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January 2009

NINE ORGANIZING RESOLUTIONS FOR 2009

There are many resolutions made at the beginning of a new year. However, one of the most important resolutions you can make is one that will positively affect you, your family and your students. That is to resolve to be organized in 2009!

No matter what your professional objectives are, organizing is at the crux of those goals. If you don't apply strategic-organizing principles to the things you want to do, you’ll end up wasting precious time and increasing your stress level; more importantly, your desired results will be hit or miss. Here are nine nifty organizing tips for 2009!

1. Start with a clean slate. Whether it's clutter in your classroom, on your desktop, in your computer files or in your mind, it's taking up precious space and time that could be used for the important things in your life. Make it a rule that for every item you bring into your space, two have to go. By the end of the year, you'll have lightened your load tremendously. Click here to view our TOP FIVE CLUTTER-CLEARING PRODUCTS!

2. Put it on paper. If your goals are just in your head, they’re floating around up there with everything else you have to think about. Draft a plan of action. Begin with the “Big Picture” (outcome), and then work backward, breaking your goals into chunks – monthly, weekly, daily.

3. Prioritize. After you’ve “chunked” your goals into a daily to-do list, you may realize you have many tasks on your plate. Thinking of them all becomes overwhelming. Lighten your mental load by prioritizing your tasks. List them in order of daily importance. If you don't complete the low-priority tasks, assess whether or not they really need to be completed. If so, place them on your priority list the next day.

4. Create a system. Our color-code products help you and your students visually sort and organize information and materials by subject, section, unit, month, week or day! Click here to view our TOP 10 COLOR-CODING PRODUCTS.

5. Balance your schedule. A schedule that's all work and no play will quickly deplete your inner resources. Work to achieve a balance in your schedule that leaves time for play, family, friends and all the things that rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit. Our QUICK-VIEW DESK REFERENCE, SCHEDULE ORGANIZER and QUICK-VIEW MAGNETIC ORGANIZER are great reference/reminder centers that will help keep you on track.

6. Streamline. Using a log for a few weeks, determine what's taking up your time. Simplify, restructure or better yet, eliminate time wasters. Click here to view our TOP FIVE CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT TOOLS that will help you streamline many daily classroom routines.

7. Get help. If you're constantly trying to do it all yourself, you're going to burn out. Delegate as many responsibilities as you can. Giving parents and students helpful tasks can help foster teamwork, responsibility and ownership in their own educational journeys. Additionally, forming a network of (same grade/same subject) colleagues allows you to collectively divvy up responsibilities and devise a schedule so shared units of study can be used by all. Everybody contributes, plus you will all benefit from the feedback each collaborator brings to the table!

8. Just say no. Respect your time, your schedule and your goals. Most of us like volunteering some of our free time to a worthy cause, and it is important to give back to our community. However, if you have too much going on and you already invest tons of time giving of yourself, it's OK to say no - especially when those requests don't fit in with your goals.

9. Reward yourself. Yes, just getting something done may be a reward in itself, but why not add whipped cream and sprinkles? Designate mini-rewards for small accomplishments - taking a coffee break, chatting on the phone, flipping through a magazine. Declare larger rewards for major accomplishments - a massage, a hike in the woods, dinner and a movie, or a do-nothing-at-all, stay-in-your-sweats day!

Good health, good deeds and good times in 2009. May this New Year be your best yet!

HOT TIP: Need more bulletin board space? Attach drop ceiling tiles to walls using Liquid Nails adhesive. Use wall paint to color the tiles any shade you like! An added bonus is the tiles absorb sound, creating a quieter classroom.

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