Advice
Welcome to our advice section. Every week I answer new questions submitted
by readers on Organizing, Image, Fashion and Event Planning.
You can read my "AddSPACE To Your Life!" column every week
in San Diego's “The Coast News" or read the archived columns
below.
E-mail your questions to advice@addspacetoyourlife.com
9.09.04
Separate home business from
pleasure
Kathi,
I work from home and can’t seem to stay focused. My desk and
schedule are always overrun with items that don’t apply to my
job.
Karine, Del Mar
Karine,
With the shorter commute time, you can tidy up your desk at the end
of each day without worrying about rush hour. You will begin with
a clean slate and produce results in a much shorter time each morning.
You might need to create a separate desk space or counter area for
your personal finances. Set up a corner of your kitchen counter for
bills and personal correspondence. This will help you focus on work
when you are in your office. Keeping personal matters separate from
business also makes your home office eligible for a tax write-off
each year.
Hire someone to do the lawn, house and other routine chores around
the house. This will alleviate the tendency to putter about the house
throughout the day instead of tackling the workload.
If long periods of sitting makes you lethargic, arrange two working
levels so you can do some of your work standing up.
Get at least ten minutes of exercise each day. Decide to step away
from your desk at regular intervals. This will reduce fatigue and
increase your concentration for the task at hand.
Kathi,
My husband has a lot of hobbies that are spread throughout the house.
I can’t figure out how to keep him contained and happy at the
same time.
Jessie, San Marcos
Jessie,
Use tool and tackle boxes to contain his tools and smaller items.
Designate one convenient area for him to work on his hobbies and this
will be where his tools are stored.
If he plays multiple sports and has a lot of gear, use duffel bags
to contain the equipment. Use one duffel bag per sport. This way he
can grab it on the way out the door. Keep all of these bags in one
central location. Hooks in the garage positioned along the wall by
his car will make it easy for him to load and unload when he arrives
home. And yes, you get the bonus of keeping them from being spread
throughout the house!
Kathi,
I can’t seem to keep track of my “to do” list. It
keeps growing and I feel like I never know which task to tackle first.
How can I organize my lists to help manage my priorities?
Tanya, Encinitas
Tanya,
For
starters, record all tasks and related notes in your day planner or
electronic organizer. Keep this planner/organizer handy to add tasks
quickly. Forget about sticky notes. Keeping all to-do items in the
same place makes retrieving the information easy and quick. No task
will get lost and more will get done.
When writing notes, keep a space cleared on the left for priority
numbering. Organize your tasks by writing numbers to the left of each
item in the order of priority. These numbers will keep you focused
on what you wish to accomplish first. After completing the task, draw
a slash through the number and move on to the next priority.
To accomplish more each day, never do errands on impulse. Plan your
routes carefully, handling as many errands as possible each time.
Hopefully with these tips you’ll find yourself making more slashes
to your list than additions.
Kathi is a professional organizer, image consultant and event planner
based in San Diego California.
Please
submit your questions to:
advice@addspacetoyourlife.com
.
San Diego Professional Organizer
