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I’m thinking with this being a long weekend for some that organizing may be the last thing you want to think about. However I can bet, like me, you’ve got a list a mile long of things that need to get done before the next holiday right around the corner. So why not incorporate some fun into your organizing this weekend and start checking things off your list. Tick. Tick. Tick. Don’t you love the sound of that? It’s easy too, I promise. This little trick of mine helps me get plenty accomplished and yet makes it seem like you’re hardly doing any work at all.
Watch TV or a movie.
BUT bring with you a drawer to organize, paper to sort, laundry to fold, a pile or two to deal with, your Christmas cards to address, presents to wrap, your planner to update, and so on and so on and so on.
Seriously this is what I call have your cake and eat it too. My favorite things to watch are cheesy Christmas movies. You know the ones that are so completely predictable but leave you crying in the end anyway (think Mrs. Miracle!)? So good. They always get me in the holiday spirit 🙂
Yep so how’s that for professional advice today? Go watch a show….AND do something productive at the same time.
You’re welcome.
The following is an excerpt from my book, Clutter Rehab:
If you’re really having trouble with motivation to get things done, try this effective tip: Work during the commercials while watching your favorite TV program. For instance, you can clean your entire kitchen in an hour just by using the commercials to complete 5 minute tasks. Wash pots and pans during one commercial, unload the dishwasher during another, next load the dishwasher, then wipe down the counters. It’s a great way to stay on track with a little TV reward in between. Also, there are many organizing projects that can be done while watching TV. You can take your filing basket with you to sort while watching a movie, or – my personal favorite – dump an entire drawer on to the floor or table in front of you. Before you know it, time has flown by and -would you look at that- you’ve got yourself an organized drawer!
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Please feel free to share your organizing journey and encourage one another in the comments. You are also invited to link up to the linky below with any posts related to your 52 weeks of organizing participation or to any post of an organizing nature that you feel will inspire and encourage others in their quest to get organized. Please remember to link back to here though so we can reach out to as many people as possible in need of some inspiration.
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PS: If you’ve got a favorite cheesy Christmas movie to recommend, let me know!
Gabe says
I get so much done that way! I like to work on some of my sewing projects or doing my ironing while watching a movie. Meal planning often gets done that way too.
White Christmas is my favorite Christmas movie, but Christmas in Connecticut (the 1945 version) is a favorite too! I love the older movies!
Living the Balanced Life says
The best way to get something done, while doing something fun, yet mindless. I can’t feel guilty about watching TV if I am working at the same time.
Some of my faves:
The Holiday
It’s a Wonderful Life
Love Actually (not for kids!)
And I love ANY version of A Christmas Carol, from Errol Flynn to the Muppets to Jim Carrey!
Bernice
Ready or not, here come the holidays!
krista says
i just did this last night! my kids were in bed, my husband was working, so i turned on its a wonderful life and folded 2 baskets of laundry! i felt productive and enjoyed one of my favorite christmas movies!
Thrifty Military Mommy says
Oh yes, this is a good one. Every day when i fold my laundry I put on a show I like such as “The Biggest Loser,” or whatever i feel like watching. Doing it this way makes folding clothes go by SO MUCH quicker! I absolutely despise folding clothes, so anything I can do to make the time pass quicker makes me happy.
Great post!
Becky says
I get too distracted doing this but I haven’t tried it with papers yet. Folding clothes works but not as quickly as I like. It does work better with old favorites. Music is better until I find myself dancing or singing along. My husband won’t let me watch TV while working anymore lol. But I’ve tried watching familiar shows while doing dishes.
MaryJo @ reSPACEd: Budget Organizing says
Yes! I love the idea of getting small tasks done via pleasurable distraction (ooh, that makes TV-watching sound dirty, doesn’t it?:) ) If you are looking for more ideas for quick organizing tasks that can be done in short amounts of time, check out my list of 60 second tasks you can do to instantly make your home look more organized: http://respacedpdx.com/2011/10/60-second-tasks-you-can-do-to-instantly-make-your-home-more-organized/
AmyE says
I really can’t get any ironing done if I am not watching something! Besides the Christmas classics, one of my favourite films to watch this time of year is While You Were Sleeping with Sandra Bullock.
Samantha says
i do the same thing – this is such a great tip! i watch tv while folding laundry and doing dishes, but the biggie is when i am organizing my coupon binder. such a great tip to share with anyone who may not already be doing that.
hope you had a great thanksgiving!
Carrie P says
Thank you! My house is a hockey-loving house, so on the 2-4 nights a week that we’re watching the game (Go Sabres!), I use the commercial breaks and intermissions to clean the kitchen, switch loads of laundry, get ready for bed, etc. while my boyfriend sits on the couch the whole time. At the end of the game I can just go to bed, but he still has to take the dog out, make lunches, take the garbage out, etc.
And I am a Hallmark Channel and ABC Family Channel junkie this time of year – I love every Christmas movie and when we’re not watching hockey, we’re definitely watching one of those channels. I love them all – the cheesier, the better!
Emma Jardine says
You know, we moved away from traditional TV two years ago, and the thing I miss most are the commercial breaks, because I used to hate them, and I used to get SO MUCH done away from my television.