Being placemental

A place for everything and everything in its place.

It's the simplist organizing mantra, and it works:

I put a bowl by my front door, and I don't lose my keys.
I bought a purse with one more pocket, and I remember my phone.
I put a simple tray on a table, and the mail is in one place.

Genius!

You use your judgment to make a decision once, and then you have a place forever. It's done. Your mind can move on to more pressing matters. What's hard is that you have to actually make the decision. You have to sit down and evaluate, research, discuss, negotiate -- whatever -- and properly figure it out. That takes time and effort, and if you're as lazy as I am, you'd much rather eat a snack and read a magazine.

It's OK. There's no need for a big uber-system; just start. Pick a place in your life where you keep making the same decisions over and over (What do I need at the grocery store? How much should I spend on my friend's birthday? Do I email or handwrite my thank-you notes?), and use your good judgment to make the decison once and for all. Then move on.