Ideas

Ideas come and go all day long. Make a habit of writing down all your ideas as you think of them. You can revisit them later and screen out the bad ones.

Need More Desk Room?

Store basic office tools in a drawer. Items such as paper clips, the stapler, spare staples, ruler, rubber bands, etc., stored in a drawer means more work space on the desktop and makes your desk look and feel less cluttered.

First Things First

You have a long to-do list for the day. Where do you start?

Do the most important task first. Schedule and complete the most important task on your To Do list during the first 15 minutes of your work day. Not only will get the most important task done, but the feeling of accomplishment will set the tone for the rest of the day.

Linen Storage Ideas

Tidy bundle of sheets. After laundry, fold the flat, fitted and one pillow case and place in the other pillowcase for storing.

No fold sheets. Put the sheets back on the bed immediately after drying to eliminate folding entirely.

Quilt and blanket storage. Bulky quilts and blankets take up a lot of valuable space in closets and linen storage areas. Buy a few pillow shams that match your décor and store the out of season quilts right in the sham. Arrange the shams, which now look exactly like pillows, on the beds.

#1 Productivity Tip

If I could only give you one tip to help you be more productive, it would be...WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN.

Don’t rely on your memory. You run the risk of letting tasks and appointments fall through the cracks. The best way to never forget an appointment, a deadline or a detail again, is to write everything down.

Clear Your Desk and Brain, Too

An uncluttered desk frees your mind from distractions and keeps you focused on tasks that require immediate attention. Keep only the items on your desk that relate to your current project.

Need Extra Living Room Storage?

Look for an attractive trunk (which can double as an ottoman or coffee table) to store board games, puzzles, extra bedding and pillows.

Your Peak Time

Are you alert in the mornings? Hit a second gear in the afternoons? Use your most productive time to do your most productive work.

No Such Thing as Miscellaneous

Be specific in labeling your file folders. Filing papers in vague folders labeled miscellaneous, future or stuff wastes time having to go through that folder each sheet of paper one by one. If the paper is important enough to file, it should be clearly categorized in your filing system.

The "Key" to Keeping Up with Your Keys

Have a central location for keys. Have one place to store keys and make a habit of putting yours there when coming home. Some suggestions for key storage:

• Designate a small kitchen drawer as the key drawer
• Hang a decorative key board near the door you enter
• Have a decorative storage box on the entryway table to drop your keys into
  

Cleaning out the Pantry

Decided to clean out the pantry, but not sure when to toss certain items? Here are some guidelines for a few pantry staples:

Mayonnaise, if it’s sealed, it will last indefinitely, but the color and flavor of an opened jar in the refrigerator will be affected in about three months.

Maple syrup will last about a year.

Honey never expires.

Toss a refrigerated bottle of salad dressing after nine months.

Olive oil is good up to two years from the manufactured date.

Tobasco sauce will last five years if stored in a cool, dry place.

An opened bottle of soy sauce should be tossed after three months.

Laundry Tips

Laundry Tips:

Have a wastebasket next to the clothes dryer for discarding lint balls and used dryer sheets

Hang a towel rack in the laundry area for hanging wet things that can’t be dried.

Establish a regular routine for laundry. For example, do one load each morning or each evening, depending on your schedule.

Finish. Think finish when doing the laundry. Get the clothes into the dryer. Set a timer so you get the clothes out of the dryer the moment the time dings. You are not finished until the laundry is folded and put away.

Folding and putting away a load of laundry actually takes no more than five minutes, so just do it.

Find Your Organizing Style

There are many different ways to be organized. Do what works for you. Some people like their papers filed out of sight, others need to have certain papers visible. Some like color-coding, others find it too much of a bother. Some people like to keep their calendar on a computer, some prefer a paper planner.

Are your employees very busy doing paperwork which is no longer necessary?

Questions to ask to answer this question:

Why are we collecting the data?
Where does the data go?
Who uses the information?
Even if we continue all or part of the process, what shortcuts can be taken?

Healthy Snacks Made Easy

When arriving home from the grocery store or farmer’s market, take a few minutes to wash and prepare fruits and vegetables. Cut watermelon and cantaloupe into bite pieces and store in the refrigerator. Cut celery and carrots into snack size and place in zip type bags. If the healthy foods are already prepared, grabbing them instead of prepackaged foods is easier.

