Stress Management: 10 Universal Laws to Get and Stay Organized

1. The Law of the 1st Step

A good first step in getting organized is to 3-pile everything:

pile one is for those things to throw away

pile 2 is for those things that need immediate action

pile 3 is for those things that can be taken care of later, or filed, or both.

2. The Law of the Past

One of the curious things that seem to hold people back from getting organized is wanting to avoid dealing with things left over from the past. Working your way through the clutter can bring you face to face with past mistakes and failures. The best thing to do is face them, learn from them, and then really put them behind you, in the past.

3. The Law of Time

Many people use the excuse of "I just don't have enough time to get organized." If you really don't have enough time to get organized, then you desparately need to get organized! While it does take some time and energy to get organized, it also brings the gift of adding much more time to your life.

4. The Law of 3-D

When something comes your way, a memo, an announcement, a piece of mail, whatever, there are three and only three things you can do with it to remain organized:

Do it: get it done and out of the way.

Delegate it: get someone else to get it done and out of the way.

Dump it: get it to the nearest trash receptacle and out of the way.

5. The Law of SYSTEM

Having a system, a step by step repeatable plan, for just about everything you do is simply invaluable. This is because SYSTEM stands for:

Saves Your Self Time Energy Money

6. The Law of Stay

Once you get organized, do what ever it takes to stay organized. It takes a lot less time to stay organized than to get organized all over again. Trust me on this one.

7. The Law of Freedom

Most of us who are organizationally challenged have resisted organization because we don't want to be controlled by anything or anyone. Quite the opposite is true, however. Getting organized allows you to experience more freedom and control than you thought possible.

8. The Law of Simplicity

Whatever system of organization you use, make sure you keep it simple. The more simple and easy to use, the more likely you are to use it.

9. The Law of "Put Your Hands On It"

You can tell you are getting organized when you need to find something and you can immediately "put your hands on it." Saves time.

10. The Law of Place

Remember the old cliche "a place for everything and everything in it's place?" The reason it became a cliche is that it works!

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In The News:


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(Reuters) - A former Mexican police officer accused of organizing a hit squad for the once-powerful Tijuana drug cartel pleaded guilty in a US federal court on Friday to racketeering and drug trafficking, prosecutors said.

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Get organized with WikiPad
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Teamsters trying to organize parkway truckers
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The Teamsters union is attempting to organize nearly 150 dump truck drivers working on the $1.4-billion Windsor-Essex Parkway. Union organizer Rick Parent said he's distributed union cards to several of the drivers. Parent said he couldn't gauge ...

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SimplyUs Brings Couples Closer, With An App For Organizing Their Lives Together
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Organizing Memorial Day parades: A labor of love - and respect
SouthCoastToday.com
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Quebec Students Protesting Tuition Hikes Organize on Twitter
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The hundreds of protesters that were arrested on Wednesday evening in the Canadian province of Quebec for rallying against university tuition hikes have been organizing their efforts on social media for months. The tuition hikes, which would raise ...
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Benefit being organized for Natick man with ALS
MetroWest Daily News
By Brian Benson/Daily News staff Family and friends of a local man battling ALS are organizing a benefit to support him while trying to raise awareness about the fatal disease and the need to support research to find a cure. Stephen Malieswski, an avid ...


Jewschool

Nominate someone for the Community Organizing Residency
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by Kung Fu Jew [➚] · Friday, May 25th, 2012 From our friends at Bend the Arc, the organization(s) formerly known as Jewish Funds for Justice-Progressive Jewish Alliance-Shefa Fund, the Community Organizing Residency is accepting applications — and ...


Coupon Lady: Organizing your stockpile
The Augusta Chronicle
We would always start our summer vacation helping my grandmother clean, organize and get ready for the canning season ahead. I recall the smell of the Murphy's Wood Soap that we used to scrub the wall paneling and furniture.


Bin-Store's Wide Range of Products Gives Spring Fever to Eager Organizers
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Organizing the space around their homes and offices is no easy job, and often there is too much stuff but nowhere to put it. Long-term storage is one option, but most people want to have easy access to their affairs when they need them.

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