Get Clutter Free in 30-Days
With these easy Quick Tip solutions to simplify your life and organize your home, you'll see less clutter each and every day.
How did you do on yesterday's assignment?
30 Day Challenge
Day Fourteen: Lighten Your Load
Day Fourteen: Lighten Your Load
Today, we are going to take a look at ourselves for a little personal organization (a little break from the home). Don’t panic… this isn’t going to be painful, I promise. I am going to have you sit down with your wallet and be strong.
First, let’s take a look at a gentleman’s wallet. Imagine if a person told you they were sitting on a 2 inch wedge for the last 20 years. Would you wonder why they may be having some problems with their spine? Many men put their wallet in their back pocket and then sit on it for 6, 7, 8 hours a day. This creates an imbalance in the pelvis, which leads to an imbalance in the spine.
Quick anatomy review: Your spine should be straight when looking at it from either the front or the back. If we sit on an uneven surface, i.e. wallet, the spine must bend to compensate for the unevenness. Do this for an hour here and there and the effect is minimal; do this for 6-8 hours a day for many years, the problem is significant.
The simplest solution is to either move the wallet to your front pocket, maybe a shirt pocket, or a suit coat. If you insist on sitting on a wallet, go for the thinnest one you can find.
Now, let’s take a look at a lady’s wallet. Imagine carrying around a 1 (or 2lb) block for the last 20 years. When I say carrying around, think about it, we don’t just carry our purse; we carry it unevenly. Our purse is usually either on our right side or our left side of our body. Many of us carry our purses thrown over our shoulders and we have a tendency to ‘lean’ with it because of the weight.
Ok, enough of the anatomy lesson. Let’s take a look at your wallet and get organized. What are some of the items that end up in your wallet? Paper money/cash, (of course), coins, shopper’s loyalty cards, business cards, checkbook, debit card, credit cards, driver’s license, personal notes, receipts, bills to pay, shopping lists, and so on. Do we really need all of that in our wallets all the time? When was the last time you cleaned out your wallet – something that we carry with us a large percentage of the time.
Let’s take a look at each item and organize:
1. Cash: Paper and coins. Ok, I can give you the paper money. Coins, on the other hand, can be removed and place in a compartment in your car or in a jar in your house. Nice method for saving and an enormous amount of weight removed, yes? Smart men carry a money clip for their paper money and they place this in their front pocket of their pants or shirt.
2. Loyalty cards: Did you know that 99% of stores already have your loyalty card information entered in their systems and they only need your phone number to pull it up? REMOVE THEM
3. Business cards: There are stylist business card holders on the market to carry cards in… this will balance the weight in your purse. These small pieces of cardboard multiply so quickly that before you know it, you could have 2 inches of paper in your wallet. REMOVE THEM.
4. Check book/debit card: I know a lot of people still carry a checkbook for one of two reasons: 1. They don’t have a debit card to replace the checkbook. 2. They still carry the checkbook to write down their debit card transactions. I think this is a double duty (and double weight) effort. Carry a checkbook cover (only) separately from your wallet and place all your debit receipts in it to be entered in your checkbook registry upon your return home. REMOVE AT LEAST ONE FROM THE WALLET
5. Credit cards: How many credit cards do you carry around on a daily basis? Now, I’m not suggesting that we remove our credit cards until we need them because we all know that once you remove it, you need it. But, why not get a separate holder for your credit cards… this will balance the weight in your purse.
6. Driver’s Licenses: This can be your call. Keep it in your wallet or place it in with your credit cards. After all, we are just trying to minimize the size of your wallet to help get organized and to balance the weight in your purse.
7. Personal notes, receipts, bills to pay, and shopping lists: Seriously. REMOVE THEM. Especially now with the apps on our phones, we can enter almost anything on there. I even have my grocery list on my android now.
Now, I have a tip for you to keep in mind. This re-organization of your wallet will take an adjustment period. No, that item isn't where you have always carried it, you moved it when you got organized, remember? But trust me, that period will pass quickly and you will be SO happy in the end.
Look how beautiful these wallets are - and you want to overstuff them?
Your Assignment for Day Fourteen:
Lighten your load! It’s time to sit down, take 30 minutes and organize your wallet. Make a plan on how and where to handle the things you just removed. What will you do the next time you are handed a business card? Where are you going to keep your credit cards? Do you really need to carry a checkbook with you all the time?
Good Luck!
