Mondays are productivity days at SimpleProductivity blog.

Do you use your productivity system for planning? Or just for keeping track of where you have to be and what you have to do?

There is an important difference here: planning indicates that you have considered your workload for the day, and have laid out what you will do (and consequently what you won’t do). Keeping track of things means you’re just rushing through the lists without much thought as to why you are doing things.

Planning leads to relaxation. Simply marching through grids and lists leads to burnout.

Which camp are you in?

What Planning Is

Planning is the act of sitting down, weeding through your schedule, tasks and commitments, and laying them out in a way that leaves you space and time to relax.

This means you start with your calendar, the place where you have committed to do something at a specific time. Planning will take a look at the calendar and see if it is too crowded; if it is, you can either jettison or delay some items. (Although a chronically overstuffed calendar points to a deeper problem of super-heroism, but that’s for another day.)

Next you look at the things you have committed to do, but not on a given day. And you look at the things you must do to bring about future events. And you look at the things you would like to do.

Planning means sifting through those lists, asking if you should be the one doing it if you should do it at all, or if you should do this particular task (or if another one would be more suitable). It means letting go of some of these tasks when your day becomes so stuffed you don’t have time to breathe or eat.

What It Gets You

Quite simply, using any productivity system — whether a paper planner, the 7 Habits, GTD or others — without planning is going to lead to burnout, eventually.

With planning you have the ability to schedule relaxation and recreation in. You can adjust your load to fit your energy and your needs.

You get to run your life, instead of having life run you.

How It Fits Into Productivity

The funny thing is that every productivity system I have ever seen (and I differentiate here between productivity systems and task management systems), mention planning at some point. But too many people get sucked into the do-more-quicker-better-faster mode, and forget about the planning.

It really doesn’t take long to do, either, and it will boost your productivity. Why? Because you will be working on the things that have the most worth, and giving yourself the breaks you need to stay on top.

What do you think? Is planning necessary for productivity in your mind? Do you plan? Or do you just do? Share below!

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Mondays are productivity days at SimpleProductivity blog.

Every productivity system, from the earliest paper systems to Getting Things Done, have a few things in common. In our Basics of Productivity continuation, today we will look at those common components and what they do.

Calendar

This can be called a “planner” or “schedule” or “hard landscape” but what it boils down to is a calendar, plain and simple. It is where you record the timed commitments you have made.

These commitments can be with other people (“Dentist, 8:30 – 9:30″), a place you have to be (“Work 7-9″) or even to yourself (“work on J proposal, 2-4″). What these commitments have in common is that you have said you will be there, and will make a good effort to follow through.

The last type, appointments with yourself, work with different success with different people. They have never worked for me, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work for you.

The style of your calendar is going to reflect how appointment-driven you are. For someone like me, with maybe one or two things a day, a month calendar with large blocks or a weekly calendar are best. If your day is structured in meetings, you will need something more detailed.

Task List

The task list could be called the “to-do list”, the “next action list” or the “commitment list”. All it is, really, is a list of things you have committed yourself to do, but without a specific time.

The task list may be prioritized, or placed in quadrants, or organized by where you can perform the action, but the contents are still the same.

The task list is the place that most people equate with productivity, but it does not stand alone in the system, and must be influenced by the calendar and the plan.

The task list is generally the thing that gives people the most trouble, which has spawned methods like Do It Tomorrow, Super Focus and The Now Habit as ways to get through the lists.

Plan

The plan is where you decide what you should be doing. Most systems talk about planning, calling it an “overview” or “weekly review”. But its function is simply to make sure you are doing the right stuff.

Without the plan, you could be getting a lot of stuff done, but wondering why you never make progress on your projects. Or you could be working on things that don’t fit your goals.

Unfortunately, I think the planning aspect is the one that gets skipped the most often. After all, it is much easier to just look at a calendar, or tick things off on a task list. But the plan is the one thing that will keep you moving in the right direction. Without it you are simply moving.

Reference

If you pick up any paper planner, there is going to be a spot somewhere in it for phone numbers. There will probably also be a spot for making lists of gift ideas, birthdays and URLs.

This material is simply reference material, and the thought is that if you have the information you need to accomplish small things at hand, you will be more efficient in getting things accomplished. Think of it this way: if you need to call John Smith, you will get the task done much faster if you have his phone number at your fingertips, rather than having to call someone else to get the number.

