You know how there are places in your home that bug you everytime you look at them, but because you don’t see them regularly, they don’t bug you enough to sort them out?

Yes?

Well, that’s my linen cupboard.

In my old house (which I actually need to stop hankering after…except that it had tons more storage than this one) I had space to store linen and towels in each of the bedrooms.

Not so in this house.

When we moved here and started unpacking, I was horrified at how little storage space there was.

I got a few quotes to add extra cupboards here, there and everywhere (mainly the kitchen) and when I saw how much money it would cost, I thought, “no way am I spending money to store more stuff”.

That’s how the decluttering and organising journey began.

And this blog, 5 years ago in 2006

Anyway, so now the babies’ linen and towels are all stored in their room, I have one shelf in the guest bedroom for an extra duvet cover, sheet, pillowcases, set of towels and a thick quilt.

And one cupboard in our bedroom for the rest.

There is also a tiny drawer in the main bathroom for hand towels and bath mats, and another tiny drawer in our room for hand towels for our bathroom, also known as the smallest bathroom in the world.

But let’s show you the main linen cupboard.

Nothing to write home about but that’s the thing.

It doesn’t have to be.

So often we think everything has to be picture perfect to be organised because of the rooms and spaces we see on TV and blogs.

Not so.

Function first and then form.

Also, my own personal organising guideline is if it’s for the inside of a cupboard it can be less pretty than if it’s on show, like on a shelf.

Of course, if you can do pretty on the inside, go for it.

But don’t go and buy lots of pretty things if you have perfectly good and functional boxes/ baskets.

Back to you.

Where do you store your linen? And how much do you have?

Also, do you have any personal organising guidelines?

So, it’s 1 April but this is not an April Fool’s joke
I want to know what your organising and time goals are for the month.

I’ll go first. Mine are

1) enjoy a lovely holiday – we’re going away for 4 days this month – so quite a bit of packing to do

2) get this blog redesigned – it’s about time, isn’t it?
3) declutter and organise the kids’ clothes as we go into the colder weather
4) get chest of drawers and other dresser painted (I’m going olive green for the one and turquoise for the other)

Last month I didn’t get the filing done but I did declutter their toys.

Sometimes you just have to ask youself, “what’s driving me more crazy right this minute?”

So, what are your organising goals this month?

PS I’m also going to blog every day this month. So I need some ideas – what questions would you like me to answer? Ask in the comments and I’ll pepper my answers throughout the month. And don’t forget to send me your inspiring space, or the link if you see some gorgeous spaces while you’re blog-hopping.

I’ve been reading posts all over the internet about women wanting to organise their homes, declutter and live simpler lives.

You’re not alone if you have the same dreams.

Even I’ve been bit by the decluttering bug.

I went through my study again and threw out a ton of files, got rid of some books and now have photos printed and actually up on the walls.

I also bought that set of drawers under the desk as I got tired of seeing a desk full of stuff.

I’m still busy organising the drawers and moving things around so I’ll take some pictures soon of the completed project and post them on the blog.

The point is, don’t make it into something huge in your mind.

Pick a room and do just 15 minutes a day. Grab the paper pile and settle down in front of the TV and sort through it.

Just start.

You can do it. I know you can!

When you think about Christmas, what do you feel?

Do you feel overwhelmed and just a little bit stressed at everything you have to do? Or do you feel excited at the idea of spending time with friends and family?

My best Christmases have always been when I’ve been organised, prepared and more importantly, when I didn’t leave everything right up until December.

Here are a couple of things to consider so that you have an organised Christmas this year:

Your vision for a great Christmas

Decide, together with your family, if you want to celebrate with many spiritual activities, spend time at home with just your immediate family, do lots of baking, etc.

Christmas cards

Will you be sending cards by themselves, or with a family newsletter? Or will you be sending cards at all? Do you have a list of recipients?

Christmas gifts

Will you be giving gifts this year? Are you making any gifts or are you buying them all? Do you have a gift-giving budget? Remember to budget for gift wrap, gift tags and, if necessary, postage to your loved ones who live in a different city.

Christmas Day

Where will you spend the day – with your parents or his? Or will the family gather at your house? Who will cook the food? Which recipes will you use? Do you know where to find them?

How far in advance should you plan?

