You all know how I feel about laundry, right?
Yip, still hate it.
One thing I do that does help save time is this: I hang the clothes straight onto hangers and then onto the washing line.
Most things don’t really need ironing so they can go straight into the wardrobes once dry.
Eureka – no folding!
This week, let’s tackle some of those tasks around the home and office that we don’t get around to doing.
I’m specifically choosing Quick and Easy tasks so that you can build up some momentum and feel good about getting things done.
Is it MUSIC? Then put on some 80′s tunes to get yourself energised.
Is it COMPETITION? Then challenge yourself and see how many of the tasks you can accomplish in an hour.
Is it being ACCOUNTABLE? Then post a comment telling me what you’re going to do and come back to tell me when it’s done!
Is it SOCIAL INTERACTION? Then make a coffee date with a friend, but ONLY once you’ve done an hour’s organising.
Is it reaching a GOAL? Then reward yourself once you’ve done all the tasks.
Right! So now that we know what motivates you, let’s get to it!
1. Declutter and sort through all the old magazines. Tear out the articles and toss the rest.
2. Organise your launch pad – that place in your home where you DUMP things when you walk in the door.
3. Collect all the clothes you need to dry-clean, declutter or get mended.
4. Clear off the front of your fridge. Toss the magnets and recipes you’re never going to use.
5. Throw away any old food in your fridge and freezer, and give the surfaces a good wipe down.
And now for some…
1. Do your filing.
2. Collect all the bills and invoices from around the home and schedule the payment dates in your planner.
3. Shred any junk mail with your name on it.
4. Organise your desk.
5. Delete 100 emails from your Inbox and Sent Items. There are lots of tips and tricks in 7 easy steps to organise your office 
Whatever you manage to do, give yourself a pat on the back!
I spied this notebook at our offices and had to take a quick pic because it is SUPER cute!
look at the bookmark – isn’t it too darling with all the cars?
This is not my perfect notebook although it has a few things going for it – cuteness and that bookmark.
These are the things I love in a notebook
A5
something that feels good to touch (am very tactile)
beautiful colour
lined paper (canNOT write in a straight line)
the lines must accommodate my medium to large handwriting
pocket on inside to keep bits of paper (otherwise I make my own pocket)
satin bookmark to mark my place
elastic to close – this is not a biggie but I do like things all neat and in their place
spiral-bound for the one that lives on my desk so it stays flat and I can rip out paper if need be. normal for the one that lives in my handbag.
What does your perfect notebook look like?
Wouldn’t you like to have a beautifully organised office instead of this mess?
You can, if you follow these 5 steps:
Do not allow anything in there that doesn’t belong. Decide what the space is used for and only keep items relating to that purpose there.
There may be a children’s desk for homework and school projects, a reading corner, the filing area and a computer desk. It is easier to keep the study organised and neat when you know where everything should go, e.g. books should only be in the reading corner and not on every desk.
If two people use the study, then have a wastepaper basket at each desk. And have two sets of staplers, scissors, etc. This will prevent your stuff going “missing” from your area. Have a punch and file tabs wherever you do your filing.
Keep all items that you need to file together in one place so that you file 5 pieces of paper at once. Make all your telephone calls at the same time. Write out all greeting cards and wrap gifts for a month at a time. Pay all your accounts on the internet at the same time.
Take just 5 minutes and do a quick tidy-up of the desk when you’re finished working every day. Throw trash away, make neat piles of paper (label with post-it notes), put pens and pencils back in the holder and take cups and glasses to the kitchen.
When you keep things under control on a daily basis, it is easy to maintain the order of an organised space.
If you want a simple to understand but comprehensive system, then read more about 7 easy steps to organise your office.
Marcia Francois is a time management and organising coach who empowers small business owners and other busy professionals who want to make the most of their time. You’ll get simple, practical organising and time management secrets to help you work less and enjoy life more! Visit http://takechargesolutions.org for your free Organising Success Pack.
I have a very slight obsession with lovely pens.
