The Power of a Brainstorming To Do List

Penning anything you plan to do in the future in a list form is a very powerful move, because what it does is cause you to focus on only what specifically needs to be accomplished and you find that you feel empowered because of it!  Sometimes you just don't need or want an abstract view on what you are hoping or planning to do.  You just want to do them!

Brainstorming what needs to be done will help you eliminate what doesn't really need to be done right now.  Break tasks into small groups and subgroups then start doing them!

So what I came up with is an example of how you might want to get some things out of your head and on to paper in an effort to get tasks completed.  A To Do List of any sort is nothing more than a simple tool to help you brainstorm your needs from your wants.  It helps you become less stressed and makes you feel like you are doing something useful in your personal life.  So allow this  brainstorming exercise to motivate you to create effective task lists for all sorts of things you want to get done at home and elsewhere.

Let's say, you want to do the following things around your home: organize and clean your kitchen and living room and do some rearranging in the bedrooms, but you are having problems getting some things done.  Consider listing your tasks in the form of questions, rather than simple phrases.

Kitchen

What do I need to buy for myself, the children, and my partner?  List each person you are buying for and put their needs under each heading.

What has yet to be cleaned?  List the items in your kitchen that appear unsightly.

When was the last time I sorted old items stored away in cabinets, drawers and the refrigerator, what needs to be thrown away?  Note each place that you need to check and then start throwing objects away.

Add more to your brainstorming To Do list.  Highlight or star what is most important to you include your starting and ending dates if possible.  So that you will feel moved to begin.

Let's say you are asked to help someone get organized, but this person seems to have a problem getting started.  You can organize a brainstorming To Do list for that person in the form of questions.  Mention most important duties to complete first.

Livingroom

When was the last time you vacuumed?

Is your carpeting filthy?

Have you noticed an odor coming from your furniture?

Take a look at your drapery and blinds, are they dusty?

Could your wall decor use an uplift? 

What is the condition of your walls?  Is a paint job needed?

Bedroom

When was the last time bedding and window curtains were laundered?

What is the smell like in your bedroom?  Do your carpets need to be shampooed?

Now what you would do is continue with your questions.  Then you would add a new category and add the tasks that need to be accomplished elsewhere in the home or elsewhere maybe they are smaller or larger tasks ie.) Home Office--what files to keep and what files to throw away, Garage--what to give away, Basement--what repairs need to be made, Back Yard--what landscaping needs to be done, Front Yard--what treatment should I buy to keep weeds away, etc.  Notice each task starts with a question that will cause you to think about other things you need to do.

Let's say that you want to do something as simple as organizing some needed tasks for a variety of business projects.

XYZ Campaign

Make follow-up phone calls to do on Monday.

Market website on Tuesday include....

Speak with person about....schedule meeting for Friday.

What have I yet to do about...email campaign?

What still needs to be done with...?

When do I plan to get XYZ project completed and sent to client?

You list and you question what still needs to be done.  Then you start working on those items that are priorities.  Ask yourself each day, "What do I hope to get accomplished with my business?  What might anger me by nightfall if I don't get it done?"

Set target dates, include times and enlist help if necessary and note your thoughts.  If you aren't good at list-making or think this might be too tedious, maybe you can give a relative or friend an appointment book to help you pen your thoughts.  Tell him or her what yo have already done, what you hope to do and what are your present goals.  This person might be able to help you brainstorm.

When asking for help from others, be sure that you are clear about what it is that you want and be respectful of their time.  Someone or a group may not be happy to learn that you will be using their services most of the day or night.  So be clear as to what it is that you want and agree to a set a window of time dedicated exclusively to one or two tasks rather than five or 15. 

Also, check your budget and begin to put small amounts of money aside for your household fund.  Know when school breaks are and pay children to help.  Find out who might need some additional funds and ask this person to help you. 

When you start with brainstorming a list of things to get done, you are beginning to sort out your important tasks from your unimportant ones.  Therefore, you will be better able to reach goals.


Nicholl McGuire maintains other blogs including: Parents, Babies Children, When Mothers Cry and Laboring to Love an Abusive Mate

5 Things You Needed to Do Like Yesterday to Keep Place Clean & Organized

Once you clean and organize a room or closet, it can be very tempting not to do much else for a long period of time to the room.  But in order to maintain the cleanliness and organization of an environment, you must keep watch for anything that might be a potential problem and to remember to put things back that you use.  Posting notes to remind family members, workers, etc. --anyone using the space--helps.  Also, checking behind those individuals visiting the room while making necessary adjustments will keep it nice.

In case you have yet to do the following, you might want to:

1.  Tell your kids to clean up their rooms including under their beds and closets where strange odors and things like to harbor over time.  Check your space as well.

2.  Check in and around your house for traces of problematic insects or rodent issues.  Cold weather can bring unwanted guests indoors--ugh!  Move furniture periodically and vacuum.  Open up closets, cabinets, drawers, bins and boxes.  Move items from walls to see what lurks behind your stuff.  Pick up paper, books, and food items sitting on the floor.  Lift up rugs and runners too and vacuum.

