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Thanks for visiting my blog. Hope you find some helpful hints for organizing your time and space. My passions are to help you make home a refuge instead of a crisis center, and to help you function in peace rather than chaos - at home or at work. I have switched my main blog to 1-2-3 ... Get Organized on WordPress, so please visit me there.



Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Save Time and Clutter by Making Decisions


Making decisions can be hard. But when you look at the cost of not making a decision, it's motivating to get it done!

If I don't make a decision about a piece of mail, it has no home - it doesn't go in the bills, or recycling, or shredder, or a file. It will usually be stacked.

If I don't make a decision about an event, I may lose the possibility of attending because of a missed deadline. Or I may forget about it. Or it doesn't become a priority, and less important events may crowd it out.

If I don't make a decision about an opportunity, it may pass me by because of my inactivity.

What to do?

- Try to handle each piece of paper only once. Recycle it, file it, put it in your to-do file, shred it. How easily mail stacks up. By taking a few moments to sort it and dispose of it properly, it doesn't grow into a huge job.

Same thing with papers that require some action. If necessary, file the paper and add the action to your schedule or to-do list. But don't let it get stuck in a pile.

- If a decision requires some homework or research, track down the information you need.

- Talk to an expert or mentor, if necessary, for additional insight. I consider God a mentor, and I often ask for wisdom and insight when making a decision.

- Make a pro/con list. Getting things down on paper really clarifies the issues for me. The decision becomes more objective and clears my mind from all those swirling thoughts.

- Give yourself a deadline by which time you need to have the decision made.


What do you do make decision-making easier?