How NOT to Get Things Done

As a change of pace I thought I'd list 10 ways NOT to get things done and NOT to recognize what's important in life. If you want to keep yourself disorganized, harried and always behind this is the way to do it.



1. Don't throw anything out. Keep everything. After all you may need it someday. So what if things become so cluttered you can't find anything.

2. Keep making new piles. Don't file anything and don't ever go through old piles to see what can be thrown out.

3. Let paper take over your life. Remember that each piece is so precious and important that your life fades into the background instead.

4. Stack up and keep all the magazines and newspapers that you will read "someday".

5. Never figure out what are the real priorities in your life. After all if everything is equally important it doesn't matter what you get done first.

6. Never make yourself an important priority in your life. Sufficient sleep, exercise, eating right all those things don't really matter. What is important is getting caught up in the things of the moment and not the things that make your life better.

7. Do not set goals. After all you may just as well take whatever happens to you in life and just experience it. Setting goals and accomplishing things would just interfere with that.

8. Waste time watching TV or surfing the Internet. After all the average American watches 24 hours of TV a week and spends who knows how much time surfing the Internet so you might as well do it too.

9. Don't think of your family or friends as important. Concentrate instead on getting and acquiring things. After all that's what impresses other people so that must be what's important.

10. Never figure out how long it really takes to get things done. Just assume it will take 20 minutes and when it takes and hour and a half be really surprised.

Shelf Life Of Food

What about the can of beans you found in the back of your pantry? Is it safe to eat? Ever wondered if the dates on egg cartons or cans really mean anything? Or what about the package of meat that you put in the fridge two days ago and forgot to cook? Just how long can you keep things before it is unsafe to eat them?

Well the website www.stilltasty.com answers those questions and any others that you have about how long you can keep foods before they are unsafe to eat. In many cases it's longer than you think, in some it's a surprisingly short time. You can find out if the frozen salmon is still safe, whether you can put half-eaten things still in the can in the fridge (you can), and just how long those eggs are good for.

Wills

Do you have a will?

It's been estimated that 70% of Americans don't have a will. You may think you don't need one because you expect that your estate will go to certain people -- spouse, children, other relatives. Well you could be very, very wrong. Each state has laws about how an estate is distributed. You may think it will all go to your spouse but instead part will go to your siblings, or even their children. You must find out what the laws are in your state.

If you don't have a will the estate will have to go to court and have an executor appointed. This takes money out of the estate and executor may not be someone you would want to have handling the disposition of your funds and your goods.

If you have children you need a will to appoint a guardian in the event that something happens to both parents. You want someone to raise your children who will raise them the way you want them raised.

Identity Theft

Worried about identity theft? Everybody is these days.

However are you doing something that could help someone steal your identity without realizing it? Are you on Facebook or other social networking sites that ask for your birthday? Do you put it in?

Well don't!

Your birthday is something that is one of the three markers that can be used to steal your identity. Don't put in a birthday or deliberately put in a wrong one. It won't matter to your use of the site if the date is wrong but it helps to deter an identity thief.

Easy Way to Keep Recipes Organized

Do you have a pile of recipes you've clipped from magazines and newspapers but can't find what you want? Do you have a small recipe box filled to overflowing with index cards and folded up recipes and you never know what's there?

What's the easiest way to keep recipes so they can be organized the way you want them, they're accessible all the time and they don't get full of spots from food? Put them in the plastic sheets that are used for photos. Then put them in a three ring binder.

You can organize them by categories if you want. They are all in the same place. They are easy to read and see the whole recipe. You can take them out when you cook and don't have to worry about anything spilling on them, you just wipe it off.

You can get the plastic sheets at Staples or Office Max or Office Depot or go to two of my favorite places for photo supplies Century Photo and Light Impressions. Get the catalog. Don't look online because it is easier to see their products in the paper catalog.

Century Photo www.centuryphoto.com and 1-800-767-0777.

Light Impressions www.lightimpressionsdirect.com and 1-800-828-6216.