____ November 1 Review your health coverage for changes that may need to be made. In many of the plans, November is the month when employees are able to adjust their coverage. Take the time now to review yours and be ready for the next year.
____ November 2 Don’t forget that today is the day we finally get that hour of sleep back, or is it daylight? In any case, at 2:00 AM on November 2nd, turn your clocks back one hour.
____ November 3 Has your family been given their flu shots this year? Every year it is surprising how many lives can be saved merely by spending a few minutes of your time getting a shot. Most doctors’ offices and clinics take walk-ins for flu shots. Take the family in now and be prepared.
____ November 4 Gather exactly 10 items you no longer use and/or love. Drive them over to your local charity organization.
____ November 5 Now is a good time to test and replace all the batteries in your smoke detectors. Sometimes we forget that such a simple task can make all the difference in the world. We can’t let ourselves get complacent, so take the time now to test and replace those smoke detector batteries (also those CO2 batteries if you already have those installed).
____ November 6 Do you use your fireplace? Do you have a wood stove, or a pellet stove? Now is a good time to have your chimneys and/or flues inspected and cleaned if necessary. Believe it or not, there are chimney sweeps even in this day and age!
____ November 7 Are you hosting Thanksgiving? Are you providing the whole meal, or asking guests to bring a part of the meal? Start now with planning your menu and lining up your guests to bring parts of it. If you are one who likes to know what is coming, assign dishes. If you are okay if you end up with a turkey and pumpkin pie, go truly ‘pot luck’.
____ November 8 Still have some outdoor chores hanging on? Now is a good time to drain any garden hoses still in the yard, and store them away for the winter. If you live in a colder climate, put one of the insulating covers over your outside faucets to help prevent freezing.
____ November 9 If you are blessed with a warm climate, or even a warm day with little wind, go ahead and start hanging your holiday lights. You’ll be that much further ahead for the Christmas season. And it’s likely to be warmer early in the month as opposed to later.
____ November 10 Have you had your carpets professionally cleaned this past year? If not, now is a good time to get that scheduled so that your home is in tip-top shape for holiday entertaining.
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____ November 11 If you live in a colder climate, you know how those winter winds can quickly whistle through. Take time now to install plastic sheeting on the inside of your windows to help conserve energy and keep your home a bit toastier this winter. These kits can be purchased at most home improvement stores and many department stores. You’ll be very thankful that you devoted a few hours later this winter as you’re snuggled in.
____ November 12 Take the time now to pull out your refrigerator and vacuum the condenser coils. Is yours a sealed unit? Pull the grate off the front and vacuum underneath where dust tends to accumulate. You’ll extend the life of your refrigerator.
____ November 13 Teach your child(ren) both organizing and generosity in one day. Work with your child to pick and choose 5 (or more) toys that are no longer played with. Then, together, bring those toys to a local orphanage or your favorite charitable organization.
____ November 14 Clean out all the items in your refrigerator that are expired or otherwise no longer identifiable.
____ November 15 Do you have many holiday events scheduled from now through the end of the year? Now, before you actually need them, is a great time to plan out what outfits you will be needing. You also have time now to decide if you need to make any repairs, or purchases to supplement your wardrobe and get ready for the season.
____ November 16 Review your Christmas card list for the coming Christmas season. Are you paring down, adding to, updating? Now is the time to take care of all of that. While you are at it, it wouldn’t hurt at all to review your gift list also. Many of us want to simplify things this time of year, and when you are not frazzled by the stress of go, go, go is a great time to take care of this.
____ November 17 Are you going to be trying new recipes this season? Are you going with tried and true? In either case now is a great time to review which recipes you may want to use. If you have a new one to try, prepare it now, to avoid surprises later.
____ November 18 Now that you have reviewed your recipes, this is a great time to do an inventory of your pantry. You still have plenty of time to stock up without having to do it all at once. It somehow seems easier when we can do it just a bit at a time.
____ November 19 Are you finding that you are overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff around you? Take a block of time, whether it be 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes or more, and declutter the hottest spot. The hottest spot would be the one that bothers you most. Go in with 3 bags, one marked donate, one marked trash, and another marked elsewhere. Finish your block of time, then put the trash bag in the trash, the donate bag in the trunk, and then spend a few minutes putting the elsewhere stuff where it belongs. It’s amazing what a difference this makes!
____ November 20 Does your family love holiday cookies but your time for baking is almost nil? Organize a cookie exchange with friends. This leaves each of you with baking 3 dozen of only one type of cookie. Each participant takes home 3 dozen assorted cookies.The exchange meeting could be at a local coffee house, or at your home. This is a nice way to relax with friends, with a take home gift for each one.
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____ November 21 Organize the coat closet. Donate any coats, jackets and outerwear that no longer fit or you no longer like wearing. Sort each person’s smaller items, like gloves and hats, into their own special plastic, lidded container. Get all the shoes and boots strewn all over the closet floor, onto shoe racks. Add hangers so guests have something to hang their winter coats on when they visit–or add a coat rack to your entranceway for the season.
____ November 22 Do you have an emergency escape plan for your family? We all know we should have one, and likely each one of us has one of sorts. Take time as a family to review and practice your family’s emergency escape plan.
____ November 23 As it gets closer to Thanksgiving, now is the time to make sure your guest room (or rooms) is ready for guests. Take a few minutes to change sheets, update any hospitality items you may have, or, even set up a hospitality basket for your guests. Just think about what you’d like to find in a hospitality basket and make one up for your guests. Some possibilities are travel-size shampoos, a small bottle of mouthwash, hand lotion, a few chocolates and a bottled water.
____ November 24 Now is the day to take your turkey out of the freezer and start it thawing in the fridge. Safety guidelines recommend thawing for about 3 days in the fridge for the safest method of thawing. If you start this morning, you should have a safely thawed bird by Thursday.
____ November 25 Start now to stock up on necessities you will run out of more quickly during the holiday visiting, such as bath tissue, paper towels, facial tissues, etc.
____ November 26 It’s getting down to the wire so today is the time to finalize all of your Thanksgiving plans. You’ve been so organized that it should merely be a double check to make sure that something hasn’t slipped through the cracks.
____ November 27 THANKSGIVING DAY. Take the day to enjoy your family, give thanks for your blessings, and enjoy.
____ November 28 Are you one of the marathon ‘Day After Thanksgiving’ shoppers? This is the day you’ve trained for. But, in all the madness and hustle and bustle, don’t forget to be kind to yourself. Take breaks, and keep yourself well hydrated all day.
____ November 29 Today would be a great day to begin decorating for Christmas. Go through your storage bins and start decorating.
____ November 30 Take time today to plan special family-only days in December. You should have a very good idea by now what your overall schedule will be in December, so schedule those times with the family on your calendar now. Keep in mind that it doesn’t have to be elaborate. A family game night or a family movie night gives you the opportunity to recharge, relax and enjoy each other!
by Maria Gracia - Get Organized Now!™
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