Some methodologies call for a complete system to manage your reference material. My thought is to have what you need frequently, but no more, where you can access it when you will need it.

Future List

The last part of every system is some place to capture future items. This might be called a “someday/maybe list”, a “dreams list” or a “tickler”. It is a list of things you are going to do someday, but that you don’t need to think about right now.

This sort of list is important simply because you don’t want to lose track of good ideas or possible avenues to pursue. Inspiration can hit at the most maddening times, and it is best to have a place to park information. And a place you can find things again is the best.

These the main areas of every productivity methodology and system. In future articles in the series, we will look at each one in turn, along with the ways you can implement them.

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Mondays are productivity days at SimpleProductivity blog.

Someone recently approached me and confessed he was confused by all the productivity systems and terms out there. “I want to be more organized and productive, but I don’t know where to start! There are so many systems, I can’t even tell one from another!” So this is the first in an intermittent series of posts on getting started being more productive. Today I’ll talk about the various systems and abbreviations out there.

This is not meant to be a complete history of planners; nor is it meant to overwhelm you. It is simply a compilation of what the various systems have brought to the table.

In The Beginning…

Before the widespread use of computers and personal electronics, most planners were paper. You would have a binder, in your choice of sizes, which you would be given a calendar, some room to write tasks, and a phone directory.

The idea behind these planners were that everything should be written down and kept in one place that you would have access to at all times. You would never be without the information you needed, because it was all in your binder.

Major manufacturers of these types of planners were Day-Timer, Franklin, Filofax and Day Runner.

The Advent of Methodology Classes

When these planners became widespread, the manufacturers started offering classes and methodologies to help people get the most out of the planners. Some included them in “how to use our product” pamphlets they sent with each order. Others offered classes that whole offices were sent to in order to increase their productivity.

Some planners adopted methodologies from other sources. When Stephen Covey released The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Day-Timer offered a series of pages to help you implement his ideas. Eventually he found a home with the Franklin company, which became the Franklin Covey planners.

The point of these methods were to get you to make the most of your planners; to actually help you use them for planning, rather than just keeping track of what you needed to get done.

Electronics

Around this time, software use became more prevalent. Outlook and Lotus Notes were the big players on the email/scheduling scene, and people found themselves able to update their calendars quickly. It came with a cost, though, and people would spend hours writing down the changes from their electronic systems into their planners.

Two branches sprung from this: printing updates from these systems for your planner, and personal electronics that would work with the systems to keep everything up to date.

Some planner manufacturers, like Day-Timer, offered software that not only gave you an electronic component, but also allowed you to print updated pages for your planner. Other software allowed you to sync your electronic system and your personal electronics, giving freedom from rewriting.

The Return to Paper

After several years of electronic mania, some people went back to paper. It suited them better for the way they worked, and allowed them to fill their planners with the pages they needed.

People began to want more customization. Additional pages, specific to the type of work one was doing, were designed and added into paper planners. The D*I*Y Planner site gave people a place to download pages for printing.

Around this time the Hipster PDA came into being: a set of index cards that functioned just like a full sized planner. Some modified Moleskine notebooks to be their planners.

The Systems Emerge

David Allen released his Getting Things Done in 2002, and with it came a wave of productivity methodologies. GTD gave people a way to uncomplicate their lives.

Mark Forster came onto the scene with Get Everything Done, then released Do It Tomorrow (DIT). He has continued to evolve his systems, and followed it up with AutoFocus and SuperAutoFocus, the details of which can be found at his blog, MarkForster.net.

So what does one do with the overwhelming choices for a planner and/or system? Stay tuned. The next article in the series will start boiling down the component parts so you can find a system that works for you.

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Mondays are productivity days at SimpleProductivity blog.

A new reader wrote to me and asked where to start with productivity. Since the last time I tackled this was in 2008, I figure it’s time for an update.

Getting Started

Getting the Most from Simple Productivity Blog

Productivity

What Are You Being Productive For?

Do You Really Need to Get More Done?

Single Best Productivity Tip: Simplify

The Secret to Increased Productivity – Single Tasking

Essentials to Productivity

The One Thing Everyone Should Know About Productivity Systems

Why You Shouldn’t Finish Something That Has No Value

Simplification

Continue Reading

Minimizing The Facebook Time Sink/Information Overload

Hacking Meals: The Planning Folder

10 Things to Simplify Today

How To Deal With A Million Things At Once

Do you have any suggestions for what can be included in this list? Which SPB article(s) are most helpful for you?

