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Organization: School Paperwork

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Organization: school paperworkOver the course of the last two weeks, I have been sorting through my children’s paperwork from this current school year.

When I had one child in school, I seemed to keep the papers under control. However, with two in school, the paper load has more than doubled, and I have become lax in organizing.

When I started this project, which by the way is on-going, I had a pile of paperwork with both my son and daughter’s paperwork. (Yes, everything from school went into one big pile.)

Organizing: School paperworkStarting with an open space on which to work and a movie for enjoyment, I proceeded as follows:

1. Sort into His and Her piles

2. Take one set and sort by subject

3. Place piles into folders or notebooks

4. Pack away until the end of the year

Organizing: School paperwork

With more than half of the school year complete, I am aiming for the finish line as I keep my children’s school paperwork organized. Though I will still pile it up throughout the week, I have a system in place to take the additional documents.

Keeping the paperwork in check is an on-going process but worth the time and energy. Happy organizing while using time wisely!

Question: How often do you file your children’s school paperwork?

Letting Go of Perfection

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Letting Go of PerfectionIn a desire to have a clean and organized home, I tend to forget that our home is a haven for my family. My husband and children need space to create and play. So, when the train tracks and Lego pieces emerge from their designated area and remain on the living room floor for days, I can joy in that space when I let go of perfection.

Honestly, I like the house completely picked up at bedtime. But the reality is that clean laundry is folded but all over the couch, the train track must stay another day or two, and the vacuum cleaner remains out because I’m just not done yet.

From allowing my children to help decorate to cleaning to playing, I can relax a bit while letting go of perfection for those moments.

Realizing that this post is mostly for myself as I get uptight about clutter, I know I’m not the only mom who gets tired of tripping over Squinkies and Lego parts.

Noting that these times are vanishing as my children grow older, I am letting go of perfection more and more resulting in a relaxed, creative space for play. Happy relaxing!

Question: Do you find it difficult to let go of perfection?

Organizing: Vehicle Coupon Holder

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Vehicle Coupon HolderIn Thursday’s Arrange Coupon Redemption post, I shared planning and finding coupons for those times when you choose to eat away from home. In reading that post, Shannon, a friend and supporter of Using Time Wisely, responded with a tip of her own. She keeps her coupons in the car. 🙂

Besides loving her comment, I was encouraged as we are on the same page. Having previously planned to share my vehicle coupon holder for today, I enjoyed hearing that Shannon had the same success that I have found by keeping the coupons in the car.

Though there are a number of ways you can organize your coupons, I have chosen the following system which has worked for our family:

1.Vehicle coupon holder Find a container. I purchased our blue coupon binder for $1 in the Target Dollar Spot section.

2. Determine your sections. My holder has 6 slots to which I designate as follows: expiring soon, Chick-fil-A, Zaxby’s, desserts, free items, and percentage off coupons.

3. File coupons. Any coupons I find in the newspaper, home mailers, magazines, store flyers, etc., get filed in the appropriate category of my holder.

With the binder complete, I store it in our van, so I have easy access to these coupons when we choose to treat ourselves. I do have a folder by my desk at home that holds gift cards, vouchers, and booklets of coupons. Usually redeeming these discounts require more forethought to use, so I don’t keep them in the car.

In using time wisely, having the coupons available and organized in our vehicle coupon holder allows a quick look to see if an outing is possible. Knowing that busy days and hiccups with errands will occur, plan for those times. But when planning does not come together, seize those coupons to keep your family fed while on the go.

Thanks, Shannon, for sharing your tip to help us all as we continue using time wisely. Happy organizing!

Question: How do you organize your restaurant coupons, vouchers, and gift cards?

Planning for Success: Address Technology – Day 28

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Planning for success - Day 28

Photograph Credit: iStockphoto

Knowing that a successful year will not materialize on its own, we must plan and prepare for a prosperous 2013.

Throughout the 31 days of January, I will choose one topic each day to prepare or schedule for this year.

Without preparation, I know I will forget, miss, or overlook certain items. If you desire an organized year, then join me in this adventure of Planning for Success for a prosperous 2013.

