Hopefully by now, you have started sorting through your things and at least attempting to get rid of some of the “stuff” that you no longer need.  If not, then I’m not doing my job; but let’s move on. 
I’ve decided to shift gears a little bit this week.  The name of my article is “Saving Dollars and Making Sense,” which means it’s not just about organizing.  I want to focus on “saving” throughout every aspect of your life.  Saving time is a huge problem that many people face.  They plan and plan. yet they always seem to be running late for something, or they are always waiting until the last minute to finish an important project.  Believe me, I’ve been there…time and time again. 
I remember a literature class during school where I read an old story about three fish: one was always planning ahead, one was always waiting to plan for the present and the other always procrastinated.  One day the fish noticed that the water in their part of the river was starting to get low due to fishermen removing the water to catch the fish much easier.  The fish that thought ahead, decided they needed to move into a deeper, much larger part of the river, yet the other two would not listen.  After several days of the water getting lower and lower he decided to leave without the other two.  The fish that plans for the present decided, after he realized the other fish was serious, to also move to a deeper, larger part of the river.  However, the procrastinating fish decided to stay behind.  He claimed that the rain would come and the water would soon rise thus giving him that entire section of the river all to himself.  A few more days passed and the water continued to dwindle.  Eventually the fish noticed that he could no longer swim around and was stuck in one small section.  The fishermen walked over, picked up the fish, placed him in a net and continued on down the river.  The fish was no longer in control of his life, his plans or where he was going.  His life was now in the hands of the fishermen.  I decided, after reading this short story, that I was that procrastinating fish.  I waited too long to do things and then when I did do them they were always thrown together and seemed to fall apart soon after I finished. 
My sophomore year of school, I purchased a detailed, zipped, leather bound planner and began to use it religiously.  I never went anywhere without it; it was almost as important as my phone.  I noticed that once I finally started planning FOR things, then I no longer procrastinated.  I took time out of my schedule to sit down and plan things out, thus giving me plenty of time to get those things done.  I would even plan a certain day every two weeks to go through all my stuff, organize stuff, plan stuff, throw away stuff and just clean everything!  Pretty soon that “day” became part of my everyday routine, therefore I no longer needed an entire day every two weeks to clean and organize, because I had been doing it all along.  (Remember the “Clogged Pipes?”  Exactly.)
I know we often put off doing things that may not seem necessarily enjoyable (cleaning the house, finishing homework, meeting a work deadline, mowing the lawn, washing the car, removing the trash, etc.) then we get stressed because eventually whatever it was that we put off will have to be done.  I’ve talked to a lot of people that say they procrastinate because they work best under pressure, but I always ask them the same question; What if you wait until the night before to finish an important project then something happens and you can’t get it done?  Some teachers will allow you some extra time, but I can guarantee that most bosses will not.  You’re an adult; it’s time to stop waiting until the last minute and get things done now. 
My challenge to you this week is to complete a project that you have started, yet failed to finish.  I can promise that once you do you will feel much more accomplished and a burden will be lifted because there will no longer be a lingering reminder that you still have yet to finish “it” (“it” being whatever project you decide to finish.)  Next week we’ll discuss other ways to “save.”  I hope you’re enjoying my article and please stick around; it only gets better from here!