Since I don't have a father to honor on this day, I'd like to honor my dear friend, Dan, who is one of the best fathers I know.
A Dad's work is important. He teaches his sons how to be men and his daughters how a man treats a woman. To Dan and all you hard-working Dads who do so much to provide for your family, Happy Fathers' Day!
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Living in Atlanta for the past (gulp) seventeen years, I've heard "It's not the heat that gets ya... it's the humidity!" How does that relate to organizing your
life?
It doesn't really, but it
makes me think about how many people believe that one aspect of
disorganization is making them ineffective, unproductive and miserable, when, like the humidty, it's actually something else. Maybe you've even had these thoughts yourself.
You think if you just had
the right tools, you'd be more organized. But despite new file
cabinets, shelves, sorters, containers, boxes, and all sorts of other
organizing tools, you're still disorganized.
You think
maybe it's your time management that makes you disorganized.So you
buy a new calendar or you sign up for a workshop. Yet still you're disorganized.
You think if you just had more space, you'd be organized. So you buy a
bigger desk, a bigger house or get a bigger office. Yet still you're
disorganized.
You think it's your stuff's fault. If you could
just declutter, you'd be organized. You spend long arduous hours
decluttering, sorting, culling and donating. Good for you!! Yet you're still
disorganized.
This is beginning to sound like a children's book
isn't it? Well just as children's books always have a lesson to teach,
this has a lesson as well. Chaos is like a pie...there are many pieces
and they all connect. When you address one piece it helps the
other pieces improve on their own, but there is no magic
quick fix for chaos. Creating a real long term fix involves evaluating and fixing EACH PIECE to
make as much overall improvement as you can.
You must address
your time management and priorities which means evaluating what you're
saying yes to.
You must address your space and storage potential to
maximize what you have.
You must address the amount of STUUUUUUFF you
have in your life, how it got there, and how you can keep it from
accumulating again.
You must address your lifestyle, the pace of your life and
whether it's working for you.
And you must address your attitude,
habits and behaviors, because until you can change your attitude, you
can't change your habits and the behaviors that caused the situation in the
first place.
Remember that today is the result of your past
thoughts, beliefs and actions. If you want to change tomorrow's results
you have to change your thoughts, beliefs and actions today.
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In recognition of my own most sacred American holiday, Memorial Day...
"And I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me"
~Lee Greenwood American Singer / Songwriter
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Spring is finally here and it’s a great time
to de-clutter your life and home by having a garage sale either by yourself or
with your neighbors. Even if you’ve never hosted a garage sale before, here are
ten tips to make your event easy, fun and profitable!
Advertise online. Be sure to promote your sale
online in advance. Sites such as GarageSales.com and Craigslist are great free
resources to let people know about your event, as well as what kind of items you'll be selling. Got great tools, electronics or kids clothing? Say so!
Make good signs. Use bold color marker and make
your print large enough so it can be seen from a distance as people travel by.
Another tip about signage is to include the date on your sign so people know
that it’s current and not an old leftover sign from last week.
Use as much space as possible. If you have a
driveway use it to showcase items. Place a variety of mens', womens' and kids' items near the street and along the sides of your driveway leading buyers right up into your garage to see what other goodies you’re offering.
Merchandise by category. Make it easy for
buyers to shop by grouping them into “departments” just like at a retail store.
Arrange your items by clothing, books, power tools, games, toys and household
items, for example.
Sell cheap! Nobody cares that you bought that
coffee maker for $35, all they care about is getting a deal today. Price items
at a fraction of what you paid for them so they sell quickly. A good guide is
to price items at 25% of the original cost.
Price by category or price by the entire lot.
Rather than pricing every individual item, make things simple by hanging signs
that say “All books $.50” or “All clothing $1.” Another way to simplify pricing
is to sell small items as a “lot” such as an entire box of glassware, kitchen
utensils, or toys for a single price.
Make price stickers visible. Help buyers out by
putting your price stickers on TOP of your items instead of on the bottom.
They’re easier to see and buyers won’t have to pick up each item to look on the
bottom for a price.
Be safe with your money. Start with $100 in
small bills to make change and be smart about handling your money. When things
get busy and you’re distracted, it’s easy for the cash box to walk away, so
instead of a cash box or drawer, wear a fanny pack. Alternatively, team up with
a friend who can wear the fanny pack and act as your cashier while you engage
your guests.
Have a donation plan. There will undoubtedly be
items that don’t sell and you don’t want to be hauling them back into your
house. Arrange in advance for your favorite charity to bring a truck on the
last day of your sale to pick up leftover items in exchange for a donation
receipt.
Take down your signs quickly. Don’t be an
inconsiderate neighbor. Take your directional and promotional signs down
immediately after your sale is over.
Bonus Tip #11: Have fun! Mingle with prospective buyers, chat people up, play music and sell cold bottles of water to make your garage the most fun one on your street!
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When the 6:00 pm news anchor
talks about a “pile-up” it’s typically not a good situation. What piles up in
your life? Paper? Mail? Bills? Projects? How about laundry? If you’re not
careful, repetitive “life maintenance” tasks can pile up quick! Keep your home (or office!) organized by thinking through
a simple process to stay on top of your piles.