To receive a daily e-mail around 11:00 a.m. with the new posts of each day, subscribe to my free daily newsletter. In case you miss a post in this series, I will provide the link to each day as the month progresses. 🙂

Day 28: Address Technology

In a world of smart phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops, we stay well connected. At our home, Paul rarely gets a welcome as the initial sound of the garage opening brings three active children to the door requesting to play with the iPad. Though we are working on greeting Daddy first, the motivation is the electronic device.

Realizing that technology is a part of our lifestyle, I schedule times on my calendar to address technology by performing backups, cleanups, and updates. With a quarterly reminder, I work on one or more of these tasks to protect my files.

Backups

Viruses corrupt and ruin electronics daily, hard drives fail, and computer software crashes, so keeping a backup is beneficial. Using an external hard drive, I backup my system at least once a year. (I really ought to perform this task more often.)

Thankfully, Paul takes care of backing up our pictures, and he is looking into uploading them to the Cloud for safe keeping.

Cleanups

Creating folders and moving files into the appropriate folder allows for easy retrieval later. In using time wisely, I try to keep my folders organized, but I do miss a few. Taking time to cleanup and organize my files and label pictures clears my desktop and creates a clean system.

Updates

Keeping software and applications updated allows the computer to run more efficiently. With virus protections and upgrades, updating electronic devices takes a few minutes. However, if you get behind on the updates, then you might need to run them at the end of your day rather than waiting them out during the day. 🙂

Embracing this era of technology and adding devices within our home, we address technology throughout the year. From backups to updates, maintaining these devices keeps them running efficiently. In planning for success, I aim to address technology quarterly while using time wisely. Happy maintaining!

Question: Which of these tasks seems the most daunting: backup, cleanup, or update?

Planning for Success: Check Light Bulbs and Air Filters – Day 21

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Planning for success - Day 21

Photograph Credit: iStockphoto

Knowing that a successful year will not materialize on its own, we must plan and prepare for a prosperous 2013.

Throughout the 31 days of January, I will choose one topic each day to prepare or schedule for this year.

Without preparation, I know I will forget, miss, or overlook certain items. If you desire an organized year, then join me in this adventure of Planning for Success for a prosperous 2013.

To receive a daily e-mail around 11:00 a.m. with the new posts of each day, subscribe to my free daily newsletter. In case you miss a post in this series, I will provide the link to each day as the month progresses. 🙂

Day 21: Check Light Bulbs and Air Filters

This school year has been really tough on so many levels. My time at home during the day is hit or miss, so I must make the most of the mornings I have at home. Without spending an hour just writing out my to-do list, I need to get productive. By jotting notes to myself, using my calendar, and staying motivated, I can maximize my time.

Though my cleaning this year seems to only occur during school breaks, I know that this mess is for a season. To adjust to these changing times, I concentrate on what I can do, and let the rest go. To focus my attention when I can spare a few moments, I include on my calendar a time to check light bulbs and air filters.

Light Bulbs

Keeping light bulbs on-hand in the type and size needed, I check for outages regularly. Finding that working in a well-lit area allows me to think clearly, I like to keep the lights on and the rooms bright. If I find a light out, I either change it or ask Paul to do so. But with a scheduled time, I can note any outages with seldom used lights.

Air Filters

Changing our air filters monthly with basic filters or every 3 months with high-efficiency filters, we keep our air and heating systems running efficiently. The changes to our 3 filters also keeps dust and allergens from recycling back through our home. Since our filters are out of sight, I must schedule the maintenance change to put it on my mind.

In planning for success, add check light bulbs and air filters to your planning tool. For me, the last week of the month seems less hectic than the rest of the month. Taking advantage of the lull in my schedule and using time wisely, I take about 5 minutes to walk through the house checking the lights. For the air filters, I just need to ask Paul, who willingly changes them. 🙂

Though home maintenance is ongoing, investing 5 to 10 minutes a month to check your light bulbs and air filters allows your family to see and breathe easier. As you complete these small tasks, you might get motivated to make larger changes. Happy maintaining!

Question: How often do you check light bulbs and air filters?