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I am taking two weeks off from blogging. Enjoy this article from the archive!This article was originally published on 28 May 2007.

I am believe that clutter often stands in the way of productivity.

Physical clutter gets in our way and also weighs us down mentally when we see it, knowing that we will have to do something about it. If we hide it from sight, we will remember we have to do something with it when we go to the place we have stored it (a closet, drawer, etc).

Mental clutter gets in our way when we keep having the same thoughts about the same things repeatedly. We may try all sort of memory tricks to get it out of our minds, but eventually it will come back.

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity is a productivity system for controlling the mental clutter. It advocates getting everything out of your head and into a trusted system that is regularly reviewed.

But what about physical clutter?

Many times we don’t see physical clutter around us, particularly if it’s ours. For some reason, I never have trouble seeing other people’s junk lying around

In this series of articles, I’m going to give you some concrete steps to get rid of clutter around the very spot where you read this blog…your computer and your desk.

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Fridays are tip days at SimpleProductivity blog.

There have been a lot of new visitors to the site recently, and I thought it would be good to point out some things to help all my readers, new and not-so-new, get more out of the site.

Categories

I purposefully try to limit my categories on the blog, so you can find what you’re looking for. Besides the main categories of productivity and simplicity, you can find a list of the post categories on the right-hand side of each page. Sometimes you will see that a category has sub-categories; clicking on the header brings back all the articles of all of the sub-categories.

Getting Started

There is a category that falls at the top of the list called Getting Started. This category lists all the articles aimed at the beginning not knowing much about simplicity or productivity, or just wanting a place to start. This category was put in at my mother’s suggestion, after I had her read the blog (she is not a regular reader, alas, since she doesn’t need this type of help!).

Updates

It’s hard to remember to come back to a website to look for updates. So for that reason, I have set up services to allow you to receive updates in one of two ways. With the RSS feed, you will be updated in your RSS reader every time something new publishes on the blog.

With the email feed, you will get an email of the article every time I update something. This process is a little more complex than an RSS feed to set up: you must enter your email address, then a new screen pops up asking for a verification code. Then an email gets sent to your email address with a link to click to verify the subscription. Why is it so complicated? Because I take email subscriptions seriously and do everything I can to limit spam.

Both of these update methods can be found at “Get Updates“

Comments on Posts

If you have something to say about a post, leave a comment! I try to respond to every comment on the blog, especially if they ask for information or clarification. Other readers also jump in from time to time with suggestions.

Opinions that differ from mine are more than welcome, because more often than not get me to thinking and seeing things in a new light. I enjoy that type of exchange.

Comments are moderated on the blog. This means the first time you submit a comment, I have to read it over to make sure you are not spam. After that, your comments appear immediately on the post. While I do have a comment policy in place to remove abusive and hateful comments, I have only had to use it once. I do not use it for comments that simply disagree with me.

The comments section can be found at the bottom of every post.

Sending Email

If you don’t want to leave a comment on a post, or want to ask something out of the public view, the Contact Form can be used to send me a message. I do respond to every comment I get. The Contact Me section can be found by clicking on Contact Me at the top of every page, or directly by clicking Contact Me

Searching

Right underneath the main bar on each page is a search box. If you want to find the articles on camping, type in “camping” and press enter (or click on search). This will search all the text on the site and bring back the articles about camping.

This is a great tool for finding articles on a subject area that is not covered specifically by the categories, or if you recall a phrase in the article, but not the title or when it was published.

Archives

The last part of getting the most out of this blog is the archives. All of the articles on the site are currently available. The last five months are shown on the right hand side of the page, but if you want older articles than that, click on the Get More Archives link and it will show you everything.

Free Stuff

Through my trials of different methods of organization and productivity, I have made many forms that I use. These forms are available for free download from the Free Stuff page.

I also have written two holiday ebooks for sale, which are available through the EBooks page.

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I am currently taking a break. This article was first published on 14 September 2007.

One of my main interests is how I can simplify my life. Back when I became interested, I wanted to get off the merry-go-round of too many activities and demands on my time and energy, but I didn’t know how.

The U.S. culture is very good at encouraging us to stay on the ride; “consume”, “buy”, “keep up” are the messages that are thrown at us day in and day out. I wanted to have time to relax, to do my hobbies, to enjoy my life. On my terms.