Let’s talk laundry piles,
for example. Many people struggle stay caught up on their laundry. It piles up
so high they NEVER want to do it, and really, can you blame them? I wouldn't want
to either. Mount Laundry can feel like Mount Everest at times. At our house, we
have a simple system that works for us. My husband and I do separate laundry!
He has his hamper, I have mine, and never the twain shall meet. We like it that
way because we have different laundry philosophies.
I believe smaller is better.
He doesn’t. (He is a man, after all. Ha!)
I pre-sort my clothing into
two bins (one for whites and one for colors)
as it comes off my body. I also prefer to do my laundry in small frequent
loads, rather than wait until I have a ton of it. He, on the other hand, throws
all his dirty clothing into one bin and waits until he has a ton of it before
doing laundry. Whatever your preference, here are nine tips to help you stay on
top of Mount Laundry and keep your family in clean clothes every day.
1. Pre-sorting. Sort your clothing as you remove it from your body,
rather than putting it all into one hamper. This means you never have to sort a
big pile of clothes before washing. Provide each family member with two small
laundry hampers to sort into lights and darks. Pre-sorting saves a ton of time
on laundry day.
2. Keep a stash of hangers near the dryer so you can pull wrinkle-prone items
out when they’re still damp and hang them immediately. This will save you time
because they won't need ironing later. If you don't have anywhere to install a
closet rod in the laundry area, just mount a few sturdy hooks on the wall or a valet rod on the back of a door for
hanging items.
3. Don't run out of supplies. Always be sure to have a back-up of laundry
detergent and any other supplies you regularly use. Getting into the habit of
replenishing supplies early will ensure your laundry stays on schedule.
4. Teach young children laundry basics. You can enlist the help of
kids as young as four years old, and approach laundry as a teaching
opportunity. You can explain the difference between whites, colors and darks,
let kids help put the clothing into the washer, show them how to measure
detergent and also how to fold different pieces of clothing.
5. Designate days. If you have several kids, you may need to give the older ones their own
day each week to use the washer and dryer. Putting them in charge of doing
their own laundry gives them a sense of responsibility and also means you'll
never be blamed for ruining their favorite sweater or turning their underwear
pink.
6. Keep a stain stick or spray near the hamper. Pre-treat stains before
clothing hits the hamper, so the product has days to work instead of just a few
seconds before it hits the water.
7. Keep socks together by washing them in a mesh lingerie bag. They're ridiculously
inexpensive. Give your kids and spouse each their own mesh bag and have them
load their socks into it before they go into the wash. The bag keeps socks
together in the washer and if the bag isn't too full, you can even dry them in the
bag too.
8. Fold as you pull. I find myself highly unmotivated by a big basket
full of laundry to fold, so I just stand in front of the dryer with the door
open and pull one piece at a time and fold it as I go. In a matter of just a
few minutes, I'm done and the clothing never sits for hours in a laundry basket
getting wrinkled.
9. Put clothing away quickly. It's easier to stay organized when your clean
clothing makes it back into your drawers and closets. But it's tough to put it
all away if your dressers and closets are packed with stuff you never wear.
Make it easy to put clothing away by culling your wardrobe frequently and
donating anything you rarely wear.
What are your favorite tried and true tips for
staying on top of your laundry?
Mothers are a blessing and I miss mine every day. She is so much the reason I am who I am today, and I will never forget the lessons she taught me, whether directly with her words, or indirectly by her actions...
What goes around comes around. Don't take the last cookie in the jar. Any job you have, do the best you can. Don't walk across someone else's lawn. Walk across the street, don't run. Life isn't fair, and sometimes it's hard. Respect the property of others. The world doesn't owe you a living. Do the right thing. Tell the truth. Because I said so. Figure it out. And my personal favorite... don't MAKE me pull this car over!
My mom wasn't a brownie-making, laundry-doing, lunch-packing, cry-on-my-shoulder kind of mom. She was a hard-working, no-nonsense single mother who didn't take no for an answer. Because she loved me, she instilled in me character, integrity and a work ethic that I'm thankful for. I'm grateful for every day I had with her.
Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there and thank you for the difficult and important work you do.
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“Why is the slow cooker in the front of this cabinet?”
“Why do you keep your mugs and glassware in two spots?”
“Why are your towels in the hall closet while your foot spa
is under the vanity?”
These are the kind of questions I’ve asked clients over the
years and the answer is often the same: “It’s
been that way since we moved in and we just never changed it.”
I’ve worked with clients who tolerated disorganized spaces
for years before calling me. They moved into a new home and in the haste to get
unpacked and settled, they put things away without too much thought. And that’s
how they stayed. Today I want to share with you five tips so you can unpack
your moving boxes and be organized from the day you move in.
1. Lighten
Your Load The best way to ensure an easy UNpack is to give considerable thought to what
you pack and bring with you from your old house. Several months before your
move, systematically declutter each room of your home, donating and selling
everything and anything you can possibly live without. There is no sense
putting time, energy and money into moving things you don’t need anyway.
