10 Must-Have Organising Tools_2966

There are some things in life I just can't do without. These 10 organizing tools are a must in my house and really help to keep us organized.
Notebook and pen
I have notebooks all over the house, one next to my bed, one on the entrance hall table, one in my handbag, one in the car, etc. It is easier to jot some notes down immediately without losing the thought than to have to try to remember it.
Flip files
Flip files are so useful - in the kitchen alone, I use two - one for my favourite recipes and one for my household organising file. You can buy your own household organising file at my website. We also use a flip file as our travel file and put all our printables from the internet of tours we want to take, checklists, etc.
Masking tape
I got this excellent tip from Confessions of an Organized Homemaker. I use masking tape for labels everywhere. The tape is really easy to write on with both a pen and a marker. Use in the kitchen to label your leftovers in the fridge and also on your storage containers in the cupboards.
Permanent marker
Use a permanent marker to label virtually everything. This is one of the main tricks to keep your home organised. It is all good and well to have everything nicely sorted but if you can't remember what's in each container without having to look inside then it's a bit useless, isn't it? My house has a permanent marker in the kitchen, one in my handbag and a couple in the study.
Post-it notes
I use post-it notes for labels on storage boxes. If you use the proper branded ones, they stick on everything and last forever. Don't waste your time with the cheap stuff. My fridge is labeled with post-its - the same ones have been in there for about 6 months now and are as good as new. There is no sign of non-stickiness. Use in the fridge, on shelves, shoe boxes, trays, magazine holders, etc.
Clear square or rectangular plastic storage containers
Once you start using clear containers, you will never go back to the opaque stuff. You'll always know what's in there and find your food doesn't waste as often. You can pack more stuff into a space if you use square or rectangular containers than if you use round ones. Use them in the kitchen for food and in the study for paper clips, staples, etc.
Ziploc bags
Use Ziploc bags for sandwiches, freezing food, holding vegetables, for toiletries when travelling, for all your camera or MP3 player attachments, if you're going on a day trip and need to take some sunblock and mosquito repellent, etc.
Prestik
I use Prestik to stick up shopping and menu lists in the kitchen, a recipe on the cupboard when I'm baking (so it doesn't get dirty), Christmas cards on the side of the wall unit (so they don't take up space on a shelf) and to stick up a pen and my goals list in my wardrobe.
Elastic bands
Use to close bags of chips, sweets or vegetables or to keep your gift wrap in a neat roll. They are easier to use on freezer bags than those clips you get in the packets.
Perpetual calendar
Set it up once with all the birthdays, anniversaries and special events,Lacoste T-shirts, and you use the same one, year in and year out. Diarise to check it around the 27th of every month for upcoming birthdays and you are all prepared! I'll tell you a secret - I even set up all my birthday emails beforehand and then postpone them to only deliver on the person's birthday.
Happy organising!
5th Step Put the list in an order of priority. Which area of your life needs action most urgently? When would you like to have this achieved by? Set dates for the other areas, being realistic - but being true to you.6th Step What is the first step to achieving your goals? Who can help you? What resources do you need? Where can you get these? What additional learning do you need? Where can you find out about this? When are you going to begin? How important is this goal?7th Step Why are you doing this? What is motivating you? If you do not have a big enough reason 'why,' you will find yourself falling off the wagon. Like many new year resolutions people make, it will be overlooked and your life will be left to chance once more. How do you want to feel when you look back in 10 years and remember the dreams you once had, that you didn't 'bother' to achieve?
Decide how important this is to you, your family. Choose to make it a priority in your life. Many of my clients come to me because they have goals, but they know unless they are accountable or spend time each month focusing on their goals with me, their coach - they will give up on them. And they are serious about changing their lives, using goal setting strategies to get what they want.8th Step Who will you share your goal with? Be careful here. I have found that if we are too free with our excitement about how we're designing our lives - others do not always support us and try to prick our bubble. Sometimes, friends and family like life to be the way it is and that's that. They do not want anything to change. It can be that they do not want to see us start something and then fail.