Well, that depends on how much stress you can tolerate! Personally, I like to have gifts done by the end of October and cards by mid-November. That’s because I really don’t enjoy the stress of having to get the perfect gift with no time to spare. Add to that the crowded malls and you can practically see my blood pressure rising!

I like to start planning at the beginning of October and I set myself mini-goals of compiling my card list first, then planning backwards so I write out a certain number of cards per week until they’re all done by my self-imposed due date. I do the same for gifts. I also wrap a few gender-neutral gifts just in case someone pops around with something for me.

It’s relaxing for me to prepare a beautifully-wrapped gift with a gift tag because I believe that presentation is part of the gift. Something I do that has saved me lots of money is I no longer buy Christmas gift wrap. Instead, I buy red and green coloured craft paper and matching ribbon. I can use the paper year-round with a different bow so that it doesn’t look Christmassy for birthday gifts.

This year, get organised for Christmas so you can welcome the season instead of dreading it.

On a scale of 1 – 10, how are you doing with Christmas prep right now?

We all know people that seem to be Super Organised.

They never forget birthdays, can find an email within seconds and know exactly where to find anything in their homes.

The actual definition of organised is being able to find anything within a minute or two.

This is from items in your home to an email, document or photo on your computer.

Shhhh – I have a confession. Some people say this about me too so I’m going to let you in on some of my own secrets and also those I’ve observed from watching other Born Organised people.

Super organised people:

1. Plan their lives

Set aside time every weekend to plan your activities, events and meals for the week ahead. Before you finish up your work for the day, take 5 minutes to quickly plan your main priority tasks for the next day.

2. Have a place for everything and everything in its place

Everything in your house should have a specific home. The goal should be that if anyone asks, “where do I find the _____?” you should be able to tell them immediately. I’m talking about paper too!

3. Have effective systems, and are willing to change systems if necessary

A system tells you what to do when something happens. For instance, as you run low or finish foods, they immediately go on your shopping list. That’s a system. If you have morning and evening routines, those are also example of systems.

4. Write things down

My pastor always says, “a blunt pencil is better than a sharp mind.” The truth is when you write things down, it clears your mind so you can focus on more productive and creative thoughts.

5. Declutter regularly

Make time to go through your clothes and other possessions and then get rid of anything you don’t love or use regularly. Make a regular date to also declutter your documents and emails.

6. Put things away

If you take just a few minutes to put things back where they belong (see number 2) every day, you always have a home that’s comfortable and ready for company. In the office, take two extra seconds to file or delete an email immediately.

7. Do regular maintenance

Preserve your organising systems by doing a quick touch-up when you see things start to go awry. It’s like touching up your roots every 6 weeks Don’t wait and let it get so bad that you have to totally rehaul your system.

Start building just ONE of these secrets into your daily routine every week until you create a habit and you too will be Super Organised

Marcia Francois is a time management coach and professional organiser who teaches busy women how to purposefully have more time, less stress and a more organised and fulfilled life. Visit www.takechargesolutions.org for your free Organising Success Pack.

I am an unashamed goal-setter.

Some people don’t like to call them goals so call them whatever you like. I like to think about them as things you want to be, do or achieve.

I’ve told you before that I’ve been setting and achieving goals for about 13 years now so I have just a little bit of experience in the area.

That said, I won’t lie to you – there does come a point during the year (around August usually) when you feel like throwing in the towel.

Don’t.

That’s usually when you’re about to get a breakthrough but only if you do these 3 things:

1. Look through your goals list and note down your achievements

Recognising your achievements makes you feel like a winner. Even if you only achieved part of a goal, you’re still streaks ahead of where you’d be if you didn’t do anything.

E.g. If you had on your list to get your entire home organized and you managed to do (only) two rooms, FANTASTIC! You rock!!!

2. Ask for the necessary help

This is a big one and oh-so-difficult for a lot of us women.

I’ll confess – I also hate asking for help. It helps get you out of the “I can do it all myself” mentality and best of all, it propels you forward.

I have a blogging goal on my list that I’ve made absolutely no headway on for 8 months so I’ve hired a blog coach. There is no shame in asking for help.

3. When you do start making progress, celebrate

I’m one of those people who talks to herself. Not in my mind, but out aloud. If I’ve done good work, I say to myself, “I did an awesome job today.” The first time my one colleague heard me, he couldn’t believe it.

