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Succeed Through Diligence
yourLDSneighborhood News for Wednesday, 4 January, 2011
Keeping Your Marbles Together
It’s a new year, and you want it to be a better one. Yes, you will set new goals and have some New Year’s resolutions. But I propose that whatever else you are going to be and do differently this next year, you also focus on keeping your marbles together.
How do you use these kinds of organization skills to help make your life easier? Leave us a comment.
It’s a new year, and you want it to be a better one. Yes, you will set new goals and have some New Year’s resolutions. But I propose that whatever else you are going to be and do differently this next year, you also focus on keeping your marbles together.
Five vital skills, regularly used, will increase your efficiency and effectiveness without fail. You know yourself (and others) well and so you’ll recognize these needs. I’m suggesting that you tighten and improve on the following abilities to the make everything just a bit nicer in 2012.
Reduce the Outliers. In your life, there are outliers that can bother you greatly because for all your functionality, these items remain unaddressed. It is time to reduce them. These are repairs that need attending to, replacements that are important to your everyday functioning, and alternates that would help smooth daily living. The leaking faucet, the flat bicycle tire, and the ring in the toilet all keep your marbles out of place. Buy the gasket, take the bicycle into the shop, and find some efficient toilet bowl cleaner. In other words, find answers to problems that are a regular part of your life and apply them to reduce those worrisome outliers and have a better year.
Eliminate Retracing. Next, discontinue retracing your steps. Many people spend a good 1 to 2% of their time retracing their steps. Eliminate the second trip to the store by using an errands list. Look where you have just sat in the chapel for toys, sweaters, and books. Check that you have your temple recommend in hand before leaving for the temple. Stop momentarily before saying goodbye to important people to verify the details of your next meeting and save a second call. Watch for retracing in your life and eliminate it wherever possible. You’ll function better and feel better about yourself, too.
Remove Mistakes. Little mistakes take another big portion out of your efficiency. Much of time it is because you don’t have correct information in hand when making purchases. Thus you buy items that don’t fit, won’t work, or are the wrong color. Have the needed information for purchases with you when you shop. Have the model number, the skirt you are trying to match a blouse to, and the broken part needing replacement in hand to keep you from buying erroneously and having to stand in return lines. In addition, keep all receipts in one place for the next year. Then, if you do make the first mistake, you can rustle through your receipt stash, find your receipt, and get your full refund without a lot of hassle.
Purge Standing Water. Standing water means aspects, objects, and habits that remain in your life after they have lost their worth. This includes 2011 calendars, almost depleted batteries, and wardrobes that don’t match your age, size, and lifestyle. It means anything and everything within your reach that impedes you from functioning at your best. It may be the junk in your glove compartment, the mess in your desk, or the hardened mascara in your bathroom. As you approach this year, ruthlessly get rid of “standing water” every time you find it. It’s helping, and usually these items are definitively hurting. Then improve on this skill by watching for additional, potential outliers and purging them. Pens that don’t write, spices that are outdated and/or unused, and older magazines are all within this category. Become a regular purger of standing water.
Multiply the Functional. Some objects, habits, and skills are working quite well in your life. Multiply them. You have found a disposable pencil that you really like. Buy a dozen and put them where they will make your life easier (after eliminating all the old pencils that you don’t like and don’t use). You like the new babysitter you used on New Year’s Eve. Retain her for your weekly Friday night date so she’ll have income and you can plan to get away from the hustle and bustle of life with regularity. Set up the file system you know will make keeping personal papers more orderly, and get that unsightly stack of paperwork off your desk and into your desk drawer. When you need one item at the store, purchase two of them, and double the time until you’ll need that item again. Always bake two batches of cookies and two meatloaves and twice as many baked potatoes as you need for the next meal. Use these leftovers for the next “messy” day in your life.
In so many ways, in so many details, I encourage you keep your marbles more together this next year. Sometimes, it will be in these smaller skills that you find the greatest relief to your stress. More often, just feeling a bit more in control will bring a smile to your face. You will have a spare meal in the refrigerator at all times, the tap no longer leaks, and your kids can ride their bikes with fully inflated tires to the park. These small pleasures come because you have chosen to keep your marbles together this next year. Try it, and you’ll find that playing marbles this way brings a win time after time!
Photos copyrighted by Tyler Matthew Ricks. Used with permission. Marie Ricks is an experienced professional organizer. She loves to conquer clutter and is a nationally recognized author, motivational speaker, and TV/radio guest. An hour with her can improve your skills, giving you 10% more time every day of your life! See houseoforder.com for more great help.
I am currently homeless and living in Ft. Worth, TX at the Presbyterian NIght Shelter, 2400 Cypress St. Ft. Worth, TX 76102. One of the ways I keep organized is by downsizing. It is very hard being homeless and not having anywhere to store your items which can easily end up tossed in the trash or in someone else’s hands. What I like to do is to keep things organized by using a small supply of clothe like two pairs of jeans, two pullovers and my underwears and socks. I store them in a bag pack and then use another tote bag (hopefully this one will last another week! ) because they break easily to keep my dirty clothes. Then I use one more tote bag for my blankets because it gets cold in the shelter. I have to carry my Book of Mormon in my purse I keep my other hygiene kits in there too, which makes my bag quite heavy.