Emilie Barnes - 365 Ways to Organize Everything

Ways to Organize

Everything

Emilie Barnes & Sheri Torelli

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Verses marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible, Copyright 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved.

Verses marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Verses marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Verses marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Cover by e210 Design, Eagan, Minnesota

Cover photos Collage Photography / Veer; iStockphoto / Csondy; David Hughes / Shutterstock; Tom Baker / Shutterstock

365 WAYS TO ORGANIZE EVERYTHING

Copyright 2011 by Emilie Barnes and Sheri Torelli

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Barnes, Emilie.

365 ways to organize everything / Emilie Barnes and Sheri Torelli.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-7369-4421-2 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-4422-9 (eBook)

1. Time managementReligious aspectsChristianity. 2. HousewivesTime management. 3. Home economics. I. Torelli, Sheri, 1956- II. Title. III. Title: Three hundred sixty-five ways to organize everything.

BV4598.5.B36 2011

640.43dc23

2011030441

Select portions taken from:

15-Minute Organizer, 1991 by Emilie Barnes, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon 97402.

101 Ways to Clean Up the Clutter, 2008 by Emilie Barnes, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon 97402.

500 Time-Saving Hints for Every Woman, 2006 by Emilie Barnes, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon 97402.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 / BP-SK / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Have a time and place for everything, and do everything in its time and place, and you will not only accomplish more, but have far more leisure than those who are always hurrying, as if vainly attempting to overtake time that had been lost.

T RYON E DWARDS

T he role of the homemaker is complicated. Some women are full-time homemakers. Some women work outside the home or work in a home-based business. All women juggle many responsibilities in addition to managing their households.

Many of us who multitask like this have never had a good model for such a complex role. Ive devoted my years to helping women become successful homemakers, showing them the kind of a home that makes a difference in the lives of children and spouses, strangers and friends.

This is not to say that there arent men who have to play out this role in life. When I became sick with cancer and couldnt function for several years, my husband, Bob, had to take on this role for our family. He was so thankful that he had been raised by a mother who taught him how a home should function. It didnt take long for him to appreciate all the skills it takes to be an effective homemaker! Its hard work to manage a home. It is also important, rewarding work. Welcome to this gathering of ideas, advice, and encouragement that Sheri Torelli and I have created. Over the years and through our books, including our collaboration More Hours In My Day, we and our readers have become excited about the simple ways we can all make our homes and familys lives richer, lovelier, and less stressful. Read each chapter and put it into action. Put the ideas into practice, picking and choosing what works for you. And with a smile, let those around you know how much you love being the maker of a home. You and your family will discover the pleasure and comfort of being in a home transformed by the extra touches of love.

A m I still a good mom, a good wife, a good friend because I work outside my home? Im completely exhausted, frazzled, and stressed to the max! Im a stay-at-home mom and I still cant get my act together! Whats wrong with me?

In the frantic busyness of our schedules, its hard enough to get dinner on the table, much less find time to organize our homes! My background makes it easy for me to relate to the out-of-control busy woman today. Ive been there, done that! I experienced a time of total disorganization myself. I was working full-time out of the home, working full-time in the home, trying to stay on top of my two childrens busy schedules, and constantly worrying about my husband, a firefighter. Coupled with outside activities and an active church life, I was on the fast track before it was popular. I needed help!

What I needed to learn was the art of homemaking. Thats rightits not drudgery; its art! And that art is making a comeback. Women today are seeking ways to create order and beauty in their homes, but most dont know where to begin. And we cant do it the same way its been done in the past. We no longer have the luxury of several hours each day to prepare meals and clean our houses. The frustrated, busy, overscheduled woman today needs hope, directiona plan! We simply must be proactive and get busy using the small amounts of time we do have in an efficient and effective manner. I know firsthand how it can make a difference in the home and in the lives of our families.

I invite you to experience the joy and peace that an organized home and life offer. It is my prayer that you will use these quick time-saving ideas to make the most of the time you do have each day.

Id get organized, but I dont know where to begin! This statement has stopped more people in their organizational tracks than just about anything else. We become overwhelmed before we even get started! Here are a couple of quick tips to help you get going:

Break the big job down into small, manageable tasks. Write them down and prioritize the tasks.

Do the worst task first! Once it is out of the way, everything else will seem much easier.

Keep focused and eliminate distractions while working. To keep on task, set a timer for 15- to 30-minute segments of time.

Take small breaks every hour to refresh and re-energize.

Reward yourself when the job is completed. You deserve it!

Successful organization depends on many factors. In order to be efficient and effective as you go about organizing your life and home, keep the four Ps of organization in mind:

PlanPlanning is key to establishing success. Without a plan we have nothing to shoot for. However, be careful not to over-plan. Too much on your to-do list and youre only aiming for failure.

PrioritizeDetermining what needs to be done is key. But after that you must decide the order in which your tasks need to be completed. This skill might take time to perfect, but youll soon see the value of sitting down to determine what must be done immediately and which tasks can be put off.