But I don’t think there’s anything wrong – in fact, if you don’t pat yourself on the back, who will?

Doing these three things will start giving you momentum again and put you in a place of progress.

When you keep steadily on, you’ll be sure to reach your goals.

I would love to help you and be your cheerleader as you achieve your goals.

Your action steps

1. Be brave and choose just 3 things that you want to still accomplish this year
2. Book your Success Strategy Session now.
3. Tell yourself you’re awesome!

If you’d like help creating a life you absolutely love, contact me about my coaching services.

One of the most popular questions I get from blog and mailing list readers is this:

How do I control all the paper?!

I understand completely because when I get lazy, that’s the first area that goes out of control for me too.

The first thing you have to do is decide and make decisions. I like using a timer because I’m naturally competitive (anyone relate?) and that inspires me to take action, and quickly too!

Before you start, gather the following items:

1. a timer
2. wastepaper basket
3. brightly coloured pen (I like a nice thick red gel pen)
4. notebook and/ or planner
5. post-its (the originals, not the cheap stuff)

Right, now you’re set!

There are only four actions you’re allowed to do once you’ve scanned each piece of paper. Don’t take longer than 30 seconds to scan the page.

1. Dump it

Throw it in the bin. The more ruthless you are, the less you have to file! Win-win!

If you only need one piece of information, write it down straight in your notebook and throw the piece of paper away. Some of you are hyperventilating – that’s okay

2. Delegate it

If someone else has to attend to it (husband needs to phone), write the action on the paper itself or on a post-it note and put that in a separate pile.

3. File it

Please do yourself a favour and only put paper in this pile if you ABSOLUTELY need to reference it. Just a quick stat for you – only 20% of filed papers are ever referenced again.

Use your post-it pad for different categories. For example, when I’m doing my weekly paper sorting session, I use Household, Marcia, Dion and Business as my categories.

4. Do it

Here I apply the two-minute rule. If you can do it in two minutes or less, do it right there and then. When I say “do it”, I mean either action it or schedule it to action later.

For example, if you’re working on your papers at 10pm and need to make an appointment, you can’t phone right there and then, so write it on tomorrow’s to-do list. That’s within two minutes and it counts.

There you have it – the only four things to do with paper. If you stick to making decisions, your paper will be beautifully organised.

Marcia Francois is a time management coach and speaker who helps busy women break out of overwhelm, make the most of their time and take purposeful and focussed action. Visit http://takechargesolutions.org for your free Organising Success Pack.

If you’d like help creating a life you absolutely love, contact me about my coaching services.

As we approach the end of the year, it always seems to get more and more hectic. I thought I’d share some strategies with you that I start off using with my time management coaching clients.

In fact, recently one of them told me, “I can’t believe it; I actually have a life again”.

This was after we started incorporating some of the principles I’m sharing with you below.

1. Block out any appointments

Don’t only block out the actual time of the appointment; add “getting ready” time and travel time before and after the appointment.

I used to find myself constantly rushing to a regular morning meeting until I realised I wasn’t factoring in the 5 minutes I had to walk from my car all the way to the meeting venue. Since I added this time, I’m always the first one there, waiting

2. Do high priority items first

I call this the “Eat the Frog” principle. They’re also commonly called big rocks. Big rocks are items of high value and importance.

For a business owner, it could mean working on an income-producing activity and for a stay-at-home mom, it could mean planning your menus for the week.

3. Add in your routines

Do you have an evening routine and a morning routine? We talk in detail about these routines on my Simplify your Life e-course. Routines help your day run smoothly because they’re done on auto-pilot.

Some people do a load of laundry every day. This is part of their routine. If they don’t do this for a couple of days, life can get out of control very quickly. What are your routines?

4. Don’t forget buffer time

Buffer time helps when an appointment runs over or the traffic is bad. Or when something just takes longer to do than you anticipated!

Depending on the situation, you might want to leave 15 – 30 minutes after each appointment or activity so that you’re not frazzled when things inevitably don’t work out exactly as you planned. This is besides the travel time.

5. Add in some fun

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

Fun means different things for each of us. Whether it’s time to exercise, do some crafts or read, add some fun into your day, every day.

Fun also means rewarding yourself appropriately when you are disciplined with those BIG ROCKS I mentioned in number (2).

