Tip 94: Sign Up For Automatic Bill Paying

Automatic bill paying saves you time every month, for every bill. It saves you money because you will never have to use stamps or pay a late fee again. Automatic bill paying also reduces stress because you don’t have to worry about when each individual bill is due. If you are concerned about the security of online bill paying, please know that every major financial institution uses electronic safeguards to protect the privacy and confidentiality of your information. Electronic financial transactions are typically very safe.

(10-Minute Tidy: 108 Ways to Organize Your Home Quickly; Finances, pg. 164-165)

Tip 19: Type Housesitting Instructions for Your Home, Family and Pets

You will probably have a baby-, house- or pet-sitter sometime during the year. If you have typed-up instructions with all the important phone numbers, addresses, and locations of specific items, you will save yourself lots of time and stress. Having a general document that you can easily edit and print out is a great timesaver.

(10-Minute Tidy: 108 Ways to Organize Your Home Quickly; Getting Started, pg. 31)

Tip 58: Create a Guest Supply Basket

What do you do with all those extra, travel size toiletries? As you go through each drawer, shelf and cabinet in your bathrooms, create one basket of supplies for your guests. This makes it very easy to put out the basket any time you have overnight guests. Store this basket under the sink or in a cabinet in your primary guest bathroom.

(10-Minute Tidy: 108 Ways to Organize Your Home Quickly; Bathrooms, pg. 100-101)

Tip 9: Set All the Clocks in Your Home to the Same Time

Take your cell phone, which is linked to the atomic time clock, and go room by room resetting all alarm and wall clocks. Also check everyone’s watches so that they are also set to the exact same time as everything else in your home. Finally, synchronize all of the clocks in each of the vehicles.

(10-Minute Tidy: 108 Ways to Organize Your Home Quickly; Getting Started, pg. 17)

Tip 32: Clean Out the Refrigerator and Make a Shopping List

For this 10-Minute Tidy, decide if you are going to focus on the shelves, drawers, or doors. If you take everything off the shelves, only put back what is still fresh. List whatever you may want to replace and be sure to wipe off the shelves while they are empty. Repeat this for the draws and doors of the refrigerator as well. I love keeping a magnetic note pad on the side of the fridge. This way everyone can write what he or she used up or would like to purchase.

(10-Minute Tidy: 108 Ways to Organize Your Home Quickly; Kitchen, pg. 53-54)

Tip 89: Organize and Label Electronic Files to Match Paper Files

Your life will be easier if your electronic files follow the same organizational structure as your filling cabinets. Open up your electronic files or “folders” and look at what the files are called in both your electric and paper versions. Are they the same or are they different? Which label is more appropriate or easier for you to remember? Rename your files or folders so that both electric and paper files match.

(10-Minute Tidy: 108 Ways to Organize Your Home Quickly; Papers, pg. 153)

Tip 79: Photocopy All the Important Items in Your Wallet

Take 10 minutes to photocopy all of the important items in your wallet right now. Be sure to photocopy the back and front of your driver’s license, credit cards and other identifying information. Keep the photocopies somewhere locked and safe in your home or office. Hopefully your wallet is never stolen or lost, but if it is, you will now have all of the important phone and account numbers you need in order to have the accounts closed or your cards replaced.

(10-Minute Tidy: 108 Ways to Organize Your Home Quickly; Office, pg. 136)