Saved By My To-Do List

Even organizers have "those days" once in a while. I had something on my mind yesterday and was stressing. I know better than to worry or let things I can't control bother me, but sometimes it just happens.

My to-do list saved me. Every evening before I CFB (close for business), I choose the things from my Master List that I want to get done the next day. That is my to-do list.

My Master List is a list of all my thoughts, ideas, tasks to be done, wants, needs...all the stuff rattling around in my head. I write it all down so I don't lose my thoughts and ideas or forget something important or even the small stuff.

As I mentioned, my to-do list is the things I want to accomplish that day. Yesterday, when my mind was elsewhere, I would lose focus, but my to-do list kept bringing my mind back to where I needed to be and helped me get back on track. I won't say it was my most productive day, but I did manage to get the most important tasks on the list done. As distracted as I was, the day would have been a complete waste without my to-do list.

Handy Storage Containers

Here are a couple of pictures of favorite storage containers I like to use for clients and for myself. You can buy these at Staples, in the store and online. I know the black ones are readily available online. Sometimes the stores (and it varies from store to store) will have them in colors, too. I have seen navy and also striped.

The containers snap together and hold a multitude of items. You can use them closed or open for taller items. The lid makes a nice tray when you are using them open.

My tip for buying storage containers. Don't buy them until after you have sorted through the items you want to store and know what size and how many you need.

I Love My Blackberry

When I started my organizing business, I soon discovered that I needed to have phone numbers and access to my calendar everywhere I went. When I am at networking events or conducting workshops, people want to schedule consultations. When I am at a client's business or house, they want to make their next appointment.

I use Outlook as my calendar, address book, to-do list and more. I love using Outlook. At first I was printing out a couple of weeks worth of dates and trying to schedule that way. I quickly realized that I needed a better system.

I decided to get a Blackberry. I needed a new cell phone anyway. My old one had SIM card (whatever that is) error messages at least once a day. My needs were a phone that allowed me to enter contact names & information and calendaring. I knew I wanted a QUERTY keyboard so I could enter things easier while out and about. Most importantly, I wanted a phone that I could sych with Outlook and transfer information with a click.

The Blackberry does all that and more! I now recommend it to my busy business clients and stay-at-home moms alike. Moms need a good calendar for their families busy schedule and often need contact information while away from home. No need to carry a big bulky calendar or planner, when the Blackberry can hold all that information. You are going to carry a phone anyway!

The Blackberry is a real time-saver for me. And I am all about saving time!

7 Tips for Meal Planning

I attended a ladies brunch at my church last Saturday. During a question and answer session after the two speakers, the topic was brought up about meal planning and what to do for those days when you don't have time to think about dinner plans, much less actually cook! Our pastor's wife asked that we send her tips for meal planning, which she is going to compile to share with our members. I wanted to share with you what I shared with the church ladies.

Tip 1. My mom would be the first to tell you she is not a cook. However, she had three tried and true meals that she could make well and fell back on (a lot.)

1. Baked chicken
Baked potatoes
Baked beans
Brown & Serve rolls

Bake the first three for one hour, add the rolls and serve it all after the rolls are golden.

2. Baked Ham
Baked potatoes
Baked beans
Brown & Serve rolls

Bake the first three for one hour, add the rolls and serve it all after the rolls are golden.

3. Spaghetti
Salad
Brown & Serve rolls with butter and garlic on top

So…the tip here is: Have a couple of tried and true recipes that are quick and easy. Always keep the ingredients for those meals on hand and you’ll be ready for whatever life hurls at you that day.

Tip 2. Crockpot cooking. Defrost and even put the ingredients in the crock the night before and refrigerate. Pop the crock into the pot in the morning, turn it on and forget about it until time to serve.

Tip 3. Cook ahead and freeze for those days. Foods that freeze well: Pasta sauces, most casseroles, baked ziti, lasagna, red beans & rice, soups, stews. The nice thing about most of these type dishes…they cook well in the crockpot so combine Tips 2 and 3 for really streamlining your cooking!

Tip 4. Meal planning is very important. Why? Because if you don’t plan what you are going to prepare, then how do you know if you have all the ingredients on hand? I don’t mean a diehard list that you must have chicken, rice & broccoli for dinner on Monday, May 12th, but just jot down some menus. Then buy the items you need to make all the items on the list. Then on Sunday night, May 11th, you just choose from the list what you want to fix on May 12th. Another reason meal planning is important is to take advantage of the grocery store specials and seasonal specialty items. We can all use some help trimming our food budget these days. Shopping and then using the on-special items really does save.