What to Do with the Winter Blankets

Bulky quilts and blankets take up a lot of valuable space in closets and linen storage areas. Buy a few pillow shams that match your décor and store the out of season quilts right in the sham. Arrange the shams, which now look exactly like pillows, on the beds.

Two Quick Organizing Tips

Another Use for a Favorite Gadget - The Timer. Set the timer for 15 minutes and close your eyes until the timer goes off. You will feel revived and function better the rest of the day. If at work, you can do this during your lunch period or afternoon break time.

Refrigerator Have a Bad Smell? Add a teaspoon of lemon or vanilla extract to a solution of mild soap and water and wipe down the insides of the unit.

My sister is doing a major re-organizing of her house. I wish I lived close by so I could help, but she is doing great on her own! She is blogging about her progress. I was posting a comment about her progress and giving "just a few little suggestions" so I thought I better stop and do it here on MY blog!

Here is what I wrote to her:

The kitchen is always the slowest to organize. One reason is because we accumlate so many things in the kitchen we really don't need. (Remember Steve's FIVE whisks?) My sister knew this story, but of course you don't... When my husband and I got married, he had five whisks in his kitchen. He hardly, if ever, cooks! Why in the world did he need five whisks?

Another reason is because it is the heart of our homes...it get used a lot for lots of reasons so it tends to get accumulate lots of clutter. Make the kitchen about cooking and preparing meals. Move your paperwork, your desk, your business (yes, I know someone that keeps their business inventory in the kitchen) to another part of the house, if at all possible.

One way to think about the kitchen when organizing it is to create boundaries by making the stuff fit the kitchen storage space instead of trying to make the storage space fit the stuff. For example, if you only have room in your utensil drawer for two spatulas, get rid of the other 10 instead of trying to cram them in the space.

Use drawer dividers and storage containers to create a "home" for the items in your kitchen. Look back at one of the earliest posts on this blog and you'll see some pictures of what I mean.

Getting Organized for Weight Management

I released 42 pounds in five months and have kept it off for over a year now. People still ask me how I did it, so I wanted to give you some tips on organizing your weight management.
1. Change your thinking. Instead of thinking about losing weight, think about releasing weight. Losing something implies that it is only misplaced and will eventually be found. But, when you release something, you let it go.
2. Organize your kitchen. Clean out the cabinets and the fridge. Get rid of the stash of candy, the sugary cereal, the refined foods, the high fat cheese, the cookies, the crackers, etc. If it is not there, you can’t eat it. An example of this for me is crackers. I love crackers…any kind of crackers. I can’t eat just a few. I don’t stop until I have eaten half the box. So, I just don’t buy crackers….problem solved.
3. Stock the pantry. Stock the pantry with whole grain pastas (spelt pasta or brown rice pasta are my favorites and the closest in taste to the refined kind we all grew up on). Stock up on dried or canned beans and fruit (choose fruits without sugar) for those times when you are too rushed or tired to cook. Stock up on some healthy snacks for those times you just have to have an extra snack. I keep light popcorn, various soups and Cheerios on hand for those occasions.
4. Plan your meals. Leaving your meals to chance helped contribute to the extra pounds. Plan ahead, do your grocery shopping, and cook ahead on the weekend, if you don’t have time to cook during the week. For example, I have been very busy this week, so I made a big pot of brown rice spaghetti, a healthy spaghetti sauce, a turkey breast in the crockpot and cut up a big container of salad. We have had plenty to eat all week without cooking. (I’m heating up a plate of that spaghetti as soon as I finish this article!)
5. Schedule your weight releasing activities. Whether it be a book to read about weight release, a tape to listen to, seeing a therapist about emotional eating, or especially exercise, schedule those activities into your day. Make them a priority and don’t skip!
6. Quit making excuses. Cut out the excuses for your weight woes. You know the ones I am talking about…
“I don’t have time to exercise every day!”
“I am too busy to cook and plan my meals.”
“My mother made me clean my plate so it is her fault.”
“I have to keep refined foods in the house for my spouse and/or children.”
“My parents were overweight so my problem is genetics.”
You have a choice as to what you eat and how much you exercise. Excuses don’t accomplish getting rid of your household/office clutter or getting rid of your body clutter. Eating healthy and exercise do. That is how I accomplished it and so can you.