3.  Look for holes in walls, around baseboards, in cabinets, and elsewhere simply by bending down and moving items from these areas.

4.  Wipe down areas that have traces of dust, food, and other unsightly markings.

5.  Items that have fallen down, no longer work, appear out of place, or just don't look or feel right, remove or rearrange.  Sometimes decorative items can bring an unsettling energy to your atmosphere making you feel like you don't want to work in the environment--do away with such items or store them away out of sight.

Now that you have five tasks to do, make a point to do them while you are moved to do them.  Take a moment to pause from your Internet surfing and start walking your office space, apartment or home looking for problems.  Happy cleaning and organizing! 

Things to Think About Organizing this New Year

For some of you, you might have thought about all those wonderful things you want to do to better your mind, body and spirit, but what about your atmospheres ie.) livingroom, bedroom, office, etc.?  Here are some thoughts about organizing to help with your home or office space so you can be more productive this new year.

1.  Paper.  From receipts to magazines, every item should have a place that is easy to get to and out of view.  From hanging file folders to bins and binders, utilize what you already have before you buy more things to organize paper items.  Ask yourself, "How often will I need to get to these items?  Will I do anything with them if I should put them away out of view?"  Here's a thought things you know you will need, put them on a shelf or in a cabinet because you know you will be looking in those places for them.  But things you hope to get around to, organize them neatly in plain view and make a point to tend to them everyday.

2.  Food products and storage containers.  Some food items just don't get eaten because they aren't stored in containers or on shelves where people can see them.  Rearrange the fridge and the cabinets.  Do away with storage containers that don't let you see what is in them.  Find some space for the things you know everyone likes, but give away those items that have already proven they will never be used/eaten.  Note: when storing food items at the workplace, consider using storage containers.  This way rodents and insects will not have access to your goodies.

3.  Kitchen gadgets.  They come in handy when you need them, but when you don't, they are nothing more than space collectors.  Items you enjoy using store on a shelf unit or counter space that isn't used much.  Kitchen items that are only used once or twice a year store away in cabinets or plastic bins.

4.  Clothing and accessories.  How many ties, shoes, purses, shirts, jeans, and more do you need?  If you can answer this question then that's half the battle.  Sort items by season, size and color.  You will be surprised to see that some styles, colors, and other clothing items you have are in abundance to the point that you might never wear any of these items again.  When you find, for instance, you have far too many red shirts, size small and typically worn in the spring or summer, you might consider giving some of these items away especially when you know you haven't been a size small since the early 90s.  Consider organizers that make it easy for you to find what you need.  Shelf units, racks, closet hangers, and small plastic organizers can take the hassle out of organizing.  Drawer organizers can help with those items that can be tedious to find.

Once you start with sorting items in closets, cabinets and drawers, you will find it becomes less challenging to do other areas of your home.  Start with a room a week.  Have a trash bag ready, necessary organizers, and cleaning products.  You will find that as you begin moving things, you will find places that are dusty and in need of a good cleaning.  Enlist some help especially when you know you are the kind of person who doesn't like to throw away anything.  However, don't give your help a hard time because they aren't as close to your stuff as you are, remember your goal is to organize and clean your room not defend your stuff. 

As you begin to make progress organizing your home/apartment, you will hear those voices in your head that will tell you how you might need this one day or you will lose the weight so keep it, but the reality is that if you haven't used something or wore it in years, just because it feels like you will, most likely it isn't true.  Feelings lie.  When one is serious about using something and improving his or her life, he or she will not put off anything.  He or she will make the time to get things done.  Don't fight with yourself about keeping something, rather give items away to those who would get more out of them then you would.

The desire to organize is definitely a state of mind and one must be determined to stick to goals until they are accomplished.  Sure, there will be distractions, but one must keep focus.

Here's hoping your organizing and cleaning will be a success this year!  

Nicholl McGuire is the author of Know Your Enemy: The Christian's Critic and When Mothers Cry.

Ideas for Organizing Toys

So it's time to organize some new toys?  Consider how much space, what you might need to open up more space and ask yourself, "Do the children really need that old thing?"  Learn more about organizing toys here. Also, check out the following article, 8 Great Tips to Organize Kids' Rooms

Organize Shoes, Coats As Visitors Arrive

One of the things that can make such a nice looking home have that disorganized feel is when you first walk in and see coats and shoes near a door way piled up.

When guests come over for a visit, be sure that you have a place for all their stuff.  Empty out a closet, a cabinet space, or drawers.  Box your personal items and temporarily set them in another room until your celebrations are over.  Visitors will ask that ever-popular question, "Where can I put this?"  What the "this" is have a place for it from a hat to a bag.

Consider purchasing a coat rack if closet space is limited.  Also, get a shoe rack.  There are other racks for things like umbrellas.  Some shoe racks double into shelf spaces too which would be great to collect your visitors' miscellaneous things.

A throw rug near an entry door is a must-have.  You never know what people might carry on their shoes.  Encourage guests to bring favorite slippers or have a few readily available if you are concerned about dirt all over your freshly shampooed carpeting.  Have shoe covers available just in case you have an unexpected maintenance issue and a worker has to come over to fix something wearing dirty boots.