It turns out I’m not alone. Anyone who wants the following can start by simplifying:

I Want More Time

People want more time. We work more than even one generation ago, with longer hours and less time off. We bring work home with us, and we try to sandwich our personal lives in the cracks. This pace takes a toll when it goes on long enough. Simplicity is about having time to do what you want with whom you want.

I Want Freedom

Some people realize that their lives are being controlled by others. We respond to bosses or customers or some other group of people that we don’t want to obey. Simplicity is about being deliberate in who we choose to direct us.

I Want To Follow My Purpose

Often people having some sort of crisis will look at their lives and decide it is time for a change. Perhaps a brush with death may leave someone realizing that making widgets is not what they want to be remembered for. Simplicity is about doing things in line with our purposes in life.

I Want To Be True To Myself

Some people want to be who they truly are. Tired of putting on a face for the world, they want to be authentic and true to their inner selves and beliefs. Simplicity is about getting rid of the complication of these masks.

I Want To Have Less Impact On the Environment

It’s no secret that we are damaging the earth. Many people want to lessen their impacts, and simplification is one of the great ways to get there. When you live a simpler life, you consume less, and have less of an impact on the planet, even if it is just the amount of trash you generate.

I Want To Pare Down My Belongings, And Stop Buying So Much Stuff

Part of our consumer culture is that we accumulate masses of stuff that we don’t need. Advertising agencies are expert and figuring out how to convince us to buy stuff that promises to make our lives different, but end up collecting dust. Some people have so much stuff they are being stifled. Simplifying allows you to clean house, literally, and get out from under.

I Want To Be Debt-Free

Most of the U.S. is in debt. In order to get out, you have to spend less than you make, and put the extra toward those debts. Living on less is often a precursor for simplifying.

I Want To Stop The Craziness

When life gets crazy enough, it can affect the sanest of us. Simplifying is one way to get out of the insanity of overconsumption.

I Want A Healthier Life

When our health is affected by our over-processed lifestyle, simplification can help restore us. Our over-processed diets lead to all sorts of ills, and going back to real food can make a real difference in good health.

I Want A Fulfilling Life

Simplicity is about living life deliberately. When you think about what you are doing, and really understand the consequences and benefits of your actions, you will lead a life that is more satisfying.

If any of these reasons sound like things you want, you might want to consider simplifying your life. This means different things to different people. When I first started the process, I expected I would be living on a farm in the middle of the country, raising livestock and living on my own schedule. What has changed for me has been much less drastic: I work less hours, have less outside activities, and make time for real food and real people. I’m still simplifying, but you can see that I haven’t become a hermit in my quest.

Recommended Reading

Here are some books I recommend to get you started on the simplicity path:

1. Inner Peace for Busy People – a great book on slowing down and getting a bit of space to think about simplifying
2. Simplify Your Life: 100 Ways to Slow Down and Enjoy the Things That Really Matter – an easy read. I found the book too dictatorial, but it got me thinking.
3. Living Simply with Children: A Voluntary Simplicity Guide for Moms, Dads, and Kids Who Want to Reclaim the Bliss of Childhood and the Joy of Parenting – ideas for simplifying when your life contains youngsters
4. The Simple Living Guide – an excellent resource on all areas of simplicity
5. 30 Days to a Simpler Life – 30 simple steps that you can use to start simplifying. None of these were too taxing, and I think would fit well into most lives.
6. The Circle of Simplicity: Return to the Good Life

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Mondays are productivity days at SimpleProductivity blog.

Managing time is the basis for all productivity systems, yet the systems assume people already know how to manage time.

It doesn’t matter if your files are organized, you have all your next actions laid out, your tasks prioritized in a grid, or your most important tasks picked out; if you don’t know how to manage the time that these things take, you will never make progress.

Here is a crash course in Time Management as it works in SPB-land.

Fill Out Your Schedule

In order to manage your time, you are going to have to know what time you have to work with.

As an example, I took a recent Monday out of my own schedule. Click on the picture to see a larger version.

Sit down with a blank piece of paper, some electronic form, or a pre-printed form. Next, fill in all the time that you are committed to doing something. In my case, this includes work, my daughter’s piano lesson and a Girl Scout leader meeting.

Next, you need to add in transit time. For me, this means commuting time to and from work, as well as driving time to and from both piano and my meeting.

The last category of time, often overlooked, is your non-task time. This includes sleeping, getting ready for the day, food preparation and cleanup, as well as some down time before bed to help you relax.