2. Organize
Up Front When packing your things, label each box in a way that will help you unpack
easily. Write on the outside of the box the room it should go into (not where it came from), how many
boxes you should have in there and what’s in each box. For example, MASTER
BEDROOM / BOX 1 OF 6 / SOCKS & T-SHIRTS.
3. Outfit
Your Storage In Advance Most homes will require some customization to fit your lifestyle. If possible,
arrange to outfit your closets and storage spaces with organizing tools before
you move in so they’re as ready as they can be on moving day. Install your
closet systems and kitchen Glide-Outs, purchase a wide selection of drawer
dividers, shelf risers and clear containers so you have them all on hand in the
moment you need them when unpacking.
4. Unpack
One Room at a Time Get each box and piece of furniture into the appropriate room first. Then,
whether you’re solo or moving as a team, assign each person a room (beginning
with the kitchen) to unpack completely before moving to the next one. There’s
nothing more chaotic than having several rooms half-unpacked and nothing
completed.
5. Unpack the Kitchen and Bedroom First As mentioned above, focus on one room at a time and make the kitchen your
first room. Next, set up your bed, put on bed linens and unpack your clothing
and toiletry items. At the end of the first day no matter how much you did or
didn’t accomplish, at least you’ll be able to eat, shower, sleep and get
dressed in the morning with ease.
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"With one kind gesture you can change a life. One person at a time you can change the world."
Steve Maraboli
Author, Speaker and Radio Show Host
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Since I started my business in 1998, I've been helping people organize their homes and offices and in fifteen years, I've STILL never met anyone who said, "Wow I have too much space in my kitchen!"
Our home is small and so is our kitchen, so over the years I've had to be creative to help maximize the storage capacity of my cabinets. I've done things such as using the inside surface of the doors for storage, and using lazy susans and clear shoe boxes to corral small items to make them easier to access.
However, my favorite way to maximize the limited cabinet space in my small-ish kitchen is with these clear plastic stemware racks that attach to the bottom of my upper cabinets. They're ridiculously inexpensive (less than $8 each!) and by displaying all my stemware on the OUTSIDE of the cabinet, I freed up an entire interior shelf for other glassware. The space below the double cabinet shown is long enough to accommodate two racks side by side, and each rack holds between 9 and 12 glasses, depending on their size.
If clear plastic isn't your thing, you might opt instead for one in oak or chrome, each of which offers a higher end (but less invisible) look for a little extra money. Regardless which style you prefer, they install in minutes with just a few short screws and these do-it-yourself organizing products offer superior functionality and smart space-savings for very little money which makes them a fantastic value for any kitchen.
"Our attitude toward life determines life's attitude towards us."
Earl Nightingale 1921-1989, Author of The Strangest Secret
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Have you ever heard someone use the expression, “He can’t get out of his own way?” I
think most of us have. Today I’ll share five things you need to stop doing if
you want to get out of your own way, boost your productivity, and end the day
feeling great about what you accomplished.
Switch-Tasking
Multi-tasking, switch-tasking, jump-tasking. Call it what you will, it surely
isn’t serving you. It may feel as though you’re doing more in a shorter time,
but scientific studies have proven that notion false. that multi-tasking
actually hinders productivity because you’re constantly shifting your focus.
Procrastinating
It’s no secret that putting off important things in favor of unimportant things
is a recipe for failure. Yet we all do it to one degree or another. Get a
handle on procrastination by getting an accountability partner, doing the
easiest part of your task first or setting a timer for 15 minutes and just
beginning the thing you’re resisting.
Having
Squishy Boundaries
When you can’t say no you end up spread too thin, harried, and stressed out. Establishing
boundaries on your time just means creating a framework that allows enough time
for activities, and then sticking to your schedule. If you don’t defend your
time who will?
Constantly
Checking Email
I’m about to say those three little words that make you so happy you could
burst. "You have mail." Squeeeee!
So exciting! Seriously though, if your email is open and going ding ding
ding all day long, you’re really in your own way. Can you imagine running out
to your actual mailbox 36 times a day
just to see if the postman came back with something new? Yeesh! Stop checking
email all day long. It derails you, steals your focus and worst of all, makes
it easy to fall down a rabbit hole for an hour or more. Shut down your email
client while you work on other things.
Distracting
Yourself
I know, I know, Twitter is fun! (Oh believe me, I know!)Facebook is awesome
and I can’t miss the newest installment of Grumpy Cat, now can I? My friends
are all Instagramming their delicious lunches and I need some foodie
inspiration. For Pete’s sake, social media is tempting, but you absolutely MUST
resist it if you want to get anything done! Take 15 minutes each hour if you
must to get your fix of email and social media and dedicate the remaining 45
minutes to actual work. You’ll be surprised what you accomplish!
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Make sure you visualize what you really want, not what someone else wants for you.
Jerry Gillies Author
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"Extend to each person, no matter how trivial the contact, all the care and kindness and understanding and love that you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again."
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The use of web links, trade, firm, or corporation names in this publication is solely for the information and convenience of the reader. Such use does not constitute an official endorsement or approval by Catalyst Organizing, LLC or Monica Ricci. Some links contained within may be compensated affiliate links.
Maybe you've even had these thoughts yourself.
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