Don’t Waste Time!
July 6, 2009
Bad news: My cat has gotten into everything today. He thinks everything should go in his mouth or be a toy.
Good news: I took a piece of paper out of his mouth, and it was from my desk. A quote I love but have not looked at in a while.
“Regret for wasted time is more wasted time”
by Mason Cooley
Thanks Sam the Cat for reminding me of this important lesson!
Freedom from Clutter
July 3, 2009
Happy 4th of July!
4th of July weekend is perfect to spend quality time with friends and family and celebrate our country. Celebrate the people who have sacrificed for us and our democracy. The “land of the free”…free is such a powerful word.
If clutter or disorganization is a cause of distress for you, you can start now, in the spirit of freedom, to declare your independence from clutter. Taking the time to tackle these challenges will help free you not only from physical clutter, but emotional clutter as well.
- Commit the time
- Create goals
- Make decluttering a priority
- Enlist the help you need
- Refer to this blog for tips on specific areas
Remember…
Organizing is a Process not an Event
You can start small with 1 drawer, the kitchen counter or the bathroom vanity. Edit out what no longer benefits you and create a home for what does. Free yourself from the clutter.
But first, have a great weekend…I am wishing you and yours a very happy and safe holiday weekend.
Cable Clutter
June 23, 2009
I just found a unique, decorative way to hide cables. Very creative, very cool, but not for everyone. See link to post below…
There are much more basic, easily purchased options at your local office supply store or on line. It is great to use these cord covers for aesthetic purposes. Having cords here there and everywhere under your desk or by other equipment can be distracting and you can feel the stress of the “clutter.” Click on these links to see how to control that cable clutter:
But you don’t want to just hide them. You want to mark your cords so you know what they belong to. You can do this with a sticker or a label. Just make sure it will stick well. If you want sturdier pre-made option, see these products below. You can also look at these as examples and see what you have at home that you can use to get same result. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to do this.
Have fun wrangling in all those cords.
Beat Cable Clutter With Beads
June 23, 2009
Shared via AddThis
I cam a across a line of furniture that I though was pretty neat (no pun intended) and thought I would share!
The line, from Howard Miller has been created by Ty Pennington from “Extreme Home Makeover.” The line has various styles of furniture but goes beyond your usual basic cabinets. Organization was in mind when they designed these pieces. Using space efficiently, some secret storage space too! Also, you can customize your finish and component features.
Click here to see the collection and learn more about this collection.
But remember, edit what you have and determine your storage needs before buying any container!
Old news is No news…
June 16, 2009
Last night I had a good newspaper catch up night. I was bound and determined to have all the newspapers that were backed up be in the recycling bin by end of the evening. Last week was a busy week and I did not get through them all.
Many people keep their newspapers for weeks and months on end, thinking that they will get to them. But even if they did, the information is old. Do you want to spend your precious time in June reading about the Inaugural (happened in January) or who won the Kentucky Derby (last month) about the Swine flu outbreak (a month or so and it changes every day?)
Many people I know just keep getting the daily newspaper because it is just something they have always done. But it adds pressure to the day. The stack sitting there saying “read me, read me.” Here are a few tips to make getting the newspaper a less stressful experience:
- Think about how much you really sit and read it.
- Consider subscribing to less days per week. Perhaps Thursday – Sunday.
- Each day remove sections you know you will not read and put in recycling right away. For me it is auto, sports and classified.
- At the end of the week, recycle anything you have not read.
I still enjoy flipping through the newspaper, especailly the “local” one. I hate the thought of newspapers coming to an end as we know them. But that said, narrow down what you read, and spend quality time with it.
Off to the recycling bin….
School is Out!
June 11, 2009
Many school systems are either out for the summer or will be with in a few short weeks. Some kids will be staying home and others are off to camp or a combo of both.
But mom or dad…you are not done yet. There is a little wrap up yet to be done.
Now is the time to go through the kids paper and artwork from this year. Many families don’t make the time and this can be a yearly or multi-year collection. Take the time now and go through them. You’ll be amazed at how much you have kept is no longer of interest (aka trash or recycling.)
