OPTED Magazine

Every day is a great day to get organized, but the month of August in particular has numerous opportunities and benefits to take advantage of.  With the summer coming to a close, our schedules and daily activities will change dramatically.  Here are 5 reasons to get organized this month:

1. Back to school — if you have kids, this is the month they’re gearing up to begin a new school year.  Whether it’s grade school or college, school supplies, backpacks and new clothing are all on their way back into your home.  Making sure you have a system for keeping track of all this new gear will eliminate headaches and keep your family on track.  By the same token, your schedules will change dramatically as well.  With kids out of the house, you’ll find your free time will increase, giving you an opportunity to work “behind the scenes” for an hour or so each day to make progress on decluttering and organization.
2. Seasonal changes — summer is a time for relaxation and outdoor activities, which in many cases are accompanied by piles of must have items.  Inflatable pool toys and beach gear can now be consolidated and stored for next year, out of sight and out of your way.  The same holds true for clothing.  If you’re like most people, closet space and dressers are overflowing and wading through the masses of summer attire is a good way to store summer clothing for next year and fill a bag for donations.
3. The fall, holiday rush is sooner than you think — it’s my favorite time of year: pumpkin carvings, Halloween, family get togethers, leaf raking, Thanksgiving and Christmas: a series of events one after another in short sequence, with barely any time to breathe.  Now is the perfect time to plan for that rush and get organization projects and decluttering out of the way before an increase in gifts entering your home and a decrease in time become a reality.
4. Time is money — no matter how disciplined we may be, expenses skyrocket in the next few months.  Those expenditures are not limited to gift giving, happy hours, or travel to see loved ones — it includes higher heating bills and the inevitable credit card charges as well.  But debt increase in not inevitable — planning now and setting a budget for the remainder of 2009 can be an important step to decrease stress for the entire family.  Take the time to organize your finances NOW and it will yield a huge benefit in a few weeks.
5. Stores have deals — even if you don’t have children, and you aren’t a part of the back to school crowd, those same organization gadgets and solutions are still on the shelves at rock bottom prices for you to purchase as well.  Keeping in mind the need to buy less and to stay on a budget, there are still ways that your organization system can be improved with some inexpensive purchases.  For instance, stores such as Target and Bed Bath and Beyond are offering new lines of storage buckets and space savers meant to aid college students in cramped dorm rooms.  These items have become not only less expensive, but appear more luxurious as well and can spice up the look, feel and function of your home.

August is the perfect window of time before the fall and holiday rush to sit back, take out a pen and paper and make an organization plan.  Give yourself one minute to contemplate how hectic the next few months will be and make it a priority to get organized.  Start now.

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