My daughter asked me to get some Stikki Clips. This took me back to the “good old days.” They were one of the organizational items in my homeschool classroom. I used them to post all sorts of miscellaneous items – on my desk or the fridge or the walls. I loved that the little chunks of wax could be put up and taken down and put up again. She’s using them in more-or-less the same way but with one exception. My grandson uses them as “shoes” for his lovingly-created Wikki Stix “Luigi” so it will stand up and stay put in various locations.
Color
I love the “feel” of getting things organized. And, I’m a color girl. Color has always played a huge role in my efforts at organization. For instance, I printed out each child’s weekly schedule on different colors of paper (same color for each child for the year). That way I could tell at a glance whose schedule was on the floor.
I organize my work by colored file jackets. These files are my go to files – the projects that are “active.” I prefer colored file folders (blue for school, red for insurance, banking, etc) for my more permanent files, as well.
I like brightly colored sticky notes, etc. etc. There’s something very satisfying about having my life color-coded. Somehow, I can just think better when I have things in order – know where things are – and there’s color involved. It makes me happy!
Prioritize
It’s also motivational to get organized. Sorting through items helps to prioritize them and, more importantly, makes it easier to find them when you need them next. When you’re reminded that this or that is highly important, it helps to bring order to your “to do” list and it helps to empower you to do the items on the list.
Productivity
Years ago, I heard the adage – “only handle a piece of paper once”. In this tablet/smart phone age, it probably needs to be transposed into “only touch a document once” and frankly, it’s hard to do. But it does help to have that goal in mind.
The “productivity” apps available for both smart phones and tablets are designed to help you “do” the age-old organizational activities (list, prioritize, do, check-off, as well as only handle once) more effectively. Utilize them. If you don’t know how, you might want to make it a priority to learn how. I use an app for my recipes – it will even tell me what I need to get at the grocery store. My daughter uses an app for her “library” – the books she has for school and pleasure. I use a shopper app to keep lists of what I need to get at the various stores I frequent often. And I use a spreadsheet app for most of my other organization (since coming to work at Rainbow, I’ve developed a healthy appreciation for the widespread applicability of spreadsheets).
Conclusion
I’m pretty sure I’ve only scratched the surface of the possibilities. There are organizational tools all around us these days. Take for instance, the Rainbow Wish List. You can make separate wish lists for each student, each subject, each year or semester. So helpful.
If your New Year’s resolution is better organization. Take heart! Help is everywhere.
