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What little area in your home or office is so disorganized that it’s really creating havoc in your life? Why not tackle it this weekend? Here are some little projects you should be able to complete in 3 hours or less. And by taking the time now to tackle those areas, it will save you time and stress in the future. Junk drawer Hall closet Bedroom closet Supply cabinet Desktop paper piles That stack of reading you’ve been wanting to read.
A big culprit for allowing clutter to remain in our lives, is what I lovingly refer to as the I’m gonna’s. This is the excuse I hear most often. I would guess that you may have said this yourself a time or two. I swear I’m going to write a book about it someday because the list is endless. (**July 2016 the book was published. Get your copy of The Truth About Clutter: Why Am I Holding on to This.) I’m gonna fix it I’m gonna return it I’m gonna donate it I’m gonna read it I’m gonna recycle it… read more »
Here are some of my favorite inspirational quotes to get you over hump day. Enjoy! Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase. -Martin Luther King, Jr. We create our tomorrows by what we dream today. Some make it happen, some watch it happen, and some say, “What happened?” -Anonymous Life is an echo. What you send out, you get back. What you give, you get. -Anonymous
A question we hear a lot is “what do I do with all of these business cards?” Here are my suggestions: Purge cards from people you don’t even remember. Purge duplicates. Spend a moment on each card, and decide if you really want, or need, that person’s contact information. Purge those that you don’t need. The top 3 suggestions will probably weed out at least 1/2 of the business cards you have, if not more. Enter the remainder into a contact management database such as Outlook or ACT!. Toss the cards after they have been entered into the database.
Do you often miss sending a card on a special occasion? Do you buy cards with the intention of sending them, but then don’t? If this sounds like you, you’ll love Send Out Cards. I’m a huge fan of Send Out Cards so I want to take a moment to tell you about it. I think many of you may find this service to be a lifesaver. With Send Out Cards, you can send a printed handwritten greeting card with your message in less than 60 seconds. Simply choose your card, write your message and click send. Send Out Cards… read more »
I finally made myself block out some time to declutter and organize my closet. It took me about 3 hours start to finish. I was right when I said that I thought at least 80% of the clothes in my closet would end up being donated. I dropped off the clothes that no longer fit me at Mercy Ministries, which is a home for troubled or abused teenage girls. They get to live there completely free while they seek help dealing with their pasts. Not only do I feel great about tackling my closet, I also know that I’ve made… read more »
If you don’t believe that you can be taught organizing skills, think again. My oldest daughter was recently preparing for a trip out of town. She began planning (organizing) for the trip about 2 weeks ahead of time by starting a list of things she needed to bring or do before the trip. She had learned these organizing skills by living with me. Some of the skills were taught and some of them she just observed me doing. As a professional organizer, I got such a kick out of her list that I just had to share her outline. Things… read more »
It’s imperative that whatever organizing system or container you set up is super easy to use or it won’t last. Here are some common mistakes people make: Leave room to grow. You buy a container that is the exact size for what you have and you don’t leave room for growth. Within no time, your stuff will be laying next to the container instead of in it. Too many files. Don’t make your filing system overly complicated or the filing just won’t get done. Rather than having a folder for each of your 3 cars, just have one folder for… read more »
It’s so funny how people that clean houses never take the time to clean their own. People that build websites never take the time to keep their own updated. Well, I’ve been so busy helping others get organized that I’ve let my own space go and it’s driving me crazy. So I am going to tackle them this week, beginning with my closet. I am dreading this as much as any of my clients do. Why? Because it is so time consuming, depressing because I’ll have to face the fact that most of my cute clothes don’t fit anymore because… read more »
I can still remember a time so vividly, almost like it happened yesterday. When in fact, it’s been closer to 20 years ago (yikes!). I was a recently divorced, single mother of two young girls, 6 months old and 3 years old. I held a very good full time job, but since we were not receiving any type of financial support from their father or my family, and I had to pay ENORMOUS daycare bills, were struggling to put it mildly. We had just the very basic things in our apartment. What I remember most is that we only had… read more »
