December 2010 Monthly Home Organizing Checklist

Get Organized this month with your December 2010 Home Organizing Checklist.

____ Dec 1 Finish up any raking and trimming, and get your outdoor holiday decorations set up.

____ Dec 2 Get your indoor holiday decorations set up.

____ Dec 3 Move furniture and/or appliances and vacuum in areas that rarely get done--like behind the bed or under the fridge. Stuff too heavy to move? Get somebody to help.

____ Dec 4 Be sure you are prepared for icy days, with shovels, salt, ice scrapers, etc. If you have a shed, be sure to remove any liquids that might freeze. Bring in any flowerpots that may freeze and crack.

____ Dec 5 Clean out your refrigerator, removing all items from the shelves, weeding out any unwanted or expired food items, giving the shelves a good scrubbing, and returning foods back in an organized manner.

____ Dec 6 Have you finished writing out your holiday newsletter and/or cards? Get them done and mailed this week, to beat the last minute rush and to ensure they get delivered on time.

____ Dec 7 Weed out your filing system today, getting rid of any papers no longer needed. Keep a recycle container and a shredder nearby. If it’s too big to do in one day, do 10 files a day until it’s done.

____ Dec 8 Empty out your email inbox. Delete, delete, delete and put the few necessary messages to keep in well- named email folders.

____ Dec 9 Clean off the surface of your kitchen table and dining room table. Don’t just move stuff to the floor. Get rid of it if you don’t need it, or put it where it belongs. If it doesn’t have a home, make one.

____ Dec 10 Fill a minimum of one donation box with clothes, coats, toys, appliances and more that are never used. Bring it over to your favorite charity. If you can fill two or three boxes, all the better!

Want tons of great ideas for getting organized at home and in the office? Check out my new books, Finally Organized, Finally Free for the Home and Finally Organized, Finally Free for the Office. Now available in both print and digital PDF format.

____ Dec 11 Finalize your holiday plans and have everything in writing for yourself, and anyone else involved in the planning.

____ Dec 12 Catch up on your laundry--so much so that you can actually see the bottom of your laundry hamper.

____ Dec 13 Remove everything from your desk, except the basics (like lamps, calculators and the like) and the project you’re working on right this moment. Put the rest of your papers into project folders if they’re current, your filing system if they need to be referenced later, or the recycle container if they’re no longer needed.

____ Dec 14 Treat yourself by using any gift cards you’ve been holding onto.

____ Dec 15 What’s lurking under the beds? Crawl under and retrieve anything that doesn’t belong there.

____ Dec 16 Get your calendar ready for 2011 if you haven’t done so already. Fill in any recurring and/or known appointments.

____ Dec 17 Pick up any last-minute holiday gifts. Finish wrapping everything, being sure to put a gift tag on it. Mark it on the bottom with a code only you will understand so you can tell what’s inside.

____ Dec 18 Organize bed linens for all the bedrooms in your home. Fit sheet sets into one pillowcase of the same set to keep sets together.

____ Dec 19 Hire someone to do something for you, like clean your home, shovel your snow or wrap your gifts. Yes, it may cost you a few dollars, but look at all the time you’ll save!

____ Dec 20 Bring anything that needs to be dry cleaned to the cleaners.

Keeping on top of everything going on in your life is easy, when you have the Get Organized Now!™ Easy Organizer.

____ Dec 21 Organize a box of photos, or get current photos in albums, scrapbooked, or organized and backed-up in your computer.

____ Dec 22 Scrub the kitchen counters and floors. Still have time? Do the same in the bathrooms.

____ Dec 23 Get guest rooms organized. No guests coming for the holidays? Organize your mudroom, laundry room or coat closet instead.

____ Dec 24 Go for a drive around town, just to enjoy the holiday lights and decorations.

____ Dec 25 Merry Christmas...Relax and enjoy the day and all the warmth that goes with it.

____ Dec 26 Today is another chore-free day. Take it. You deserve it.

____ Dec 27 Return and/or exchange any gifts as needed.

Get all your papers organized once and for all, in an organized (find-anything-you-need-in-a-second) filing system. You'll be the envy of your friends! Discover: Oh-So-Organized Filing System

____ Dec 28 Handle any last-minute preparations for New Year’s Eve.

____ Dec 29 New Year’s Resolutions work if they’re reasonable. Make a list of things you’d like to do in 2011. Designate your top three priorities and then begin developing a plan to achieve them. Be sure there’s a system in place to check your progress regularly.

____ Dec 30 Last chance this year to weed out. Try to part with a minimum of 25 things you don’t need. Vow to simplify in 2011.

____ Dec 31 Call someone you haven’t spoken to in awhile and make their day! Have a great New Years Eve celebration. Be proud of everything you have accomplished this year!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

by Maria Gracia - Get Organized Now! FREE Idea-Pak and E-zine filled with tips, ideas, articles and more to help you organize your home, your office and your life at the Get Organized Now! Web site!