Let's "Go Play"

When I started No More Chaos, one of my goals was to help those frustrated by being unorganized. That is still my goal. I want EVERYONE to have routines and systems in place to do what they have to do quickly and easily so they can get on with life...doing what they want to do.

Anyone that has a home, whether buying or renting, has laundry, dishes and certain chores that never, ever go away. We all have certain papers we have keep and be able to find.

Anyone that has a business has paperwork and filing to stay on top of.

The quicker and easier we get those necessary chores out of the way, we quicker we can get to playing or working or realizing our goals. It really is that simple!

When my son was growing up and would grumble about having to do household chores, I would tell him that "there is no men's work or women's work. It is all work and all has to be done. The sooner we get it done, the sooner we can go play."

That is the concept behind my organizing business. I want to help people put simple systems into place so they have time to "go play".

7 Tips for Organizing the Kitchen

I recently taught a workshop about Meal Planning and Organizing the Kitchen. Here are some of the tips for organizing the kitchen I shared with the workshop participants:

1. Start with surface clutter. Surface clutter is stuff on the countertops, stuff on top of the fridge, stuff on the table and chairs that belongs in the cabinets or even in another room.

2. Clean off the fridge. Get rid of the cutesy little magnets and pieces of paper on the fridge. Your kitchen will look instantly less cluttered.

3. Take baby steps. Start in one corner of the kitchen and work your way around the room. Organize one cabinet or one drawer at a time.

4. Containerize. Airtight containers keep food fresher longer and makes it easier to see what food you have and what you need.

5. Eliminate seldom used gadgets and small appliances. Consider how much room these items take. Ask yourself how often you use them.

6. Purge your cookbooks. Chances are, most of your cookbooks only have a few recipes you really want to keep. Pare down the cookbook collection by donating or giving away those cookbooks. Copy out only the recipes you will use.

7. Make your stuff fit your space. Beware of warehouse shopping. Do you have room for a case of ketchup or 20 rolls of paper towels? Put like items together. Consider creating a pantry if you don't have one. What about making a pantry in a corner of the garage or basement or in a under-used hall or linen closet by adding sturdy shelving.

Blogging at Last!

Here I am...blogging at last. I want to start my first post about saying no. I have no problem saying no. I am Southern (from North Carolina) living in Oregon. (My husband is an Oregonian so that's how I ended up here.) I talk so polite and sweet compared to Northwesterners that they take my no's quite well. People keep asking me where I am from and where did I get that accent. My pat reply is "What accent? I talk perfectly normal. Ya'll are the ones with the accent!"

Some, ok many, of my clients, have a problem saying no. They feel guilty and end up overbooking their time, feel pressured and even resenting the task they have taken on.

Here are a few ways to say no without alienating the asker or hurting his/her feelings:

1. Say "I have another commitment." The asker doesn't have to know that your commitment is to watch Biggest Loser, play with your child or have dinner with your spouse. Just say "I have another commitment" and stop.

2. Say "I'm not taking on any new projects right now." You are implying that your schedule is full, but doesn't leave the impression that you just don't want to help.

3. Say "My calendar is full." Being filled means you have scheduled as much as you are willing.