Clutter Campaign - Commit Your Time

Decide When And Where To Start

Decide when and where to start. You have the same amount of time each day as did Thomas Jefferson, Einstein, and Mae West. It's all in where you choose to focus your attention.

If you still catch yourself thinking, "This will never work," or, "I'll never succeed," you are right.

If, however, you can focus on three liberating words, you are closer to your clutter-free future. Those words are: FROM NOW ON...

It all starts now. From this very moment you commit to:

? Sort today's mail as it arrives, instead of stacking it in a pile till later

? Question every new purchase to be sure it deserves space in your life

? Hold to the vision of your ideal environment and reject any excess that intrudes.

Focus first on today. Don't let another thing in your door without choosing to do so. Once you have stemmed the tide of "stuff" flowing in, you will have more time to go back and clear out the past accumulation. Recognize that this campaign against clutter will have setbacks. And get up again the next day and say to yourself, "From now on...."

Here are six options for you to explore:

? Reclaim the time you spend looking for things - Some of the time for your clutter campaign can come from the time you save by not losing things. Identify three things you often have to look for and assign each one a specific "home."

? Track the actual time organizing takes - Most people postpone an organizing project for fear that it will eat up several weekends. Then they are surprised that they have either overestimated or underestimated the amount of time needed. Start recording the time needed for specific tasks so you will know when you have time to do them.

? Break projects into bite-sized pieces - Even the largest project requires some research or preparation tasks that can be done ahead of time. Or an entire household or business can be organized one closet, one shelf, one drawer at a time.

? Schedule a Marathon Mania - Sometimes you just need to plod in and get it all done. Block all distractions, bribe yourself with a few appealing incentives and wade in and do it.

? Hire a professional - There's more help available than you ever thought of. There's even a National Association of Professional Organizers, people who can offer expert services.

? Exchange services - There's someone in your circle of friends or contacts who might be very talented at exactly the help you need. And maybe you have some way to assist them. Explore trading services with someone. Put up a notice at your office, church, gym and explore the possibilities.

The now is always new. Start now.

© Barbara Hemphill is the author of Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger at Work and Taming the Paper Tiger at Home and co-author of Love It or Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever. The mission of Hemphill Productivity Institute is to help individuals and organizations create and sustain a productive environment so they can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives. We do this by organizing space, information, and time. We can be reached at 800-427-0237 or at www.ProductiveEnvironment.com

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Google News Updated : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 18:55:47 GMT Veterans Group Urges Support to 'Finish the Job' - Washington Post Veterans Group Urges Support to 'Finish the Job' Washington Post - 5 hours ago By Michael D. Shear Sen. John McCain will get some battleground-state help this week from Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, who appear in a television commercial aimed at convincing the public that the United States is winning in Iraq. Veterans’ Group Critical of Obama Plans Costly Ad Campaign FOXNews Veterans group plans ad campaign touting Iraq war The Associated Press Telegraph.co.uk - KPVI-TV - Politico - New York Times Blogs all 127 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 13:04:24 GMT Oregon Man Flies His Balloon Powered Chair Out of State - eFluxMedia Washington Post Oregon Man Flies His Balloon Powered Chair Out of State eFluxMedia - 1 hour ago By Matthew Williams A 48-year-old gas station owner from Bend, Oregon triumphed Saturday on his third attempt in making a 235-mile (378km) ride in a lawn chair rigged with helium-filled party balloons. Video: Ore. Man Uses Balloons and a Lawn Chair to Fly AssociatedPress Fireworks Injure Dozens Nationwide Washington Post United Press International - BBC News - New Zealand Herald - NEWS.com.au all 1,333 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 17:16:09 GMT Planet Mercury Shrinking In Size, Latest NASA Probe Reveal - AHN Voice of America Planet Mercury Shrinking In Size, Latest NASA Probe Reveal AHN - 3 hours ago London, England (AHN) - Mercury, the nearest planet to the sun and the smallest in the solar system, is shrinking, scientists said Saturday. Messenger's Photos Of Mercury Point Out New Facts eFluxMedia First Results From Messenger's Mercury Flyby Slashdot BBC News - Los Angeles Times - MSNBC - Scientific American all 160 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 15:26:44 GMT RNC Unit Launches First Big Ad Buy in Battleground States - FOXNews FOXNews RNC Unit Launches First Big Ad Buy in Battleground States FOXNews - 5 hours ago by FOXNews.com The RNC's independiture expenditure unit has launched its first big ad buy in battleground states, touting John McCain as a crusader on the climate (RNCIEU). New RNC Ads Go After Obama on Energy Washington Post New RNC Ad: McCain For "Balance" On Energy, Obama "The Party Line" TPM Politico - Detroit Free Press - Los Angeles Times - guardian.co.uk all 40 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 13:48:38 GMT Peter Cook's team set to paint ugly picture of Christie Brinkley - New York Daily News The Money Times Peter Cook's team set to paint ugly picture of Christie Brinkley New York Daily News - 10 hours ago BY CHRISTINA BOYLE and TRACY CONNOR Christie Brinkley emerged from the first week of her divorce trial virtually unscathed, but the supermodel may not be as lucky in the second round. Op-Ed Columnist An Ideal Husband New York Times Christie Brinkley Hangs with Ex Billy Joel People Magazine Starpulse.com - FOXNews - WCHI - Hollywood Today Newsmagazine all 54 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 08:15:57 GMT Will Smith is box office superhero with 'Hancock' - Reuters Calgary Herald Will Smith is box office superhero with 'Hancock' Reuters - 2 hours ago LOS ANGELES, July 6 (Reuters) - Will Smith, the closest thing to a sure bet in Hollywood, overcame some of the worst reviews of his career to claim the top spot at the US Independence Day holiday box office with "Hancock. 'Hancock' grabs heroic $107.3M over long weekend The Associated Press Movie Review: Hancock, A Superhero With Issues eFluxMedia Portsmouth Herald News - Lake County News - Sunday Paper - Bodog Beat all 324 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:05:33 GMT Consumers get rare chance to try to effect changes in credit-card ... - MarketWatch Consumers get rare chance to try to effect changes in credit-card ... MarketWatch - 1 hour ago By Andrea Coombes, MarketWatch SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- If you've ever complained about an unexpected interest-rate hike on your credit card, now's your chance to have your gripe heard. Speak Up on Credit-Card Rules Wall Street Journal Credit Card Overhauls Seem Likely New York Times Chicago Tribune - Billings Gazette - OpEdNews all 15 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 06 Jul 2008 17:32:50 GMT Make Money Online Add RSS Feeds to My Website

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