Did you know that January is National “Get Organized” Month? Woo hoo! I love to organize. Call me crazy, but I  look forward  to having a big ‘ol pile of stuff in front of me that needs to be organized. I sort like a maniac putting like items with like items, finding bins and containers for storage, making labels…I LOVE IT!

Tawsha and I joke about having  ADD and OCD traits, but we’re actually pretty serious, we just haven’t been officially diagnosed. The ADD trait of being easily distracted is one we embrace because it’s made us masters at multi-tasking.  We have ADD’s creativity, ingenuity, and the need for quick efficient solutions, combined with OCD’s perfectionism tendencies, and the need for order. When you throw those qualities together times two of us, boy howdy you’ve got yourself one ridiculously organized and labeled life! We don’t claim to be experts and we are NOT professional organizers, but we have become extremely effective in organizing CHAOS, we’re passionate about it,  and we want to share what we’ve learned with you.

The goal of the Organization category of organizedCHAOSonline is to find and share ways to help you organize every single part of your life. We’ll offer you DIY projects, printable lists, charts, spreadsheets, and tips and tricks from organizing experts. We’ll suggest organizing websites, books and blogs, direct you to Pinterest organizing idea boards and offer you some of the organizing techniques both of us use. We’ll look at what trips you up, ways to get you started, show you organizing products we love, and strategies to help you maintain your newly organized life.

The first step in becoming organized is to eliminate the clutter and unused or unneeded items that cause you to feel unorganized. Getting rid of those items frees up space, helps you find and access what you need more easily, and in the process unclutters your mind which allows you to become  more efficient. The more efficient you are, the more free time you have to do the things you love to do.

Instead of us starting off this little organizational venture of ours with a day long project, how about we start off with something easy. Ten minutes doesn’t seem like a like of time, but I’m always amazed at how much can be accomplished in a short amount of time if I stay focused. Try finishing one of the below projects when you find yourself with an extra 10 minutes while … you’re in the waiting room at the doctor’s office, arrive early to pick your kids up from school, have extra time before leaving for work, you’re stopped in traffic…

20 Things To Do With An Extra 10 Minutes

1. Clean out the fridge and put the emptied leftover containers in the dishwasher.
2. Make tomorrow’s to-do list.
3. Paint your toenails.
4. Weed through your magazines and catalogs – keep what you’ll really read and toss the rest.
5. Schedule an appointment, RSVP an invitation, respond to an email or return a phone call.
6. Velcro a pen by the calendar; distribute post-it notes and room-labeled scissors in every room you use them.
7. Throw a load in the washer, and quick-fold the load coming out of the dryer.
8. Clear out your email inbox.
9. Do a 10-minute Yoga video.
10. Empty all the trash baskets in the house, add new liners, and take trash out to the garbage can.
11. Pay your online bills.
12. Clean out your purse or wallet.
13. Sort the laundry.
14. Clear off your desktop workspace.
15. Write out a thank you card.
16. Clean the microwave.
17. Clean out car clutter – gather and put away items that don’t belong there, throw out trash
18. Clean up the kitchen – Polish the sink and faucet.
19. Gather dirty clothes and towels. Strip bed. Sort laundry.
20. Plan next week’s menu.

How did you do? Yay you! If you’re tired of CHAOS and want 2013 to be the year you organized your life, join us! Subscribe to our blog to get these updates by email. We’re also on Facebook. Please “like” us if you like us (huh?)

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See ya!