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Simplified Living Solutions

Author: Sue Anderson

Loss of a loved one

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Today marks the 12-year anniversary since my younger brother, Mike, died from leukemia. He had just celebrated his 39th birthday 2 weeks before he died. Before my family and I could even begin to deal with the emotional loss we were experiencing, we were faced with the physical task of sorting through Mike’s many belongings to find any legal, insurance or medical paperwork he had in order to prepare for his funeral. Mike had documented his final wishes in a Will but since he never got around to signing it, his Will was ignored and not considered legally binding. This… read more »

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Simplify your office, increase your productivity

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If you are a small business owner like myself, you probably started your business because you love the work you do. Unfortunately, running a small business requires much more than just doing the thing you love. You have financial records to keep, marketing to create, clerical work, customer service and much more that steals your time. If the office work is not your favorite thing to do, chances are that you’re not really efficient at it either. At Simplified Living Solutions we pride ourselves in working with small business owners to set up systems that will increase their productivity, simplify… read more »

Category: Office Organization | Tags:

Getting organized is like going on a diet

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Being overweight is a daily downer; your clothes don’t fit, you don’t feel good physically or mentally and you have less energy than you would otherwise. Unfortunately, I know this first hand. Being disorganized is a daily downer; you can’t find what you need, you miss appointments, your stress level is high and you suffer mentally from it (depression, anxiety, etc). Since we don’t find ourselves overweight or disorganized overnight, it is unrealistic to think it is going to go away over night, or without some work. Most people don’t want to do the work that is required to change… read more »

Category: Random Musings

Are you living in CHAOS: Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome?

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So many of our clients struggle with CHAOS; Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome. They are embarrassed about the condition that their home has gotten into and therefore they never invite anyone over to visit. Many times when people call us they express how much they wish they could invite guests over, or even more often we hear about how they wish their children could have friends over to play or visit. The true problem stems from the fact that a clutter problem left untouched can grow and multiply very quickly. Thus leaving you feeling completely overwhelmed and unsure of where… read more »

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Free yourself from paper piles

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Most people tend to lay all of their papers that require action or follow up on their desktop so that they don’t forget to take action on them. Because there aren’t any systems set up for handling the paperwork or tasks, and there is no rhyme or reason as to where they are placed on the desk, the papers and piles just get moved around on the desktop without getting much of anything accomplished. To combat this problem, a system needs to be put in place for your papers and tasks to help you move them into your workspace and… read more »

Category: Paper Management | Tags:

Grieving mother

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I worked with a grieving mother last week who tragically lost her young son 6 weeks ago. Because the death was so unexpected, the family was not prepared for the financial burden of a funeral. There was a enormous outpouring of support, both financially and otherwise. This mother had been facing a gigantic pile of cards, scribbled notes of who gave what, jumbled notes of people’s addresses, etc. Every time she would attempt to sit down to attempt to write thank you notes, she was overwhelmed by the task because of the completely disorganized pile. We worked together to sort… read more »

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Move preparation

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After months of waiting you finally sold your house and are preparing to move. Here’s a quick check list to guide you through the process. Fill out a change of address with the post office. Contact utilities to schedule service terminations. Keep a list of who you talked to and the date you’ve schedule the services to end for reference. Be sure to provide them with your new mailing address. Begin packing room by room, keeping like items with like items. Label each box in big bold letters with the room that you want the box to land in at… read more »

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Skip the plastic bag

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A simple action you can take to help the environment is to pay attention to what the clerk is bagging for you and just say no. In most cases a quick trip into the store doesn’t even warrant a bag. Do you really need a bag for your gallon of milk if you are going to carry it by the jug handle anyway? Does your bag of potatoes need a bag? What about when you run in the store for 1 or 2 items? The bag isn’t really necessary, is it? Did you know? About a hundred billion plastic bags… read more »

Category: Decluttering Tips | Tags: ,

Are you moving soon?

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While working with a client to prepare for her impending move a few days ago she told me about Clean Carton Company. They are a local company that sells boxes at a discount of 30%-50% off what you would normally pay. Typically, the boxes are new and have printing from industry on them. Clean Carton Company purchases obsolete, misprinted, overstock, and close out boxes by the truckload from a wide range of manufacturers and industrial suppliers. Since they pay less for the boxes than new stock boxes, their customers pay less as well. They also stock the rest of the… read more »

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Clothes have rules too

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In order to remain organized and clutter-free you must establish systems, or rules, for your stuff. Here are some fairly basic rules that you can easily implement to help you keep a handle on your clothes: Check them seasonally. At the beginning of each season when you are switching out your wardrobe, take a fresh realistic look at the clothes you are moving into your closet for the upcoming season. Do you still like that style? Is there anything wrong with it? Does it fit? Put hangers backwards. When you move your clothes for the upcoming season into your closet,… read more »

Category: Home Organization | Tags: ,
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