Dr. Rippe's Blog

Laundry is a never ending chore that someone's got to do. Mostly, that's you, right? Several organizing tips can save time--and family hassle.

• Get and label a separate basket for each family member and one for towels/sheets. The person on laundry duty folds clothes and items right out of the dryer and into the baskets. From there on, each family member is responsible for his/her laundry.  Organizing the baskets on a set of low shelves is helpful.
• Install a hanging rod in the laundry room (above the baskets or washer/dryer there's often room). Use the same procedure--dryer to hangers--for hanging clothes.
• Use two (or more) hampers for dirty clothes--one for lights, one for darks. Sorting laundry loads is much easier.
• Keep a basket in each closet for clothes that need dry cleaning.  Take them to the cleaners once weekly.
• Rotate laundry duty. These simple organizing tips make it easy for all but very young family members to take a turn doing laundry.

Use the time you've saved to take a fun or restful moment for yourself.

The places and spaces in which we live and work can make a difference in our quality of life. For example, sleep research has long indicated that reserving the bedroom for restful purposes can help many people get better sleep. "Restful" means not using it as a spare TV room or place to play loud music, etc.

Do the other spaces you inhabit regular support positive feelings or tend to depress you? With many projects going at once, I spend many hours in my office. So it needs to be a space that promotes my creativity yet is peaceful. For me, that means plenty of daylight, blooming plants (I like orchids), and classical music playing softly in the background. I've also had to devise an organization and filing plan that keeps project info handy but banishes clutter.

Even if your workspace is a cubicle in an open office plan, what touches have you added to make it your space? A colleague of mine finds that a "natural light" bulb in her desk lamp not only eases eyestrain but keeps a plant or two very happy. Another friend has made the sidewall of the cubicle a collage of postcards and photos from his travels. His careful arrangement makes it look like art, not a junky bulletin board.

If you could change one thing about your spaces and places at home to make you feel better, what would it be? Declutter the garage or master closet? Turn the backyard into a real outdoor living space? Brighten up and redo the family room?

Identifying and prioritizing a few goals to turn your living spaces into more supportive places can be very rewarding.

Everyone I know seems to have a long list of things that absolutely must get done at home and at work, preferably by yesterday. On the SMC website earlier this week, Marla's well-being blog Stress Busting struck a chord. I encourage you to read the ideas she shared about learning how to say no to tasks at work that aren't "mission critical" or that may actually be pulling you off the most important tasks.

Marla reminds me of how frequently I've heard colleagues and patients say, "I don't accomplish all the things I've planned. I guess I'm not disciplined enough." Certainly, discipline is an important skill because it can free up space, time, and resources¿not just for tasks at home and work, but for other people, activities, and interests you value.

Yet I've known many disciplined people, intelligent, able people, who failed to accomplish the larger objectives they had so carefully planned. Why? Because they weren't able to focus on the key tasks they needed to accomplish each day. Focus is the ability to prioritize tasks and devote single-minded attention to each task in order of its priority for you. Focus helps you overcome daily distractions so you can get to things that are most important to you. For me, for example, focus helps free up time to spend with my four daughters.

Practicing focus is also a great stress reliever. That's because this skill helps you live in the moment, concentrating your energy on the task before you. For many years, I have used a simple tool that helps me focus each day. In the evening I take an index card (just one!) and in priority order list the tasks and activities for the coming day. I keep it in my pocket to consult. It really works. You could also use the Daily Planner this way. Or put your focus list in your Blackberry or PDA. While you are considering priorities as Marla suggests, also consider how you will stay focused on those priorities each day. What will work for you?

Focus turns the light of discipline into the laser of achievement. And what you achieve should be what's most important to you.