By lovely I don’t necessarily mean expensive or good-looking but I do mean the way the pen writes.
I’ve loved THICK gel pens for a good few years now but the problem with the standard ones is this: if those caps go missing, you have leaky ink all over your gorgeous handbag!
Enter these lovelies.
Oh my! They are delicious!
they’re all in one so no caps will go missing (big plus)
they write like a dream as they’re medium point (0.7) and
they come in yummy colours (pink, purple, sky blue, dark green, dark blue, dark red, etc.) as well as the standard (boring) blue and black
My favourite colours are the sky blue and pink.
They’re a bit more expensive than standard gel pens at R25 each (South African readers – I get them at CNA) but WELL worth every single rand.
As you see in the pic above, mine just never go missing 
and because I write with a whole variety of colours, they each last about a year!
If you’ve tried these pens, let me know in the comments. If you haven’t, what are you waiting for?! Let the pen love begin.
Seriously though, which are your favourite pens and why? Do you have any strange pen weirdness?
P.S. I’m not receiving a single cent for promoting these pens. The simple truth is that I LOVE them!
I love finding new ways to use existing items in my home. I find that it forces me to be more creative and also, it saves me money because I don’t need to go out and buy whatever I need 90% of the time.
One of those things is in-trays.
Did you know you can use them not only in the office but also all around your home?
Let me show you how:
Use for standard in and out trays but also for To Pay, To File or To Read trays.
Your command centre is the place in your home where everybody dumps their stuff and is usually also the place where you toss the mail.
Have a vertical stack of trays (like a plastic storage drawer system) or a hanging file in a filing box for each member of the family. When you bring in the mail or empty the backpacks, sort immediately and place each person’s mail in their tray.
Use for recipe books, menu plans, grocery lists, coupons, etc.
I have an in-tray for my cleaning lady too so we both have a place to leave notes for one another.
In-trays work beautifully for keeping different coloured paper and project board neat, tidy and organised.
Remember to work with and not against your organising style.
If you like things visible, use a hanging folder system. If you like things out of sight, use a plastic storage drawer system and simply label the drawers.
Find out how you can get more help in organising your home here
Marcia Francois is a time management and organising coach who empowers small business owners and other busy professionals who want to make the most of their time. You’ll get simple, practical organising and time management secrets to help you work less and enjoy life more! Visit http://takechargesolutions.org for your free Organising Success Pack.
My babies will be 9 months old tomorrow (gosh! where has the time gone?) and have still not had a drop of Purity (our local jarred baby food, for the non-South Africans) pass their lips.
I will admit – I nearly, nearly cracked this weekend when we had two SPECTACULAR power failures, but I didn’t.
Still, there was NO WAY I was going to be spending R6 per baby for a jar of baby food, 2 – 3 times a day.
After all, I have twins (my new excuse for being cheap )
So I decided to try my hand at making my own.
It’s a lot easier than you think especially if you cook them in batches instead of cooking daily.
We bought a butternut squash for R12,78 (let’s not forget the 78c ) and it made all these portions.
6 portions for Connor and 6 for Kendra.
That’s at least 9 jars of baby food = R54
You can save even more money when you use cheaper vegetables like sweet potato.
Another way I like to save money on our food is this – every month there is one week (happens to be this week) where I cook from the freezer and pantry.
I’m forced to get creative using strange combinations of whatever cans and bits of frozen food I have, all to empty it out.
Sometimes these strange combinations work really well, like a potato bake I now regularly make with a can of sweet corn stirred in.
Hi all
Hope you had a fabulous Easter weekend…
Some quick bloggy housekeeping:
)Happy Tuesday… and look out for a post this afternoon on saving money.
P.S. What do you want to read more of? Less of? Tell me!
I’ve blogged about all these before so today I’m just linking up
and last but not least
My desk at work gets a quick tidy at the end of every day and a nice detailed throwing-out-of-papers once a week.
How often do you tidy your desk?
P.S. That’s not my desk. I go around with my camera taking pics of unsuspecting colleagues
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