As you can see, my Monday doesn’t leave time for a whole lot. There is an hour block before I get going in the morning, my lunch hour, and two hours before bed.

Assemble Your Tasks

Now you need to know what else needs to be done that is not time-specific. This is where your task list comes in.

My task list (and yes, this is the real one) is below. You can see there are recurring tasks on the left side, and my other tasks on the right.

I assembled this list from several sources. First is my list of tasks that recur on a weekly and monthly basis. This list, which I keep electronically, has been assembled over the years. I keep routine maintenance, correspondence and household tasks in this list.

The second list is from the things I currently have on my plate. There are one-off tasks which come up as a matter of course during daily life, as well as my bigger project goals.

Weed Through the Tasks

When I am short on time, I make it a practice to go through my tasks and apply the four D’s: delete, defer, delegate and do.

Deleting Tasks

The first thing I do is go through the tasks and find the ones that really don’t have to be done at all. Emailing Nancy can be removed because I know that she is currently traveling, and I will pick back up with sending an email next month.

Deferring Tasks

Not everything on my list has to be done today. The only three things that are due today on my list are returning the library books, paying for piano and buying supplies. And even these could be deferred if it came down to it. I have to look at the consequences of deferring each task.

If I don’t return the library books, I will have a fine. But I could call and renew the books and return them this weekend. I could skip paying for piano until next week, but that would increase the stress on my daughter’s piano teacher, so I won’t do that. If I don’t buy supplies for the Brownie meeting, I can still do that tomorrow, but it will lead to crunching other things tomorrow.

Delegating

There are many things I can delegate on this list. My husband’s schedule is wide open tonight, so I can ask him to pick up some of the tasks. Of the tasks, he could clean the powder room, return the sweater, buy dog food and return library books. Since I know he is going to the vicinity of the area where the sweater and dog food are, I will ask him to do those things.

The Resulting Task List

• Computer maintenance – DO – since this is automated and requires only 5 minutes of my time to turn the computer on and plug in my iPod.
• Process Inbox – DO – there are only two things in my inbox to deal with, and both are filing.
• Backup blogs – DO – again, it’s automated, and if my machine is on for the computer maintenance, this will happen automatically
• Send Nancy email – DELETE
• Clean powder room – DEFER – it won’t be the end of the world if this doesn’t get done, since the room is essentially clean.
• Outline Book – DO – the deadline is approaching, and it is my most important task
• Blog Articles – DO – I can outline these today and keep on track
• Return sweater – DELEGATE
• Pick up dog food – DELEGATE
• Return library books/call for renewal – DO
• Prep for Brownie meeting – DEFER – this doesn’t have to be done until tomorrow
• Pay for piano – DO – this can be done when I go to the lesson
• Buy Brownie supplies – DO
• Knit scarf – DEFER
• Read Simple Blogging – DEFER

Doing The Tasks

This leaves me with the following tasks to do: computer maintenance, processing my inbox, backing up the blogs, outline the book, blog article work, calling the library and buying the Brownie supplies.

Working In The Tasks

With a limited amount of tasks, I can now estimate how long each task will take and where it has to be done. With tasks, you have to take into account setup and cleanup time, much as you do with transit time on schedule items. For example, if you are cooking dinner and the recipe says it needs to cook 30 minutes, you still have to allow for time to assemble the dish and putting ingredients away.

• Computer maintenance – 5 minutes – home
• Processing inbox – 5 minutes – home
• Backing up the blogs – < 1 minute - home
• Outline book – as long as possible – wherever (done on paper)
• Blog article work – 30 minutes – wherever (done on paper)
• Call library – 5 minutes – wherever, but before 7 p.m.
• Buy Brownie supplies – 30 minutes – near work

Some tasks can be put together in batches, saving startup and cleanup time. In my case, grouping computer maintenance and backups together make sense because they are on the same machine. Processing my inbox while I am right there takes advantage of me being in the same room.

I can now work my tasks into my schedule:

• 6:00 a.m. – Blog article work
• 12:00 p.m. – Buy Brownie supplies, call library
• 6:30 p.m. – Computer maintenance, processing inbox, backing up the blogs
• 8:30 p.m. – outline book

Time management is much like fitting pieces into a puzzle. The secrets are knowing what your commitments are, figuring out what needs to be done, and scheduling them in.

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Being organized is the state of knowing where everything is.

