living
get organized
^ My favourite activities and hobbies
include:
a
Watercolour painting, pottery,
and crafts.
Skydiving, adding to my collections,
and shopping.
c.
Biking, travelling, and reading.
Gardening, scrapbooking, and
listening to music.
Q My definition of being organized is:
Organized? Who needs organization? I
know my stuff is here somewhere.
b.
If I know where my keys and my kids
are, I’m organized.
c.
I can usually find a document or
receipt easily, even though my filing
system contains only broad categories.
d. I pay my bills several days before the
due date and then file my paid bills in
my colour-coded filing system.
0
My work meeting this afternoon just
got cancelled. I think I will:
a.
Surf the Net and update my Facebook
and Twitter accounts.
Watch YouTube videos and forward
the funniest to friends.
c.
Check my to-do list to see if there’s
anything I can complete.
d.
Stay focussed on the project I’m
currently working on. It’ll be nice to get
it done ahead of schedule so that I don’t
have to fret about it later.
Q
When it comes to email in my
inbox, I:
a.
Have so many that, on occasion, I just
look the other way and delete them all.
If it’s important, it’ll come back. Won’t
it? I hope.
Am grateful for the search function
and secretly pray for a system meltdown
to delete those thousands of unread
messages that need deletion.
c.
Create file folders to keep the emails
for my current projects and keep emails
that need immediate attention in my
in-box. While having an empty in-box is
nice, it’s not a reality.
d.
Tiy to make sure my in-box is nearly
empty when I leave the office on
Fridays. Otherwise I won’t be able to
relax over the weekend.
mostly a?s.
..
THE ARTIST
You are creative and
free-flowing
Key Traits:
• Very visual in thinking
and learning
• Very loyal to your friends
• Often late for appointments
and sometimes unpredictable
• A pack rat
Organizing Strategy: Tackle small areas
such as a closet or bookshelf. Set a timer
to help you stay focussed, and do as
much as you can in 30 minutes. Have a
reward in mind to motivate you to keep
going. Look for organizing supplies that
appeal to your visual nature, such as
bulletin boards and file boxes.
mostly b’s.
..
THE PARTY
PLANNER
You are spontaneous
and fun-loving
Key Traits:
• A collector
• The ‘fun aunt’
• Easily sidetracked
• Always striving to enjoy
life and live in the moment
Organizing Strategy: You’ll need to
work hard to remain focussed during
an organizing project. When you begin
to work in an area, make sure you have
all the necessary supplies close by. Use
clear plastic storage containers with lids
versus open wicker baskets to corral
collections and crafts—then you’ll be
able to see at a glance, what you have
rather than overbuying or forgetting
about things you already own.
mostly c’s.
..
THE
SCHOOLTEACHER
You are orderly without
being excessive
Key Traits:
• Predictable
• Reliable
• Structured, yet not afraid of a little
spontaneity
• A rule-follower
Organizing Strategy: Getting things
done on time is important to you.
Q It’s the first of the month, and the
mortgage is due, along with several
other bills. I think to myself:
a.
Didn’t I just pay last month’s
mortgage? Where did the time fly? And
where are my current bills? I know I saw
them somewhere .
..when they arrived a
few weeks ago.
b.
Paying bills is so boring. I’d rather
take the kids to the park or watch my
favourite show on TV.
c.
I’ll grab my bills, along with my
chequebook, and pay bills while I’m
waiting for the kids to complete their
swimming lessons.
d.
No worries at all. Everything is set
up with automatic bill pay. All I have
to do is record the payments in my
chequebook, that’s it.
^ When my friends are asked to
describe me, they probably use words
such as:
a.
Creative and artistic.
Spontaneous and fun-loving,
c.
Predictable and structured.
Detail-oriented and organized.
To prevent yourself from getting
overwhelmed and consequently
overlooking important details and
deadlines, break large projects into
smaller chunks, assigning due dates to
each step along the way. Use a three-
ring binder with section dividers to help
you keep track of papers.
mostly d’s.
..
THE LIBRARIAN
You like everything in
its place
Key Traits:
• Extremely detailed
• Energetic
• A taskmaster
• A perfectionist, sometimes to a fault
Organizing Strategy: If you struggle
with true perfectionism and find
yourself saying, “If I can’t do it
perfectly, then I won’t do it at all,” it’s
time to take the pressure off. Having a
functional home is far more important
than having a perfect one. Do as much
as you can manage in a day. Use an
electronic planner to keep your life
at your fingertips. Or, carry a paper
planner in your purse. ■
64
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS | JANUARY 2012
