A few hours focused on the office makes a big difference!

Last night I took advantage of my husband and our daughter being at basketball practice and accomplished a few of the visible organizing tasks.

1. Filed pile on top of filing cabinet
2. Put every paper on my desk in a file folder
3. Cleaned out the currently working on standing folder
4. Rewrote the current to do list
5. Cleaned off the second desk in my office
6. Cleaned off the bookshelf in my office
7. Arranged the remaining "to do" items in a prioritized pile
8. Typed up two of the brainstormed planning lists from our January planning meeting
9. Took many personal items home
10. Made neat areas for the Book Baskets in process for the September fundraiser

I will post a new picture to Picassa today so it's in the rotation below to show me how far I've come.

Next I will(not necessarily in this order):

1. Weed out the "at hand" file drawer (I haven't needed the items in that drawer for what seems to be months! Then I can move the standing file items into that drawer.
2. Weed out the tall filing cabinet
3. Clean out the desk drawers
4. Organize/fill in/archive (one year) the financial reports
5. Organize/fill in/archive the board meeting packets
6. Weed/file/delegate/prioritize every item on the inbox on the filing cabinet outside my door. It's a real eye sore and a constant rub to my Administrative Assistant.

Next week is school vacation week, and I'll be concentrating on the household to do list from One Year to an Organized Work Life. Time to buy that book and return the one that's overdue from the library.

The habits are going well. Putting clothes where they belong, making the bed, getting up from my desk, drinking enough water so I'm having to get up in the night to go to the bathroom! And I'm making it to the exercise classes. It's not easy, but it is giving me much needed improvements, both physical and mental. Without the exercise and the progress there, I wouldn't be able to keep at the organization quest. I am very grateful to be motivated beyond January 14!

Clearing the clutter

I'm not worrying that I'm lagging on the recommended timeline from One Year to an Organized Life. I'm progressing, even though not as quickly as the book's pace. Progress is progress.

As part of the Organized Life plan, I am supposed to purge the kitchen. So far I have purged and organized the two pantry cupboards, the glasses cupboard, the freezer, and the baking cupboard. I've recycled, given away, and thrown away about two paper grocery bags full of clutter. I will finish the cupboard purge while on February break. Won't our daughter be thrilled! But we'll do it on Monday or Tuesday so as to get it out of the way early.

The office purge project (from One Year to an Organized Work Life)is also progressing. Friday night I organized my physical desk top into a top to bottom prioritized to do pile, a to go somewhere else pile, and a to file pile and then put away things on the desk out of place. I then did the same with the second desk in my office which my daughter uses when she's there doing her homework after I pick her up from a school activity.

On the clutter catching book shelves in my office, I identified four containers to archive and moved two to my Admin Asst's desk with a note to label and then archive, please. The next two are labeled and just need to go to the archives. I put away the menagerie of glass animals and the paper environs our daughter created for them months ago. (They're intact in the big blue toy tub kept for little library family members to amuse themselves while visiting--a tradition begun by the former library director and one I really like.)

On Saturday, I spent time at work after the Y workout and before dinner out with my husband and yoga book group. I took care of the pressing priority of press for the upcoming fundraiser which the Mayor will attend. (Exciting, and can't be put off.) Then I started at the top of the prioritized pile and got to work writing notes to staff members, taking things to other staff members (the donated Jenga game for Unplug and Play, for example), and completing tasks. The pile was half its size when I left for the day. I also tucked a few things in my work bag to take care of on Sunday night after our daughter's basketball game. I'll work on those small and quick items on my laptop while in the living room with the family.

Next step at home: Hubby will make two shelves--one in the pots and pans cupboard and one in the cabinet formerly holding the microwave. I'm also going to call the cabinet maker to put doors on that cupboard. It will be a few hundred dollars well spent to keep the contents out of my sight.

Next step at work: The to file piles. One is easy as they're already labeled and in folders. The larger pile is not labeled and not in folders, so I'll grab the tools I need before I go to my office on Monday and spend an hour getting the filing done. Planning makes it easier to focus on what needs to be done, and it is difficult to plan when you're under deadline after deadline. But making it a regular habit pays you back in its weight in platinum.

I slayed two excuses with one trip to the gym!

I've been plagued by a stuffy nose for a few days now and on Friday found myself needing decongestants to breathe properly. Saturday, I awoke at 8:45am, the time at which I am supposed to leave the house to go to they gym. I took about 60 seconds to tell myself to snap out of it because if I missed the gym today it would lead to the slide into excuse after excuse. I took a decongestant and got out of bed. Luckily I slept in my clothes, so went to the bathroom, quickly ate a protein breakfast and a small glass of 1/2 the sugar oj, brushed my teeth, and got on my way. I arrived to the class 10 minutes late and stayed until the end. I can't tell you how good it felt to have punched the devil int he gut on Saturday morning. In addition to the danger of sliding into the downward spiral of excuse allowance, knowing Sunday was weigh in day was a great motivator.

I should note that my bouts of low blood sugar during an am workout was also something I struggled with the first few times. Eating long-time solution of protein laden foods was good for the end of the workout, but I was having low blood sugar spells in the first half of the workout. My hypothesis was that I needed to have a little sugar spike as well as the protein, so on Saturday number 3 I added a half glass of half the sugar oj. Worked like a charm! Slaying excuses one at a time.

