© kim cossette • theorganizedapproach.com • 678-908-6484

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© Kim Cossette • TheOrganizedApproach.com • 678-908-6484

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http://TheOrganizedApproach.com

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D E A R F R I E N D S ,

Do you struggle to get out the door in the morning in any sort of calm, timely manner?

Do you dread the chores that await you at the end of a long, busy day?

Home should be a peaceful, restorative space to begin and end your day. A place where you can curl up with a good book – or throw the doors open wide to friends and family … not a time-sucking, endlessly-needs-my-attention-so-I-hate-to-be-home space.

Imagine how it would feel if you walked in your door at the end of the day and you could sit down, put your feet up, take a deep relaxing breath and enjoy your evening. Any. Way. You. Choose. Wouldn’t it feel great? Wouldn’t life be less stressful? The answer is absolutely “yes!” and, best of all, getting there is completely doable!

A F E W S I M P L E T W E A K S ( O R M A Y B E A M A J O R O V E R H A U L ) TO Y O U R D A I LY H A B I T S I S T H E

P L A C E TO S TA R T.

Here’s the good news: I’m going to share with you my own daily habits I use to manage my home.

If you too practice these habits long enough you’ll soon develop a routine as natural as brushing your teeth every day. As a matter of fact, backsliding on a habit even for a day or two will feel as yucky as not brushing your teeth!


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The benefit of this daily routine: you’ll prevent a major build-up of clutter and overwhelm that will require a significant investment of your time and energy to dig your way out of.

T H E I N C R E D I B L E B O N U S O F T H I S D A I LY R O U T I N E : Y O U ’ L L C O M E H O M E E V E R Y D A Y TO

T H E B E A U T I F U L , O R G A N I Z E D S A N C T U A R Y Y O U D E S E R V E !

Happy Organizing,


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MAKE YOUR BED

Honor yourself and your day by making your bed as soon as you get up. This one simple act will set the tone for a full day of good habits. Best of all, you’ll not only create a calm, peaceful, restorative space to begin and end your day, you now have an untouchable clutter-free zone.

Think about it: How likely will you be to toss a pile of laundry, sweaty yard clothes, or anything for that matter, on a beautifully made bed? Not likely!

TIP: The more you “love” something, the more likely you’ll be to respect and

care for it. Fall in love with your bed by buying the highest quality sheets you can afford. The higher the thread count, the softer the fabric will feel and the more you’ll look forward to falling into your luxurious bed at the end of the day.


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HABIT #1


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PUT DAILY ESSENTIALS IN THE SAME PLACE.

EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

This one habit alone has the potential to save an enormous amount of wasted time and frustration. No matter how hectic your day may be, stick to your guns on this one!

Simply identify every item you take with you each time you leave the house – keys, purse, wallet, tote bag, glasses, etc. – and return them to the exact same spot without fail.

EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

The closer you keep these items to your garage (or exit) door the better. No more wasting a single minute racing between rooms looking for the same exact missing item day after day.


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HABIT #2


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WRITE THINGS DOWN

Become a list-maker. On paper or electronically. It doesn’t matter.

Constantly going over a check-list in your head and worrying if you’ll forget something is not only inefficient, it’s exhausting. In fact, it’s mental clutter! Worse yet, the potential consequences of actually forgetting something because it wasn’t written down is far more time-consuming than the time it would have taken to jot down the note in the first place.

Avoid scattered on-the-back-of-an-envelope, post-its-everywhere type of notes. Instead, choose one small notebook (one that fits in your purse so you can keep it with you at all times) and/or a favorite electronic tool. Add a calendar to the mix and you’re ready to go.

Last step … check your list. Regularly!


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HABIT #3


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DO THE DISHES

Who wants to deal with a huge pile of dirty dishes with dried, stuck-on food! The solution: clean up as you go. Simple as that!

As you cook, rinse and load the dishwasher. When finished with a plate or glass, do the same. Putting up one dish at a time is far less a chore than having to deal with a days’ worth of dirty dishes. At a minimum, rinse, stack neatly, or soak if needed, for easy cleaning later on.

Stay on top of your dishes and watch what happens - just like a beautifully made bed, a clean counter and sink will motivate you to keep it that way.


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HABIT #4


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DEAL WITH THE MAIL

A few minutes of attention on your mail each day is all it takes to prevent hours down the road having to deal with mounds of paper. Save yourself this stress and deal with your mail.

EVERY. DAY.

Pick a spot – one spot – and set the mail here when you walk in the door. As soon as you can:

Recycle junk mail without opening Sort out bulky magazines, catalogs and reading material Quickly separate time-sensitive mail (bills, etc.) from the rest

That’s the daily part. Simple as that! Important matters still need to be dealt with, of course, but if you at least weed out and sort the mail daily you’re way ahead of the game when you’re ready to face the rest!


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HABIT #5


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TAKE CARE OF YOUR CLOTHES

Clothes don’t belong on the floor. Simple as that! Imagine you’re a guest in someone’s home. Would you toss your clothes around there? Likely not. Why not treat yourself, your home and your clothes with the same respect.

When changing your clothes, immediately fold, hang back up or put into a laundry basket. When there’s enough clothing in the laundry to run a load – go ahead and do it. Fold or hang straight out of the dryer. A few minutes on the spot will prevent the dreaded “laundry day.”

TIP: Every time you come across a piece of clothing you don’t want – drop it

immediately into a donate bin. Once the bin is full – donate & repeat!


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HABIT #6


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LEAVE NO TRACE

This is a nice way to say … pick up after yourself!

This golden rule for campers, hikers and fellow nature-lovers is all about respect and simply means leave things the way you found it. Your home is your personal habitat and deserves just as much respect as nature does.

It’s understandable that your home will not be spotless every day with every single possession neatly stashed in its rightful home. But develop the habit of being respectful and sensitive to this idea. The extra minute to put something back where it belongs rather than setting it randomly on a countertop or in a pile on the floor is far less time-consuming than giving up a precious beautiful Saturday to declutter your entire home when you could be out in nature instead!


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HABIT #7


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EMPTY YOUR CAR

Before getting out of your car, take a quick look and see what you can carry in: trash, papers, shopping bags, personal items. Do this consistently and your car will remain clutter free and you’ll prevent that embarrassing moment when someone needs a ride and has to wait while you make room in the front seat for them.

TIP: Keep a small trash bin and a tote bag in the car that you can take back

and forth from the house.


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HABIT #8


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EMPTY YOUR POCKETS AND BAG

At the end of each day, take just a moment to empty your pockets and bag. Ideally, sort and deal with anything immediately. Toss the trash. Put receipts or papers with your daily mail for further handling. Put loose change and bills back in your wallet or coin jar. Put your daily essentials in their proper home.

The benefit here should be clear by now: a minute or two of upkeep and maintenance done every single day is far more efficient and less stressful than having to search through pockets in the laundry basket, or dumping out the contents of multiple purses looking for something important.

TIP: Keep a removable “purse organizer” in your daily bag with all your

essentials. Not only can you easily move this between your purses, but any extra, loose items tossed in your bag can easily be identified and removed each day.


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HABIT #9


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PREPARE FOR TOMORROW

Before you wrap up the day, put some thought into tomorrow. Check your calendar. Check your list.

What can you do ahead of time to make your morning and exit easier?

Make sure your clothes are clean and ready Keys and other daily essentials should be ready to grab and go Any tool, supply, scrap of paper or treat needed for the day can be gathered. Now.

Whatever you can do in advance - Do It. Simple as that!


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HABIT #10

Call the Organized Approach!

678-908-6484


© kim cossette • theorganizedapproach.com • 678-908-6484

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