The BIGG Successs Show
Get Rid Of Clutter And Save An Hour A Day With These Simple Tips
Save time and money with these clutter-busters! Read the show summary at biggsuccess.com.
Welcome to The Big Success Show. Today we'll offer some simple tips to get rid of clutter and save an hour a day. The Big Success Show with George and Mary Lynn. That's a pretty big promise, Mary Lynn. With 2G. Maybe 3. I'm not sure. You're saying they can get rid of clutter AND save an hour a day. Yes. According to Newsweek, the average American loses 55 minutes every day searching for things they can't find. So, if you get organized, you're going to save an hour a day. Hold on, Mary Lynn. I'm trying to find my keys. You know, I think this is particularly appropriate because we're getting ready to spring forward this weekend here in the United States, so we're going to lose an hour. What you're telling me is I can get it back in a hurry. Absolutely. The printer can be costly in other ways as well. If you can't find the bills because they're buried under a pile of paper somewhere, well, then they don't get paid on time and you end up paying late fees. If appointments are missed, relationships can be damaged. In some places, clutter is so pervasive that people have been injured when they tripped over it. Or I guess it could fall on you, Mary Lynn. We just had a clutter avalanche here at the Big Success Studio. Good thing we weren't in its path. I can say. Well, so today, we'll talk about four clutter busters to save you. And us. Time and money. And injury. So our first tip, use it or lose it. If and doubt, throw it out. All right, Jesse. Or Johnny. Many people approach it the opposite way, though. They keep it unless they know they won't use it. And if you do that, you'll never eliminate clutter until you get past that thought process. Apply the six month rule. Have you used it in the last six months? And will you use it in the next six months? If the answer to those questions is no, lose it. Well, you know, that sounds all good and wonderful, George. But as a business owner, there's lots of paperwork and files that you can't just get rid of using that six month rule. Well, and that's true, Mary Lynn, but here's another thought. We remember the talk about a paperless office. And now I think we have more paper than ever. But the thing is, a lot of times you may be able to scan it and storing it electronically is a lot better than storing it physically. Excellent point. Our second tip today. Make a place for everything. Keep everything in its place. You know, after you've thrown things away, you should have a lot less to put away. But you have to put it away. That's key. Find a place for everything you keep. Use decorative boxes, bins, file cabinets, anything like that. And once you've put it there, keep it there. It's kind of that old put it back rule, right? When you use something, put it back immediately after you're done with it. Make that a habit. That's what we tell the kids to do with the toys, right? Actually, that's what you tell me to do all the time. Our third tip, call on a pro. You may not be the do-it-yourself type or maybe you just want some professional help or maybe you just don't have that decorative knack. Check out the National Association of Professional Organizers and we've got a link to that site on our blog today at BigSuccess.com. You'll be able to search for organizers in your area using their site and also find some great tips on hiring a specialist. And tip number four is once you get uncluttered, make sure you don't re-clutter. Daily maintenance is key. Create a system for handling incoming items like your mail, newspaper and periodicals. One of the best tips I ever got, Mary Lynn, was someone who told me that they opened their mail over their shredder. So you just sort it instantly, save whatever mail you want to save by action date, file it appropriately. And here's another one. When today's newspaper is here, yesterday's can be gone. Same thing with magazines. Coming up, we're going to let you in on a little secret because clutter may be a symptom of a bigger problem. Today we're talking about clutter and how to get rid of it. We've already shared four tips. But here's the thing, clutter may be a symptom of a bigger underlying problem. And that's this, you're too busy. And so many of us face that. If you find yourself diving right into your next task immediately after you've finished your last task because you have another tight deadline, you might just be too busy. Not living on human time, you know, a lot of us expect too much from ourselves. So here's the little secret, you may need to slow down to catch up. That's right. Not having clutter is good for your well-being. It helps you think more clearly. And as Newsweek shows, you can gain about an hour a day by getting and staying organized. So schedule some time during your week to attack the clutter and prevent it from getting out of hand again. Do you have some decluttering tips to share? Give us a comment at BigSuccess.com, we'll gladly accept the help. And you can also get a written summary of our show there as well. And the link to the National Association of Professional Organizers. And before we go, let's get our big quote for the day. Our quote today comes from the educator and author, Dr. Lawrence J. Peter. And Marilyn, see if you can answer this question. If a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, what is the significance of a clean desk? Hmm, usually I have a witty comment coming out of your big quote, but right now my mind's a blank, George. Well, Marilyn, I've got so many thoughts going through my mind, I don't know where to start. Guess we all know which one of us is the clutter bug now. Next time we'll get some advice from a business networking expert who will share his three keys to effective networking. And until then, here's to your big success. [MUSIC PLAYING] You