2011 was a great year at Ruly!  Before I leap into another great year for 2012, I wanted to pause for a moment to organize last year’s posts into a quick summary.  Each month, I explore one aspect of organization and at the end of the month I post a summary of the posts, comments and relevant news stories on the topic.  Below are links to those monthly summaries and an even shorter recap of each month’s content.

January – Cleaning

Ideas for making cleaning easier, including low maintenance home design suggestions and reviewing examples from the hospitality industry of how businesses implement cleaning standards.

February – Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

An overview of what OCD is, including examples of individuals who suffer from OCD, the fist-bumping versus handshake trend in the workplace and reconciling cleaning standards among spouses.

March – Change

Implementing change is one of the most difficult organizational challenges.  Reviewing books from various experts about successful strategies to implement change in your business and life.

April – Retirement Planning

Organizing your 401(k) – resources to calculate savings requirements, evaluating your 401(k).   The story of my own 401(k) savings experience so far.

May – Health

How to create a personal health binder.  Organizational strategies to improve compliance with taking medicine and following doctor-prescribed therapies.  How to track medical news alerts in your areas of interest.

June – Yard & Garden

Ideas to update and improve your garden space that don’t involve planting anything!  How to create a garden journal and my latest patio furniture transformations.  Plus Ruly Ruth’s popular “What to Bring to a Cookout” post.

July – Perfectionism in the Parent-Child Relationship

Examples of perfectionist parents, including Tiger Mother Amy Chua.  The psychological roots of perfectionist parents and counter-examples of parents who set high standards without demanding perfectionism.

August – Organizing for School

Reviewing great books from psychologists, educational organizers and others about common organizational problems children face in the school environment and what to do about them plus tips for organizing school papers and study spaces.

September – Emergency Preparedness

Sharing my experiences in 2011’s rare east coast earthquake and preparing for Hurricane Irene and discussing various preparedness strategies primarily related to communication, like “ICE-ing” cell phones and Ruly Ruth’s great family emergency contact form.

October – Closet Essentials

What are the classic pieces in a casual and professional wardrobe that never go out of style?  Plus a few fun Halloween and costume-themed posts.

November – Healthy Eating

A 30-day experiment trying to eat the recommended “half your plate” in fruits and vegetables and exercise 20 minutes every day.

December – Simple Holidays and Toy Storage

A diary of my own misadventures in organizing the holiday season plus homemade gift ideas, toy storage tips and a look at the organizing techniques of charitable fundraising during the holidays.

I have learned so much over the course of the last year that has helped me with my own organization and I hope that you have as well.  I appreciate all of my faithful readers and wish you a wonderful, healthy, joyful and, of course, organized 2012!