When choosing the “keepers,” think about when you moved out. What would you have wanted to take with you? You can let the kids help choose too. What we may think is important to them, really is not. It is important to us. Keeping a few from each year that are creative, funny, representative of a milestone or a super achievement is fine. Keeping every math test is not.
The same goes for art. Remember you can photograph artwork easily. This takes up less space and you can keep a digital, printed album or print and frame.
Create an “archive” area that is free from the elements to store. Create container for each child. Store “keepers” by year. Each year end it is good to look through the previous years to edit out ones that may not be so important now.
Also, think about how you managed the kids paperwork this year. What worked, what didn’t, what backed up? Use these lessons for creating a better system for the Fall.
Wishing all the kids out there very fun and safe summer!
Licensed to Drive?
June 9, 2009
In an effort to save money by the state of Massachusetts, the Department of Motor Vehicles will no longer be sending reminders to drivers that their license is up for renewal.
Without peeking…can you accurately tell the date and YEAR that your driving license expires? I can’t!
If you live in Massachusetts, take a minute, pull it out of your wallet and put the expiration date in your calendar. If you don’t live in Massachusetts, it is a good idea to do it as well in case your state makes similar cuts or changes to policies or if your reminder gets lost in the mail. You won’t want to have to go through the pain of “sorry officer, I didn’t know…”
Don’t let “I’ll never get stopped” keep you from doing this either. A recent study here showed that there were over 20% more people being pulled over on the highways as a way to increase state revenue. So with these changes, it is more likely that you will be pulled over, and more likely that you may not have an up to date license.
It is a good idea to review the other documents or licenses that need renewal. Put the expiration dates on your calendar. Actually, putting a flag in your calendar earlier as well will help you schedule time to deal with the renewal.
- Professional licenses
- Passport
- Business licenses
- Car Inspection
Off to get my passport renewed…
Over Abundance
May 29, 2009
Love the line from the new Microsoft ad I saw last night… so relates to our life, our space, our clutter…
Less is the new More!
Love that! How simple but profound!
Have a great weekend!
Don’t Just Organize, Keep P.E.A.C.E. In Your Life
May 28, 2009
I love the saying, “Organizing is a process, not an event.” How true. It is not something we do on a Saturday and it is done. It takes ongoing maintenance to keep things in order. Regularly making sure things are put away. Re-evaluating systems to make sure they are working. Donating or tossing items that no longer have a purpose in our life, are broken or damaged, etc.
It is much easier to put things away if items have a “home.” I tell clients to do a sweep once a day for 15 minutes. Put away anything that is left out, or has not been put away from coming in the door. Working this habit into your day will help you maintain your organization. I am more of a morning person. My first priority of the day is to put on some yummy strong coffee. As it is brewing, I do my “sweep.” Some clients with children have the kids spend 10 minutes before they go to bed to put things away and make sure their book bags and backpacks are ready to go for the morning. Pick a time that works for you and work it into your schedule.
Don’t want to be overwhelmed with a disorganized space? Think of having “PEACE:”
Put
Everything
Away
Conquer
Every day
Peace out!
Organize for Summer Fun!
May 21, 2009
Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start to Summer. In my head Summer is Memorial Day through Labor Day, not the actual seasons on the calendar. Are you “ready” for fun?
- Find, try on and wash bathing suits.
- Consolidate all sunscreen in one area. Throw away any lotions that have expired and re-stock.
- Take a tour of the garage, basement or shed. Put like items (beach chairs, bikes, summer sport equipment) together for easy access.
- Toss or donate any summer equipment you will no longer use or is broken, rusted, etc.
- Create a beach bag – place toys, first-aid items, even fresh towels in canvas carry bags. Keep in car, garage or other handy, easy access space.
- Check current supplies of any first-aid items – band aids, Neosporin, sunburn remedies.
Many clients ask me if suncreen lotion expires. Take a look at your lotion and see if it has an expiration date. If it does, great the answer is right there. If not, here are a few suggestions:
- Some lotions have a number “12, “24″ which indicates how many months it is good for.
