31 Day Organization Challenge- Life Edition- Week 3

Congratulations on making it halfway through the 31 Day Organizational Challenge: Life Edition.  This week we will focus on the mess in our tech lives.  Our computers, smart phones and files can become so messy, yet so much of our life is wrapped up and dependent on technology.  Getting organized in this area will have an incredibly positive effect on your life, so let’s get started!

Be a yard stick of quality.  Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.  – Steve Jobs

DAY 1 – HARD COPY PHOTOS

It is time to get your printed photos together so you can enjoy them and show them off proudly.  Let’s get rid of those boxes of photos all jumbled together that no one wants to dig through, and get those memories organized into neat and pretty albums that will not only look lovely on a shelf, but will make sharing your photos with family and friends easier.

• First, go through the prints you have, whether in albums or not, and toss any bad photos you really won’t look at again. That blurry shot at the beach without anyone in it doesn’t need to stick around.
• After you toss the bad pictures, pull out any prints you want to give away.  Also, make a note of any prints you want to print in a different size to frame or you want to print duplicates of to give away.
• Next, try to organize your photos by event, year or some other time period depending on how many photos you have.
• Get a nice set of matching photo albums, and go ahead and buy more than you need right now.  This way you can continue to expand your collection and your albums will still match, making for a pretty shelf of photos wherever you store them in your home.  Label and date each album and you are ready to display them and show them off!

DAY 2 – DIGITAL PHOTOS

If you are a momtographer, and let’s face it, we all are with our smart phones at the ready to catch any cute moments of our kiddos, you need to organize those hundreds or thousands of pictures on your computer, phone, and camera.

DAY 3 – CELL PHONE

Chances are your cell phone seldom leaves your side so let’s get it updated and organized.

• Is your cell phone’s operating software up to date and have you synched it with your computer lately to back up your cherished photos and videos of your kids? Today is the day to get that often forgotten but important task completed.
• Do you have your phone in a case to help protect it?  If not, check out Casetagram: Photo Cell Phone Case.  Since you got your photos organized yesterday, it should be easy to find your favorite to put on this cover!
• Go through your contact list and delete anyone you know you will not be contacting anymore.
• If you write notes on your smart phone, clean those out too.  Delete those old grocery lists and reminders.  Delete any apps that you never use and update the ones that you do use.
• Organize your apps into folders by categories that make sense to you, and you will save time by not scrolling through pages and pages of apps all over the place.
• Finally, reset any passwords on your phone that you haven’t changed in a long time to ensure your phone will stay secure even if you lose it or it is stolen.

DAY 4 – COMPUTER

Just like anywhere else in your home or office, your computer needs to be decluttered.  An organized computer will operate better and you will feel less stressed working on an organized computer.

DAY 5 – SOCIAL MEDIA

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Most of us rely on social media now as a main form of communication just like our phones.  And just like our phones, our social media accounts can become cluttered with contacts we don’t connect with and applications we don’t use anymore.  We follow way too many strangers on instagram and twitter and clog up our feeds with junk.  Facebook messages fill up and we fail to delete old ones.

• Start with your contacts, friends and accounts you follow.  Ask yourself if you actually connect with this person on a personal level. If the answer is no, delete them.  Because we do follow people we don’t know, like celebrities, ask if that particular account is enriching your life by educating or entertaining you.  You spend so much time looking at social media, you don’t need things on there that do not positively enhance your life. While you’re at it, if you have teens, talk to them about their social media accounts with the help of What We Don’t Know: Social Media and Teens.
• Go through your messages in facebook and other social media accounts.  Make sure you have responded to those that need a response and then delete, delete, delete!

DAY 6 – CORDS

All of our techy gear comes with a built in mess of cords but with a little help, those cords don’t have to be an eye sore in your home or office.

• To cover up ugly power strips and organize all the cords plugged into them, try this cable management box.
• If you have lots of little electronic devices that are constantly begging to be charged, like smart phones and tablets, check out this cute bamboo charging station.  You could put this anywhere in your home and it will look stylish and help you stay organized because your cords are put away, and you will know where all your devices are when you aren’t using them.
• If you are getting different cords mixed up, try labeling them with washi tape, as in 10 Ways to Washi: Organizing Edition.

DAY 7 – IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS

It’s the last day of week 3 of the challenge and this is a very important task. Get this done and go into the last week feeling really accomplished. Important documents need to be safe but accessible. A well organized file cabinet is a must, but some documents require a safer place than a file cabinet. Consider getting a fire proof lock box or safe for your social security cards, birth certificates, passports, military paperwork, wills or trusts, deeds to land or other documents showing ownership of valuable property, and your marriage license or adoption documents if applicable.

Once you have separated the most important of your documents, sit down with a good shredder and go through all your paperwork. Shred what you don’t need and file what you do need to keep. For example, the IRS states that you only need to keep tax documents for the last 3 years. So go on and shred those W-2s from your summer job in high school. With your files cleaned out, make sure everything is labeled clearly. You can use washi tape for your file labels just like you did for your cords.

Week 3 is finished! Congratulations on tackling your techy tasks. You will be amazed how much more smoothly things are going to be with your technical stuff under control. Now get ready for Week 4 because we are going to get some spreadsheets together and our social lives under control.

Photo Credits: Dani