Time, Money & Energy

Time: If you want to have enough time for the important things in life, you have two choices:

1. Use your time more efficiently.
2. Decrease the activities in your life that require the use of your time.

Energy: If you have adequate energy, you have two options:

1. Increase the activities that generate energy for you
2. Decrease the activities that drain your energy.

Money: If you want to have an adequate supply of money, you have two alternatives:

1. Make more money
2. Decrease things in your life that require money

5 Ideas to Help You Remember

1. Believe in Yourself. If you keep saying you have a bad memory, then most likely you will have a bad memory. Motivate yourself by having an I CAN remember attitude.

2. Write it down. I say this over and over, but we all have way too much to remember to fill our heads with trivial matters. Write them down and clear the brain for the important stuff.

3. Record yourself. Sometimes you have a thought and want to remember it, but writing it down isn't possible (like when driving). Use a little tape recorder to record your thoughts, your parking space number or a phone number you see advertised while driving. Check your cell phone. Many of them have a video feature that will record your voice.

4. Call yourself. If you are at the office and want to do something when you arrive home, call your answering machine and leave yourself a message.

5. Set timers and alarms. Keep yourself on task by setting a timer or alarm for how long you want to work on the project. Need to leave at a certain time for an appointment? Set an alarm for a few minutes before to remind you it is time to go.

Lesson Learned!

Even us organized types mess up sometimes. Last week I went to my filing cabinet and got out my auto policy. The file was right where it should be, in the personal files, in a hanging folder labeled insurance with the file folder labeled with the car information. So far, so good.

A couple of weeks ago, my husband was driving north on the interstate to pick me up at the airport. The car was hit by a rock and it chipped the windshield. I was checking the policy to see what our coverage was for that.

I didn't find the info I needed on the policy to answer my question, so I put the file folder in my inbox to email our insurance agent. I got busy with other things and didn't do the task that day.

Today, I finally got around to emailing our agent. I completely forgot that I had pulled out the folder and spent a good five minutes looking to see if I had misfiled that file, before remembering I had taken it out of its home.

If I had just left it in its home and put the task on my list of to-dos like I normally would, there would have been no problem and I would not have wasted time.

Oh well, I am human...

Organizing Clothing and Shoes

Get rid of the item if it does not:

• Fit you now (not whenever you hope to lose weight)
• Make you look good
• Make you feel good

Get rid of the item if;

• It is beyond repair
• It has not been worn in the last year
• it is difficult to maintain (expensive to dry clean, must be hand washed or laid flat to dry)
• it does not reflect your current style
• it (accessories and shoes) does not coordinate with at least two outfits

Freezer Dos and Don'ts

Freezer Dos

Label items before adding to the freezer. Saves time trying to guess later.

Squeeze excess air from freezer bags before sealing.

Store similar foods together.

Freeze foods in individual portions. You can thaw only what you need and
thawing time is shortened.

Freezer Don’ts

Don’t choose containers that are too large for the food.

Don’t take up freezer space with your baking dishes. Line dishes with foil before assembling a casserole. Wrap and freeze the finished casserole and then lift from the dish and store in a resealable freezer bag.

Don’t fill containers to the brim when freezing soups, stews and sauces. Leave one inch of space to allow for expansion during freezing.

The Children Whine "I'm Bored!"

Solution: Create an “I’m bored” activity box.

Fill a container with craft items and projects that your kids can dig into anytime you hear “I’m bored” or “I don’t have anything to do.” Here are some supplies to get started. The idea is to let their imaginations run wild!

Empty jars
Paper-towel rolls
Popsicle sticks
Index cards
Duplicates of family photos
Paper cups
Straws
Buttons
Thread spools
Marbles
Shells
Scissors
Glue
Tape
Paper
Cardboard
Markers
Cotton balls
Bean seeds

Less Chaos for New Employees

Less Chaos for New Employees. Even the best new hires may flounder if they walk into a chaotic environment.

1. Discuss and set goals with the new hires and meet with them daily for the first few weeks.

Have them shadow a co-worker.

If you have various departments in your business, have them attend staff meetings or spend some time in each department so they can see the big picture.

Provide written procedures for repeated tasks.

