hee. I like titling these things. It's so easy to say something insanely cheesy. And no I didn't mean to rhyme. :) See what I mean!? I have done my email sweep for the night and I am feeling good.
I am continuing a little thing I started last year but I'm being a little more vigilant now. Someone was telling me about the "2 minute" rule. I think they got it from Lifehacker and the basic thing is if it takes less than 2 minutes, just do it now. So whenever I need to move something or throw something out or whatever, if it takes less than 2 minutes I just do it right THEN. It seems like such a little thing but you would be amazed at what you can do in 2 minutes. Load or unload the washer/dryer. Clean off the kitchen counter. Wipe down the bathroom. Straighten up the living room.
If you, like me, find clutter CRAZY MAKING then you should try this. It really does make a difference in your day to day life. Making other people follow it is REALLY DIFFICULT, just like "making" people do anything. But it is worth your while to at least throw it out there for people, to make them think about all the things you do in a day that if you just did them right NOW it would make your life easier. Really! Try it today!!
Or just pat your type A friend/spouse/crazy next door neighbor on the head and tell them you'll think about it. :)
*still no mail here!
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Got my new calendar and I'm working on the future
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Day 2 - still no mail!
This is a fun project though I'm going to have to keep an eye on how anxious I get if I can't get an email out of the box fast enough! My strategy is pretty easy: Label, Respond, Archive. I use Gmail (as you can see from my original post) and it has been a great way for me to keep things organized.
I was never a big inbox hoarder in the first place but I always had between 20 and 30 items hanging around at any given time. I know to most people who have 100s if not thousands of items that may not seem like much but it was an annoyance to me and a source of stress the longer the items were not dealt with. Once you start letting things pile up in your inbox you can lose things so easily. It's hard enough for me to get through each day without a "to do" list and forgetting a commitment because my inbox got so full I couldn't see the item is just one more hassle I got tired of dealing with.
I am, by nature, a procrastinator and this is a great training exercise in the "just do it" school. I hope to see it carry over into other aspects of my life this year. I spend a lot of time planning to do things and wondering why they didn't ever happen. This year I hope that my inbox is a jump start to some other aspects of my life that need to have their own victory. :)
