Trick or Treat? Organizing Tricks for Halloween

Halloween has changed dramatically since I was a little girl. Then, Halloween was asking Mom for an old sheet or raiding her fabric stash and then fashioning my own costume with lots of imagination. Then I got to visit a few of the neighbors (most of whom were relatives) for treats and that was pretty much it. Fun, but not the production that Halloween has become these days.

Now, stores have two or three aisles of costumes, another two or three of various candies, and yet another two or three of decorations and even orange lights. Grocery stores have huge piles of pumpkins to be carved. There are Halloween parties for kids and adults alike. Adults have theme parties and dinners.

With more Halloween “stuff” and activities comes scheduling, time management and storage issues. Here are some tricks for making your Halloween preparations a treat:

Decorating. Early in the month is the time to take out your autumn decorations and decorate your house.

Start planning what your children will need of Halloween costumes. The earlier you shop for costumes, the better the selection.

Candy and treats are displayed and on sale now for Halloween. Go ahead and stock up.

Choose a pumpkin for dual purposes. Carving a pumpkin has become a fun family tradition. Start a new Halloween tradition and use the meat of the pumpkin and bake a pumpkin pie as a family project.

RSVP for any parties for you and/or your children now. Note the commitments on your calendar so as not to over schedule.

Remember the key to being organized for Halloween: Take down your decorations promptly, store them in a container in long term storage. Label the storage container for easy retrieval next year.

Shop for new Halloween decorations the next day or two after Halloween, when prices are slashed. Think about where you are going to store decorations before shopping. Purge old decorations. Store and label the new decorations right away.

Have a safe and fun Halloween!

Fall Organizing Projects

Fall is a time of new beginnings…the beginning of the school year, the beginning of the fourth business quarter and changing weather. Fall can be a good time to start new organizing projects, too.

Here are some suggestions for projects to help you get organized this fall season:

Change out your wardrobe. Go through last year’s fall and winter clothes. See what you want to keep and what you want to donate. Put the clothes to donate in a box or bag and take immediately to the car to be dropped off. Don’t clutter your closet with the donations. Do it now instead of later. Once you have determined what clothes you have left, then you can see what pieces you need to make your fall wardrobe complete.

Wash outside windows. Fall is a great time to wash the dust of summer off your windows. You want them to be as sparkling clean as possible to bring in the fall and winter light.

Sort toys: Sort through children’s toys before the holiday season. Have your children help you put the ones they no longer play with in a large box to be donated. Explain to them how they are blessing other children that won’t be getting new toys for the holidays. Praise them for being kind and giving.

Landscaping: Fall is the time to prune back perennials, plant bulbs and mulch flower beds to be ready for next spring.

Hose it. Drag out bikes, lawn mowers, plastic garbage bins and any other items that can be washed into your driveway on a sunny fall day. Hose them down, let them dry and then store back in the garage.

Sweep it. While the stuff from your garage is drying in the driveway is a great time to sweep out the garage.

Holiday shopping: Do your holiday shopping now so you can enjoy the holiday season in November and December with your family instead of rushing to the crowded stores.

Plastic Shopping Bags are like Bunnies

Plastic shopping bags are like bunnies...they multiply. Decide how many bags you need to keep and contain them. (I suggest no more than 10.)









Contain them in a wall unit or under cabinet dispenser.



Here are some uses to recycle and use those bags:

• Carry dirty gym clothes or wet clothing


• pet waste container (at the park or on walks)


• small trash can liners


• extra odor protection for diapers in garbage


• give to the local farmers market to use for bagging produce


• ask if your library takes them for patrons' use


• keep a couple in the car for trash and wet umbrellas


• use for shoes in your suitcase


• take a few in your suitcase for soiled laundry

10 Tips to Work More Effectively at Your Desk

1. Handle each piece of paper only once, keep paperwork moving.

2. Remove all the papers from your desk you are not working on. This prevents lost or mixed up files.

3. Put limits on visits and phone calls, if you can.

4. Use your high productivity hours for your top priority projects.

5. Establish a place for everything and put it back in its place.

6. Concentrate on one task at a time.

7. Do not over schedule. Leave some time each day free from appointments.

8. Tackle time-consuming projects in stages.

9. Plan your day the last 15 minutes of the day before.

10. Write down your ideas.

10 More Ideas for Taking Care of Yourself

1. Have lunch with a friend.

2. Visit a pet shelter and pet an animal.

3. Try a new restaurant.

4. Spend time with a child doing something childish.

5. Work out.

6. Give a hug.

7. Pick something off your list of favorite activities and do it.

8. Blow bubbles

9. Color in a coloring book.

10. Fix something that is broken.

10 Random Ideas for Taking Care of Yourself

Want to be healthier, more balanced, more peaceful and less stressed? Start taking time for yourself. Here are 10 ways to get started:

1. Listen to your favorite music for 15 minutes without getting out of your chair.
2. Read a book just for pleasure.
3. Sign up for a fun class.
4. Turn off the phones for a day.
5. Buy yourself a present...just because.
6. Watch an old comedy and laugh out loud.
7. Watch a sunset.
8. Watch a sunrise.
9. Call a long distance friend.
10. Make a list of what you would do if you had time.

Top 10 Reasons We Procrastinate

1. Fear of Failure
2. Feeling Overwhelmed
3. Avoidance
4. Low Self-Esteem
5. Undervaluing the Reward of Completion
6. Resentment
7. Low Priority
8. Perfectionism
9. Lazy
10. Lack of Commitment