Too many of the organizing sites I read give the impression that if you pare down your possessions you will automatically be organized.

I don’t subscribe to that theory. I believe that while it is important to get rid of the clutter — clutter cannot be organized — organization does not automatically follow. Organization is a skill that some people possess from birth, but for others it can be learned.

Step 1: Declutter

If you haven’t already done so, get rid of all the stuff around you that you don’t use or love or take care of properly. (How important is Grandma’s lace tablecloth if it is stored in a grocery bag in the garage?)

Step 2: Decide What The Purpose of the Space Is

If you know what you will do in an area, you know what belongs there. For instance, if you cook in the kitchen, your pots and pans should be there. If you use a printer in your office, paper and ink should be nearby.

Step 3: Sub-classify the Space and Group

Next you will split the general areas up into smaller areas of purpose. In the kitchen you would have a place where you prepare raw vegetables. Your cutting boards, knives and peelers should be handy to this area. You would keep all knives together, rather than spread out over three drawers.

Step 4: Put Things Where They Belong

Next, you take one room at at time, and assess each item: does it fit the purpose of the area? Put it with like items. If it doesn’t belong in the space, put it in the space it belongs.

This is an overly simplified version of organizing, but it presents the basic principles. By applying these, you can organize any space.

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Decluttering. It can seem so overwhelming if you were never taught how to do it. Here is a quick guide on how to declutter.

Gather Supplies

Decluttering requires a few things. They are things you have around the house, so gather them up!

• Boxes.You will need 6 containers with rigid sides. They can be leftover boxes, laundry baskets, plastic crates or whatever. The rigid sides mean that it will be easy to put stuff into them quickly.
• Marking Pens. You will need to label each of the six containers. If you can’t write directly on them, use scrap paper and tape a sign on each one. Label them: Trash, Recycle, Shred, Give Away, Put Away, Undecided.
• Trash Bags. Line your trash container with a trash bag. If you want to get fancy and line your recycle, shred and give away boxes, feel free. Just remember that this might cause the contents of these boxes to end up in the trash, because the bags will be indistinguishable from regular trash.
• A Timer. A portable timer works best. You will use this to limit what you are doing so you don’t overspend your energy.

Learn the Ground Rules

1. Don’t start too big. You can’t declutter a whole house in a day, so don’t try. If you do too much you will burn out and you won’t want to do more later.
2. Don’t haul everything out at once. Deal with small sections at once. Pulling everything out will overwhelm you.
3. Set a timer and take breaks. This is important. Don’t work too long, and don’t work too long without a break. I like 15 minute increments: work for 15, then spend 5 minutes doing something fun. I never spend more than 45 minutes in a day decluttering, though.
4. Put on upbeat music. Make this fun. Energetic music will want to make you move.

Getting Started

For your decluttering session:

1. Pick one room. If your messiest room seems too overwhelming, pick something easy to start with. But limit yourself to one room.
2. Start with the floor from the door, clockwise. The room will seem less cluttered once everything is off the floor.
3. Pick up each item once and make a decision. Here are the questions to ask yourself:
   • Have I used it in the past year?
   • Do I love it?
   • Is it mine?
   • Does it belong in this room?

   Choose a box. If you know you don’t use it or love it, but you can’t bear to get rid of it, put it in the undecided box. However, you can only put one item in the undecided box for every 10 items that you handle. Note: if something is worn, stained or broken, or in a shape you would not give it to your best friend, it is trash. Deal with it accordingly.

4. Next, declutter the flat surfaces, clockwise around the room. This includes tables, desks, chairs, shelves, anything that is horizontal.
5. Next, do the hidden areas. This includes drawers, storage bins, closets, and anything that can’t be seen when you first enter the room.

Finishing Up

When your session is finished, you must deal with your boxes.

• Put everything away in the put away box. If it doesn’t have a home, reconsider if it should be in one of the other containers.
• Put trash in trashcan. Take it outside of the house and get rid of it. Don’t leave it to clutter up another part of your house.
• Put give away in car, and get rid of it by the end of the next day. Don’t let your give aways pile up either. Locate the nearest charity drop-off and drop the items off the next day.
• Put recycling in bin. See trash notes.
• Shred everything in the shred bag. Don’t let this pile up.
• Seal and date the undecided box. Set the date for six months. If you haven’t needed anything in there for six months, take the sealed container to your favorite charity for donation.

Congratulations! You have just decluttered a room!

Photo by JD_WMWM

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