5. Let them know who to go to for help if they are in a pinch or overwhelmed.

"Home" Office

“Home” office. Every home needs a place to do paperwork that pertains to the home. “Home” work includes paying bills, signing permission slips, reading mail, writing correspondence and filing important paperwork. Having a dedicated room for your “home” office would be ideal, but here are some suggestions for creating a consistent area to handle paperwork:

Use a lap desk and store a filing cabinet in the living room. Cover the filing cabinet with a pretty cloth when not using and it doubles as an end table.
Use the kitchen table and store office supplies and a portable file box in a kitchen cabinet.
Make an office in a closet.
Attach a work surface to a wall with hinges. Flip it up when using and flip it down for storing in between work sessions.
Put up a folding screen in a corner of the family room and hide the desk and filing cabinet behind the decorative screen.

How to Become Your Own Best Friend

If you want to be a better friend to yourself…

1. Stop the guilt trip. Guilt is nothing but judgment about something you should have done or should be doing. Either clean up your act, or become happy with your current decisions. Feeling guilty is a complete waste of time.

2. Be true to yourself. Don’t betray yourself by saying yes when you need to say no. Your attitude will improve because you will be taking responsibility instead of trying to be a people pleaser.

3. Respect others enough to make them pull their weight. Speak to them about the situation and explain where you need help. Be prepared to deal with excessive pouting on their part as they try to guilt you into reverting to old ways.

Be kind to yourself. You can’t give to others what you can’t give to yourself.

Laundry Tips

Have a wastebasket next to the clothes dryer for discarding lint balls and used dryer sheets

Hang a towel rack in the laundry area for hanging wet things that can’t be dried.

Establish a regular routine for laundry. For example, do one load each morning or each evening, depending on your schedule.

Finish. Think finish when doing the laundry. Get the clothes into the dryer. Set a timer so you get the clothes out of the dryer the moment the time dings. You are not finished until the laundry is folded and put away.

Folding and putting away a load of laundry actually takes no more than five minutes, so just do it.

January White Sales

January is a great month for buying towels and bed linens. Before you take off on a spending spree, take a few minutes and clean out your linen storage area.

1. Check for any bed or bath linens that are too worn to use. Recycle what you can. Old washcloths make great rags. Your husband might like the old towels for drying down the car, the motorcycle, the boat, or just to use in his workshop.

2. Remember the one out, one in organizing rule. If you toss or recycle only two towels, the purchase only two towels.

Kitchen Organization

As a professional organizer, a question people ask me frequently is "Where do I start organizing?" My reply is the kitchen. We all have to eat and in most families, the kitchen is the family gathering spot.

• First, define your goals for the kitchen. Do you want to have family meals around the table? Are you trying to cut food expenses? Do you want to eat healthy? As with any goal...write them down.
• Look for ways the kitchen can support your goals. Does the fridge need to be cleaned out to make room for healthy food choices? Does the kitchen or dining room table need to be cleared of clutter so you can sit down together as a family? Does the cabinets need to be cleaned and arranged to use the oldest food so as not to waste?
• Clear the counter tops. Food prep is so much easier when you have the room to do the preparation. You will save money and time by clearing the counters.
• Tools? If your knives are dull, have them professionally sharpened or replaced. Having too many gadgets clutters a kitchen. How many spatulas, wooden spoons, can openers or whisks do you really need? Do you use the egg slicer, the cheese slicer, the garlic press, the blender, the juicer and the crockpot that the liner isn't removable? If the answer is no, then purge your kitchen of unnecessary items.
• Get rid of chipped mugs and dishes and those plastic containers that are stained, have writing on them (like old Cool Whip containers) and no longer have lids.

12 Things You Can Do While Talking on the Phone at Home

1. Polish your toes

2. Wrap a gift

3. Organize a shelf or cabinet

4. Set the table

5. Clear the table

6. Fold laundry

7. Clean our the fridge

8. Load the dishwasher

9. Empty the dishwasher

10. Clean out the junk drawer

11. Feed the dog

12. Organize coupons

Organizing the Coat Closet

1. Donate any coats and jackets that no longer fit or you no longer like wearing.

2. Separate each person's small items, like gloves, hats and scarves in a storage container for each. Label with the person's name. For small children that cannot yet read their name, place their picture on their bin.

3. Purchase a shoe rack to contain all the shoes and boots strewn on the closet floor.

4. Add a few extra hangers to the closet for hanging your guests' coats.