Tip 5. Plan ahead. Look at your calendar for what is coming up during the week. If you have a late meeting or a sports event on Tuesday night, then you will know and can plan a crockpot meal, or soup/sandwiches or pizza out that night. Don’t wait until the last minute to decide on what to fix. A little planning ahead relieves a lot of stress.

Tip 6. Sign up for my free weekly e-newsletter that has a new recipe plus other tips and information in it every week. The recipes are tested, nutritious and are geared for people with busy lives. You can sign up on the home page of the No More Chaos website at http://www.nomorechaos.biz/

Tip 7. Cooking and meal planning is much easier in an organized kitchen. Check out articles on my website, http://www.nomorechaos.biz/ for kitchen organizing articles such as, Clutter Free Kitchen Counters, What’s for Dinner, Parts 1 and 2 (about meal planning) and Cleaning out the Pantry. Once on the website, click on Article Archives to find these articles and lots more.

New Organizing Product Review - Rubbermaid Pan Stacker

There are several sites that I frequently check out for new organizing gadgets and storage ideas with Rubbermaid being one of them. Rubbermaid has a new kitchen cabinet storage idea called a Pan Stacker. I love it!

The Pan Stacker has room for 5 pans and/or lids. Think of the space this frees up in your pots and pans storage cabinet!

The problem is...I can't find a Pan Stacker to buy. The Rubbermaid website states the Pan Stacker is not for sale on its website. I contacted the Rubbermaid Company about where to purchase the Pan Stacker. They did email me back and said to try Target. My local Target is not carrying the Pan Stacker nor did I find it at Target online. Rubbermaid also said to try the Everything Rubbermaid online store. I did, but they aren't carrying the Pan Stacker either.

So...I have written Rubbermaid again and told them that I would love to purchase a Pan Stacker for my personal use and would like to recommend the Pan Stacker to my clients, but can't if I can't find it. I'll let you know if I get any more response from Rubbermaid.

Vacation and Unpacking

I got home from vacation last night at 6pm. We (husband, Steve and I) were gone eight days. By 6:30pm we had unpacked all three suitcases, put them away and started a load of laundry. Sure, I was tired, but unpacked suitcases causes chaos. By not unpacking immediately, it would have taken me much longer to get moving this morning...not to mention I would not have had anything clean to wear!

Here's how we got done so quickly:

1. Emptied the carry-on bag which was filled with snacks and books. Steve put away the unused snacks and put our books on the end table in the living room, while I started on my suitcase.

1. Opened my suitcase and sorted the dirty laundry into a three compartment sorter. (1 - brights, 2 - darks, and 3 - whites)

2. Filled up shampoo and other used toiletries and stowed the toiletry kit in the carry-on bag for our next trip.

3. Put my makeup back in its bathroom drawer and stowed the makeup bag in the carry-on bag.

4. Sorted the dirty laundry in Steve's suitcase. He refilled and put away his toiletry kit.

5. I started a load of laundry while Steve nested his smaller suitcase in my larger one and put them back in the hall closet along with the carry-on bag.

Less than 30 minutes and we were done!

Do You Hate Doing Laundry?

Most people hate doing laundry. Here are the main reasons that laundry is such a pain:

1. The drawers are too full. You dread doing laundry because putting the clothes away is hard. The drawers and closets are already too full and you are trying to add to them.

2. Too many clothes. The reason the drawers and closets are too full is you have too many clothes. In the past, you may have bought more and more clothes to keep from having to do laundry as often. The laundry piles just get bigger and bigger.

1. Dreading doing it. If the laundry piles up, the rest of the house seems piled up, too. Laundry is one of those chores that is never going to go away so just do it.

How to do laundry painlessly (well, as painlessly as possible):

1. Clean out the drawers and closets. Start with one drawer. One drawer will only take you 10 or 15 minutes. You can do this!

2. Do one load of laundry a day to stay caught up. You most likely have a washer and dryer, which does most of the work for you. Folding and putting away a load of clothes only takes 5 minutes. If you don't believe me, time it!

3. Stop dreading the laundry and just do it. Laundry is never going to go away. Just start a routine and stick to it. It is not so bad. Just do it, get it over with and GO PLAY!