January's habit successes

How I said yes to life and no to overworking in January:
1/31/12 Made dinner for my family.
1/31/12 Walked on the treadmill and read during lunch break.
1/30/12 Went to yoga at the studio.
1/29/12 Enjoyed planning the grocery shopping list. (Really. I enjoy this!)
1/29/12 Slept in!
1/28/12 Finished one of the half read books on my list--29 Gifts. Yippee for me!
1/28/12 Read on the way to my sister's house while my husband drove.
1/28/12 Went to the Interval Max Workout class at the Y.
1/27/12 Finished another chapter in one of the half read books--Warped Passages.
1/27/12 Took a two hour lunch break to catch up on personal errands and still fit in walking on the treadmill.
1/26/12 Relaxed at home at night to take advantage of a cancelled basketball practice.
1/25/12 Did a Netflix workout because I missed the treadmill appt. on lunch break.
1/24/12 Helped our daughter study for her math test.
1/24/12 Did a workout on Netflix because I missed my treadmill appt. on lunch break.
1/24/12 Made dinner for the family--yummy beef and broccoli.
1/24/12 Didn't go back to work after picking up our daughter from school!
1/23/12 Had a long meaningful hug with our daughter before bed time.
1/23/12 Went to Fusion class at night.
1/22/12 Didn't do library work on the road to Averill Park!
1/22/12 Held niece Kayla while she took a cat nap.
1/21/12 Went to yoga book group at night.
1/21/12 Went to the Y for step class in the am despite the need to leave early to catch our daughter's basketball game.
1/20/12 Went out for dinner with the family.
1/19/12 Took lunch break.
1/18/12 Read on lunch break.
1/18/12 Walked on the treadmill on lunch break.
1/17/12 Read on lunch break.
1/17/12 Walked on the treadmill on lunch break.
1/16/12 Made dinner for our family.
1/16/12 Took our daughter and her friend to indoor mini golf.
1/15/12 Read before before bed time.
1/15/12 Attended our daughter's basketball game.
1/15/12 Watched football.
1/14/12 Wento the YMCA for Interval Max class.
1/13/12 Read before bedtime.
1/13/12 Went out for dinner with the family.
1/12/12 Went to our daughter's basketball practice.
1/12/12 Went to Pilates class at the Y.
1/12/12 Took my lunch break!
1/11/12 Finished Pride and Prejudice on the way home!!!
1/11/12 Read one of the half read books on my resolutions list on my lunch break.
1/11/12 Walked on the treadmill on my lunch break.
1/10/12 Read on my lunch break.
1/10/12 Walked on the treadmill during my lunch break at work.
1/9/12 Went to Fusion at the yoga studio.
1/8/12 Read in bed with the family's new nook color--no light needed because it's back lit, so happy me and happy hubby!
1/8/12 Read to our daughter at bedtime.
1/8/12 Watched football!
1/8/12 Arrived at Rebecca's basketball game early and enjoyed a game in which she showed tremendous improvement.
1/7/12 Went to the Humane Society for volunteer orientation and then played with the cats with our daughter.
1/7/12 Went to the YMCA for a step aerobics class.
1/6/12 Dropped the car off for its inspection so we don't have to rush to make an appt. tomorrow.
1/6/12 Took our daughter out for breakfast and then dropped her off at school. :-)
1/5/12 Left work on time!
1/5/12 Went to the YMCA's Pilates class
1/4/12 Read a book for pleasure before bed time
1/4/12 Read to our daughter at bed time
1/4/12 Did a Pilates workout on Netflix
1/3/12 Read for 20 minutes on my lunch break!
1/3/12 Took my full lunch break!!
1/3/12 Walked on the treadmill for 20 minutes during lunch break!
1/2/12 Read to my daughter at bedtime.
1/2/12 Exercised even though the weather kept me in the house.
1/1/12 With my daughter, learned how to make friendship bracelets on a wheel. I will help her finish one which she is making as a birthday gift for, well, a friend.
1/1/12 Played Just Dance 3 with my daughter for 45 minutes.

Work Habit of the Month
Month 1: Leave Your Desk.

Accomplished on: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

This is one I definitely need to do more often, especially if I'm going to exercise every day, which could be done on my lunch break if I took it. I have the tools and opportunities to succeed. I just need to embrace them and define success differently. So here we go!

Month 1: Make the Bed

Accomplished on: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

I will add change the bed in the morning, too, since I let it go too long and then put the sheets in the wash later in the day only to get to bed at night to find I haven't yet made it. That jolts me awake with frustration, which isn't good for my sleeping habits.

Kitchen progress toward an organized life

The last two weeks of January are for quick and then more thorough purging of the kitchen in One Year to an Organized Life. I have made significant progress and will finish up with the big purge this weekend. Yes, this weekend is the end of the first week of February, but because I'm going through both books, sometimes I have to give myself some wiggle room.

The freezer is organized with each shelf having specific contents. I even shared the scheme with my husband so if he adds anything or moves anything around he can adhere to the scheme.

The baking cabinet is organized and all items past their use by dates or no longer used are history. Multiple open containers are consolidated. We had THREE! open containers of cinnamon!

The cabinets for food are organized and purged. (The storehouse of extra food in the guest bedroom is another story for another day.)

Glasses cabinet purged and organized. Lots of plastic recycled in that one!

Drawer of plastic container tops winnowed.

The remaining to dos and the frustrations we will eliminate:
Now I need to purge and clean the fridge and attack under the sink and the cabinets on the mini-island, which serves as a wall between the dining room and kitchen. Then it's the cabinet above the microwave and the one above the fridge. My husband's junk drawer will be a lot of fun, too!


I've asked my husband to install a few shelves for me, which he said he can do. I'll just need to go to the store with him so we get what he needs to do the job. Once he has those installed, we'll call the cabinet maker to put doors on the open cupboard which housed a microwave for the prior owners of the house. I would also like to devise a plan for the drawer of bags to reuse. If we could keep those somewhere else, we'd gain a large drawer for other things.

Progress and a plan for more progress make a big difference in my outlook.