OK, I’ll admit that I’m a child of the 80’s, when the Rubik’s Cube was THE. Hot. Toy. As if that contraption wasn’t maddening enough, they later came out with the 5×5 Cube, the Pyraminx, and the Megaminx 12-sided cube, just to name a few. Glory be!
I don’t know about you, but I never had the patience to actually finish one of those. I’d play with it for 5 or 10 minutes, then just rip the thing apart and put it back the quick way, just to get it done! I should have known then that a life of Simplicity would call to me 🙂
My tip today is about ripping apart the Rubik’s cube. See, I could have spent hours going through all the intricate steps to line up those stupid little blocks, or I could pull it apart and take a shortcut. I really didn’t enjoy the process; I just wanted the result. And the shortcut got me to the result much quicker.
On my journey toward Simplicity, I’m always on the lookout for ways to get the same results with less time and effort. I talked about some Sanity Saving Shortcuts on Day 8. Today it’s about eliminating unnecessary steps on everyday tasks. Here are some ways I’ve done that:
- No more folded underwear. Yes, I’m so
analparticular that I used to fold – and categorize! – my undies. Don’t ask 😉 But I finally realized that I get my laundry put away much faster when I just put them all in an open box. I can still find what I need just as easily, and the old shoe box keeps them separated from other things in the drawer. - Ditto with socks.
- Hang as many clothes as possible. It’s faster than folding and I can see everything at a glance. I fold heavy sweaters since they tend to stretch out when hung. But jeans, T-shirts, camis – they all go on hangers.
- Line up all the labels on file folders on the right side. When I add a new folder, I don’t have to rearrange all the tabs behind it.
- Automatic Bill Pay saves me time and eliminates the need to track due dates, write checks and mail them on time.
- Don’t alphabetize DVDs. I categorize them (kids vs grown-ups) and I try to keep all the DVDs in a series together. That’s about it. It was just too hard keeping up with the movies my 5-year-old puts back constantly.
- Wash and re-use sheets. No need to fold and store them. Just put ’em back on the bed when they’re dry.
- Ditto with towels – only put them on the rack, not the bed 😉
I could go on, but I’d love to hear from you. What ways do you eliminate unnecessary steps to get the same result faster? Leave a comment below.
It continues to thrill me that I do alot of the items that you do.
I am wanting to organize a “million” old photos that are stored in rubbermaid boxes. They were once organized by event and each kid would have pics of that event. I have 3 kids and now a Grandbaby. Through the years they have gotton out of order. So my plan thus far is to scan the better ones of each event in the computer and somehow get my pics from my phone, computer and actual old photos all in one safe area where I can easily get to them. Any suggestions?
Oooh, that’s a GREAT topic for another blog post! Thanks for the idea! If I can’t squeeze it into my 31 Days of Simplicity series, look for it in early Feb. Yes, I definitely have some suggestions for you!