March 8, 2015 is International Women’s Day. Do you take time to stay in touch with your women friends? If you are not – and it bothers you – then read on. As women, we call ourselves nurturers. Make sure you nurture your friendships, too.

As a professional organizer and productivity consultant, I am often asked how to find extra time in the day. The fact is we all have only 24 hours in a day; it is how we function in those hours that counts. For the chronically disorganized, this may seem like an impossible feat, but by taking small and deliberate steps, you can become more organized, thus saving time. From combining errands to learning to delegate, you can free up valuable time for the things that are most important to you. All it takes is a mindfulness of where you are spending your time. Keeping a time journal will be very helpful in highlighting areas of wasted time. Being mindful of time traps such as interruptions from emails, texts, phone calls is another way to regain some control.

Through small changes in our daily routines, we can simplify our lives and create some free time to take care of ourselves and to nurture our friendships.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Hang a key holder near the door, and then hang your keys up each time you return home.
2. Open your mail near the garbage can, and immediately toss out unwanted, non-confidential junk mail.
3. Create a “Shred” basket for confidential mail, and then shred it each week. Enlist your children to help – they’ll love it!
4. Commit to reorganizing one area at a time, and then do it.
5. When shopping, be mindful of need versus want.
6. Hang a magnetic-backed tablet on your refrigerator. When you are low on a grocery item, write it on the tablet.  This will become your grocery list (and don’t leave home without it).
7. Be gentle with yourself, and recognize that being organized is a learned behavior.

If you struggle with too few hours in the day, then it is time to get organized. Contact Andrea Brundage at Simple Organized Solutions now.  Complete the Get Started form and get the upper hand on lost time. Today is the day to stop procrastinating and putting off what is most important to you.