7 Essential Tips for Simplifying and Organizing Your Life

1. Visit FlyLady.com and get going!

This is one of the best organizational websites I've ever come across. In fact, I liked it so much that I wrote a review of the website, which you can find on my Content Producer page. On FlyLady.com, there is a lot of practical advice that anyone can use. She goes out of her way to motivate and provides tips on how to effectively purge your home of unused or unneeded items. Check it out and start on a journey to creating your own private sanctuary.

2. Purge magazines and recycle newspapers.

Like many people, you probably subscribe to a newspaper or two and many magazines. The problem is that they accumulate quickly. If you have an opportunity to recycle both newspapers and magazines, do so.

3. Go through closets and bookshelves.

If you are like me, you tend to keep clothes too long. It is always best to really par down your closet and dressers to simply those clothes that you love and wear. Don't count on fitting into those smaller sizes soon. If clothes are in decent shape, you can consign them. If not, you can throw them away or try selling them yourself in a garage sale. As for bookshelves, they tend to get overloaded with books that you've read several times or books that no longer interest you. A little purging goes a long way.

4. Rid your home of unwanted decorative items. Save only what you love.

Let's face it; we all have decorative items that we are simply not interested in anymore. If you don't love it anymore, take it down. Again, you can consign it (if it is in excellent condition), sell it in a garage sale, or try your luck with E-Bay.

5. Create a virtual office on-line.

By keeping your calendar, to do lists, and address lists on-line, you can access all of your information from both home and office. No more keeping two separate calendars or dragging a planner to the office. It is all there at your fingertips, on-line! I recommend Google. Their applications are easy to use and are easily adaptable to just about any situation.

6. Keep your car clean and maintained.

Whether you have a gas-guzzling SUV or a more eco-friendly car, keeping it clean and maintained will not help give you piece of mind, it will prevent you from using your car as a mobile storage device as well. Never again will you have to go outside or to the garage in the cold in order to grab something that you left in the car. Oh yeah, keeping your car maintained will help your gas mileage too.

7. Create a simple filing system for paperwork and electronic files.

Keeping your paperwork and electronic files organized well will save you a lot of time and worry. By creating a simple and easy to use filing system, you will ensure that you always know what to do with those important papers and files. They won't be lying around your house or all over your computer desktop.

These simple tips for simplifying and organizing your life will help ensure that things run more smoothly in your home.