Now print this article, start with point 1 and work on it faithfully for a week. Keep adding another point every week until you too, like my client, can breathe again

Marcia Francois is a time management coach and speaker who helps busy women break out of overwhelm, make the most of their time and take purposeful and focussed action. Visit http://takechargesolutions.org for your free Organising Success Pack.

If you’d like help creating a life you absolutely love, contact me about my coaching services.

I love the internet and all the wonderful ways we can work together even though we’re on opposite ends of the world.

I get a real kick out of working with a client in the US knowing that I’m in South Africa. Isn’t it amazing?

With email, Skype, online chat, podcasts, e-books and audio downloads, there is so much out there!

So how do you make all this e-learning work for you?

1. Decide what you want and use only that

You don’t have to use absolutely every tool. Many e-books or programmes offer far more than we actually have time for or need. Use only what you want.

If you buy an e-book and only need 3 out of the 5 topics covered, then start with those 3 and if you have time for the rest (and want to carry on), then continue. But don’t feel compelled to do so.

I invest in a large number of programmes and many of them include video. Since I’m not into video, I just use the rest of the tools.

2. Think out of the box and make it work for you

If you don’t enjoy spending lots of time on the computer, print out the e-course or e-book and sit outside in the garden while you work through the lesson.

Did you know that you can listen to a PDF document? Go to View and select Read Out Loud.

Download podcasts or MP3s and listen to them in the gym, while you’re driving or while you do your filing in your study (this is exactly what I do with all audio downloads and podcasts).

3. Know your learning style

Are you a visual, auditory or kinesthetic learner? I’ll give you a very quick run-down:

• You’re visual if you read, watch TV or surf the internet/ blogs to relax.
• You’re auditory if you listen to music or talk to a friend to relax.
• You’re kinesthetic if you play sport or do a physical activity to relax.

More than 60% of people are visual learners. I’m a visual learner too and I definitely prefer e-courses or e-books to audio products.

Realise that no e-product or programme will ever be 100% perfect for you but if you take what you need and use it, you will have the success you intended to have when you bought it.

Here’s a link to my e-store where you can have a look at all the organising goodies and see which suits your style best.

What is your learning style?

I’m paranoid about forgetting anything. I once forgot something very dear to my heart and immediately put in a system to make sure it never happened again.

Do you want to know what happened?

I do some volunteer work at the church so I’d made an appointment to see someone on a public holiday and train another person at the same time. So I’m at home, pottering around the house and I get a phone call. “Ps Marcia, are you on your way?”

I immediately realised what happened, apologised while pulling on jacket and gloves, and raced out of the house. I might even have broken a few speed limits getting to the church.

However, I hated the embarrassment. I arrived to find the two of them having some coffee and chit-chat, and we all had a lovely time the rest of the evening.

I then vowed to never let that happen to me ever again.

So here’s what I now do and how you can also remember ALL your appointments:

1. Write everything down in your daily planner.

Everything! Even if I set up the meeting in Outlook, I still make a note of it on paper. (I’m a paper gal and make no apologies for it). You never know when you’ll have a power outage and you can’t access your electronic diary. Or when there’s a public holiday and you don’t look at your email

2. Make it a habit

If a meeting is recurring, I follow the exact same steps until it’s ingrained in me that it’s a habit. Like joining a new class at gym. Or scheduling a new coaching client. Or putting a new system into place, like a weekly back-up instead of monthly.

3. Set multiple reminders

If I need to leave at a specific time to get somewhere, I set reminders in Outlook and sync to my phone. Because sometimes you do get carried away, especially when you’re working hard and you’re “in the zone”. The phone’s my back-up if I’m not working in Outlook.

4. Work your system

A system will only work if you work the system.

That means checking your paper planner every day. Or reading and actioning your reminders on Outlook instead of just clicking “snooze” or even “dismiss” by accident.

I check my daily planner as part of my evening routine so that I can mentally prepare for the day ahead and of course, choose appropriate clothes

Your action challenge

Decide on your back-up system – whether phone, Outlook or paper – and try it out for the next week.

Marcia Francois is a time management coach and speaker who helps busy women break out of overwhelm, make the most of their time and take purposeful and focussed action. Visit http://takechargesolutions.org for your free Organising Success Pack.

P.S. This article was first published in 2007