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Organization Saves Time
 

Whether you work full-time outside or inside the home, you probably fill every spare moment. From dentist appointments to football practice to business meetings, time is a precious commodity. When you are organized, you save time. Here are some tips to help add time to your day. 

General 

Ø      Make a to-do list and prioritise it into things that have to be done today, this week and sometime when you get around to it. When you have a spare minute, you can review the list to see what you can squeeze in.

Ø      De-clutter your life. If you don’t use it or love it, get rid of it.

Ø      When you get your calendar for the next year, go ahead and write in all the birthdays and anniversaries.

Ø      If an organising project, such as filing your personal papers, seems overwhelming, try working on it for just 15 minutes a day until you get it done.

Ø      Organise your wardrobe to make getting dressed easier. Put all the trousers together, all the dresses together, etc. Then sort by colour from lightest to darkest.

Ø      When you pick up a piece of paper, make a decision. Read it and throw it away, file it or pass it along.

Ø      Always keep your keys in the same place so you know where to find them.

Ø      When running errands, make a list of what you need and plan your route, so you don’t backtrack.

For Parents

Ø      Pack lunches the night before.

Ø      Anything your child is ready to do for himself, teach him to do. Whether it is a two-year-old picking up his toys or a five-year-old making his own sandwich, let them help you lighten the load.

Ø      Keep your children’s toys organised by storing like items together, for example, all action figures in one container.

Ø      Keep shoes and outerwear in one spot (not necessarily together), so there are no mad searches right before you leave in the morning.

Ø       Put your child’s backpack and other items needed for school by the door or some other convenient spot the night before.

Ø       Lay out clothes before you go to bed.

Household

Ø      Put all your bills in the same place when they come in. Take the time twice a month to pay them.

Ø     Before grocery shopping, plan your meals for the week. Make sure you have all the ingredients you need or add them to your grocery list.

Ø       When cleaning, start at the same spot each time. Work from top to bottom.

Ø       Organise your storage areas by keeping like items together.

Ø       Clean the main living areas in your home each evening. Have the children pick up or at least organise their things themselves. 

Avoid Cyberstalkers 

Cyberstalkers often get key information about their targets from the victims themselves. Many Internet users give out personal information online that they would never give to a stranger standing next to them at a bus stop. Yet that is essentially what they are doing when filling out profiles for Internet service providers or in chat rooms. These profiles often list a user’s phone number and address. Frequently this data is not kept private, but is available online to any Net-savvy surfer. So here are some tips from the experts on how to surf safely and avoid cyberstalkers:

1. Check a site’s privacy policy before filling out any online form. Find out who has access to the information and if the data can be sold. Some privacy policies are coyly worded, so if the site doesn’t explicitly spell out its policy, think twice before registering your information.

2. Don’t provide any personal information on your own website. Keep in mind that even photos with school logos or other identifying marks can make you vulnerable. A cyberstalker can search databases on the Net to locate more information about you using just your last name and the city in which you live. So avoid uploading photos that could compromise your anonymity.

3. Many databases and online directories compile addresses, e-mail addresses and phone numbers. Some even provide reverse lookup so that all a stalker needs is an e-mail address in order to find out who you are and where you live. Try to remove yourself from as many of these databases as possible. Start by searching for information about yourself. If you can find it, so can someone else.

4. Many cyberstalking cases arise when users break online etiquette rules in chat rooms or discussion boards. Don’t risk angering others. Know the “netiquette” rules specific to the site before drawing attention to yourself.

5. When necessary, surf anonymously. Use a free service to keep anyone from tracing your Internet service provider. When e-mailing a stranger, use an anonymous account.

6. Only enter chat rooms with people you know offline. If you must join a chat room where you don’t know the participants, avoid using screen names with provocative or gender-specific words.

 

Reminder: PineCone Research never shares any of your personal information with third parties without your knowledge.

— Adapted from Reader’s Digest.com