- If it is just about gone, be safe and get a new one.
- You can try when you are going to be in the sun for a limited amount of time and check to see if it is still providing protection.
- The Mayo Clinic says it should last 3 years…learn more about what they have to say about sunscreen here.
I am wishing everyone a wonderful holiday weekend.
Hey Mr. Postman…
May 14, 2009
Did you know that the price of stamps went up this week? It is now 44 cents for a 1st class stamp. If you planned ahead and bought a bunch of “forever” stamps you are all set. If not be aware.
It is a good time to remind folks to create or maintain a “mail center.” In one place (kitchen drawer, desk drawer, etc.) keep what you will need for mail.
- Return address stamp or stickers
- Stamps
- Extra blank envelope
Following are some other helpful tips regarding stamps…
- You don’t have to save EVERY free address label you get from charity, etc. There are only so many you will use. Remember, they sent them to you without you asking for them. It is ok to get rid of them…
- Never have time to get to the post office or when you can the lines are just too long? Many post offices have self service centers. They are fast and easy to buy stamps and mail packages. You can also purchase stamps on line at the USPS website.
- Keep all stamps in one place. Once you gather, see what you need to use them. You may need some stamps to make up the difference from various prices increases. Right now, you may need some 2 cent stamps for the recent increase. Make an effort to go to the post office and get. That way you will use them up. The US Postal service has a \”Make Up Package\” on line where you can purchase 2 cents stamps.
- Paying bills on line will cut down on purchasing stamps and all the organization that comes with it. It will also save a lot of trees, gas, man-hours of processing paper bills.
Organized Junk…Mail That Is
May 11, 2009
Lately I have noticed that more and more spam is coming into my in-box.
I scheduled 1/2 hour today to address it. I had not updated my email rules in quite a while. For some reason it looked like some rules had disappeared. If you already don’t know, you can set up “rules” in your email for all sorts of things.
Today I am talking about flagging an email that comes in with a certain word in the subject line, so that it automatically goes into your Junk Mail folder. Although it does not completely stop it from coming in, doing this does save you time and decreases clutter in your in-box.
If you do not have any “rules” set up, do so right away. It is easy. Look to your email help section or microsoft.com to learn how to set up (PC.) Once you learn, and for those who already have it set up, go in and review the words you are currently flagging to go to Junk Mail. See if there are any you need to add. I keep a list next to my computer and write down new ones as they sneak in. And then, when I schedule time to update my rules, I use this list as a guide of what I need to add.
It is a good idea to regularly take a look at all of those on-line shopping, newsletters, promotion reminders emails you get. If you don’t read them, don’t just delete them, unsubscribe to them. If the info is not benefiting us and we are not reading it, then it is just more clutter.
Schedule some time to work on this sometime soon.
I am working on a kitchen organization project tomorrow. I can’t wait! It is like putting a big puzzle together.
I’ll be brining a few supplies with me in case we need them. Of course I will only use what makes the space more efficient. So what are some of my favorite kitchen organizers?
- Drawer separators.
- Clear bins –with and without covers.
- Under sink shelving.
- Wire racks to add more vertical space to your cabinets.
The key if you have small space is to house what you use most of the time. We all have appliances, serving dishes, etc. that we only use from time to time. Store those in another part of the house, garage or basement. Be realistic about what you really use. And, we need room for food! Most don’t have the luxury of having pantry space.
You want to keep like things together. All baking together, all spices together and so on. Many times I put some of these categories into a container. This way when I am going to “bake” (my family reading this is probably laughing right now) then I can pull out the baking bin and all of my supplies are right there — sugar, vanilla, food coloring, etc. I can use the items and when done, easily put back into the cabinet.
There are so many things that end up at the back of the cabinets that never see the day of light. Take time every now and then and edit out what you are not using. Kids not using certain types of cups any more — bu-bye. Got a cabinet full of give-a-way mugs? Ok, how many do you really need?
The kitchen is one of the most used spaces in our house. Make sure the space is used efficiently.
