplies are kept.
	Treat your life or family like a small business - it needs tools, routines, supplies, consistency, and order to operate successfully.
	Your desktop is not a storage area, it is prime real estate. Use it for current projects and as a work area.
	Learn how to "Just say no" to people, places and things that you don't want in your life (i.e., junk mail - see my tips for this!, extra social commitments, or anything else consuming your time.)
	Be flexible - life changes and so do you. Be willing to adapt to new and better functioning systems as needed - don't fight it!
	Time Management - keep only one calendar.
	Open your mail over a garbage can and throw away the envelopes!
	Put a garbage can in every room that you generate trash. Throw the garbage out when the cans are full.
	Sorting mishmash: group like items together until all are sorted, "throw as you go," then sort, organize, and find a home for each group.
	Spend 5 minutes before you leave the house each day putting things away - give yourself the gift of an organized house when you come home.
	Still need help? Call Meg Connell.

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An increasing number of junk mail, telemarketing calls and email spam is invading the privacy of our homes, creating physical clutter and interrupting the few precious hours we have to spend with our families. Unfortunately, this trend is on the rise.

Your name, address and purchasing habits are a commodity that is bought and sold on a regular basis on the open market. Almost every organization that you deal with will sell your name unless you ask them not to. Once your name has been sold, it ends up on national marketing lists that generate the junk mail, phone calls and emails.

Take a stand, take action, and stop unwanted mail, phone calls and emails before they even enter your home. The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) estimates that by listing with their mail Preferences Services you can stop 75% of all national mailings. They also have Preference Services for telemarketing and email spam. They process 50,000 requests a month and requests are kept active for five years. You can write to the address below and request that your name be removed from their list. Note, that if you do this through their web-site, their will be a small fee charged.

For Junk Mail:

Mail Preference Service
c/o Direct Marketing Association
P. O. Box 9008
Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008
www.the-dma.org/consumers/offmailinglist.html

For Junk Phone calls:

Telephone Preference Service
c/o Direct Marketing Association
P. O. Box 9014
Farmingdale, NY 11735-9014
www.the-dma.org/consumers/offtelephonelist.html

For Junk EMail:

Direct Marketing Association
www.e-mps.org/en/

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Paper clutter is the result of delayed decision making. Should you keep an item or should you throw it out? If you choose to not make this decision, then things start to pile up. (This can also be true with incoming emails!) Here are a few questions to help you sort through your incoming mail or clear out your piles of paper (and digital) clutter:

	Did I request this information?
	Do I need this information now or in the future?
	Can I get it quickly through another source?
	Is the information time sensitive? Is it outdated? Will it be outdated when I want to use it?
	Do I need this for tax, legal or other financial reasons?
	What is the worst thing that will happen if I throw it out?

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	Have supplies on hand before you start. This includes trash bags, file folders, hanging files, labels, storage boxes, pens, etc.
	Pick a time when you know you will be able to realistically complete a task. Schedule the task on your calendar.
	Sort your papers by what you are going to do with them: To Pay, To File, To Read, To Do, Pending, To Pass On, and To Throw Out!
	Use an In Box for all incoming information. Do NOT use your chair. Put the In Box in an obvious place so everyone will know where it is. Do not confuse this with your To Do Box!
	Go through your In Box regularly (at least once a day) to decide what to do with each item. This will keep you from accumulating clutter and make it easier for others to use the In Box for its purpose.
	Keep most frequently used items, such as current projects, work tools, phone lists, etc., nearby. You want easy access to these things, so keep them on your desktop or in a nearby drawer.
	If you find if difficult to get any "quiet time," try arriving at the office a few minutes earlier than your coworkers to peacefully plan your day.
	Name files by how you would think of them first, not necessarily by title or source. For example, a newspaper article could be filed under "Seminar Resources," not under "San Francisco Chronicle article."
	And remember, being organized is not a moral issue, it is a learned process!

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The 5 Areas of Storage©

Most people find that if they define/decide on a home for their belongings . . . things are easier to put away and consequently easier to find. The hardest part is deciding where to put things.

I have defined the 5 Areas of Storage© as Ergonomic, Occasional, Seasonal, Archive, and Deep Storage, which can be applied to any location. Once you identify your 5 areas, then you can decide what items will be stored in each one by using the guidelines below. Of course, there are no hard and fast rules here; use what feels comfortable and what works for you in your surroundings.

Ergonomic Storage

This is your "prime" real estate, storage that is right in front of you, on your desktop, in the fronts of your closets and drawers. Put items in these places that are used daily or at least twice a week. Do a thorough clean out about once every two months. If you are not using an item regularly, store it somewhere else!

Occasional Storage

These areas, are not quite as convenient as Ergonomic Storage, but run a close second, like supply drawers, middle of closets, etc. Put items in these places that you use once a week or less, but at least once a month. Clean out once a year.

Seasonal Storage

These areas require a little more effort to get to or get into, usually behind Occasional Storage, on a shelf, top shelves, back of closets, or garage storage. Put items in these places that you use once a quarter or once a year. Clean out on a yearly basis as you use it.

Archive Storage

These areas are either on the top or far back of shelves, in attics, basements, or extra filing cabinets in storage areas. Put items in these places like old tax or paper records that you might need to get into every 5 years or so, if at all. Clean out once every 5 years.

Deep Storage

These are the areas that are the hardest to get to like the far back of closets, backs of garages, attics and basements. Put items in these places that you want to keep, but will not use or get into, i.e., old school records, childhood toys, memorabilia. Clean out once every 10 years.

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Ever wonder what papers should be kept in a safe deposit box? The following is a very comprehensive list. You don't have to put all of the items below into your box; this is just a good list to start with. Once you decide what items you are going to store there, keep a list of the contents, updating it whenever you add or remove items. The list should include the location of the box and key.

Adoption papers
Automobile titles
Birth certificates
Citizenship papers
Contracts
Copyrights and patents
Court recorded documents
Death certificates
Deeds
Divorce decrees
Inventory of valuable possessions (including appraisals and receipts)
Leases
Life insurance policies
List of insurance policies and numbers
Marriage certificates
Military records
Mortgage papers
Passports Photographs/negatives of valuables
Retirement plans
Stock/bond certificates and notes
Wills and Trusts

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Here are a few books that I have found useful:

Glovinsky, Cindy, Making Peace with the Things in Your Life, St. Martin's Press, New York, 2002

Kingston, Karen, Creating Sacred Space with Feng Shui, Broadway Books, New York, 1998

Kingston, Karen, Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui, Broadway Books, New York, 1998

Lehmkuhl, Dorothy & Cotter Lamping, Dolores, Organizing For The Creative Person, Crown Trade Paperbacks, New York, 1993

St. James, Elaine, Living the Simple Life, Hyperion, New York, 1996

St. James, Elaine, Simplify Your Life, Hyperion, New York, 1994

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