How many times have you heard me say that I could run the world with 3x5 cards and my timer? I have tried so many organization systems over time, some high tech and some low tech, and the end result has always been the same - I have gone back to my 3x5 cards and timer.
Some jobs loom large as I procrastinate doing things that I really don't like to do. I tell myself that the job will take forever, that I really don't know how to do it, that I don't know where to start, that it won't turn out the way I want it to anyway. And then I think that I will have to start all over again once I finish anwway. Does that sound familar to anyone? How to get out of that kind of stinkin' thinking? Enter the timer.
Spring cleaning? I set my timer for 15 minutes, turn on the music, and just START in one room. When the timer goes off, I change rooms. It is amazing how many drawers I can clean out, how many closets I can go through, how many things I can prepare, dust, straighten, etc. in 15 minutes.
Writing papers for school? No problem. Research for 15 minutes. Write for 15 minutes.
Most jobs take way less time than we alot them. Hustle for 15 minutes and it is amazing what can be accomplished.
And then we come to my beloved 3x5 cards. Yes, I really do love them. They are sturdy. They don't bend and fold up on themselves. They are just the right size for nearly any kind of list. You can store them in a box, in a drawer, on a cork board, in a folder, in your purse or wallet, in the glove box of the car.
When my kids were young, I kept a 3x5 card in a drawer in each room, listing each task to be done to clean that room. When they told me they were done with their chore, I reminded them to make sure they had done everything on the card. End of nagging.
Favorite recipe? Inside of the kitchen cupboard or drawer on a 3x5.
Medication reactions/allergies? Inside the medicine cabinet drawer.
Grocery list? My card stands perfectly in the cart.
To do list? Perfect size, portable, and love to cross off items as I get them done.
Ideas? Projects? Books to read? A note to send? Need an oil change? There is a 3 x 5 for that.
My timers and 3x5 cards help me to be happier, more productive, more organized, and easier to live with. They make short work of the have-to's and give me more time for the want-to's. They make sure that important information is close at hand, without counting on often overworked brain cells to remember! They reduce nagging (always a good thing). They help teach good habits. They can remind me of happy times (oh yeah, I remember when we made those bunny pops, I had forgotten about those), and can be a reminder of happy times to come (birthday and vacation planning). I can't imagine my life without them.
I'd like to think that I've handed this dazzling, amazing, wonderful system down to my children. Unfortunately, their idea is to say "write this down for me". Come to think of it, Floyd Michael says the same thing. However, I think my beloved grandson J may just pick on this habit. He is happy to write his own lists, and makes sure everyone knows they are important and not to throw them away. He has had his birthday wish list going for several months now. Organized boy after my own heart!
