How do you keep your life organized?

Last week I spent thirty minutes tackling a task that has been disrupting my daily sense of equilibrium for approximately three years: I organized the cords underneath my desk. And this morning, before blindly setting out in thirteen different directions, I sat down and organized my to do list for the day in my calendar. It took about two minutes. But both tasks gave me a real sense of direction and calm. Those modem and printer cords are not the boss of me! I am baking cookies this afternoon! I am in control of my life!

When summer's in its wind-down and September looms on the horizon, many of us turn our attention from the beach and the barbecue inside. And we're not just looking inside our homes, we're scrutinizing our lives. What's working? What isn't? What do we want to do differently? Fall feels like a fresh beginning without the holiday season hangover of New Year's Day. And while summer is a season of free-wheeling outdoor fun, fall tends to makes us more reflective and practical. How are we going to organize our time? How are we going to tackle the laundry? What's for dinner if we can't just eat tomatoes and corn?

I so admire people who are super-organized and on top of the details of their lives. But that's not me, at least, not naturally. I don't have dividers in my drawers. I don't keep a birthday calendar. I should probably do both, and when I do manage to create a sense of order, my life feels glides along as smoothly as Onassis' yacht on calm Mediterranean waters.

That's why I love asking people who've got their life together how they make it work. It's another wonderful instance of the Real-Life Expert helping us all get a Real-Life Makeover. So let's help each other out. How the heck do keep a handle on the daily details of your life?