Get Clear on What You Want

Jack Canfield, the guy behind the wildly successful Chicken Soup for the Soul empire, has some great planning advice for 2014. I read a similar article at the end of 2011 and set goals based on his ideas below. It took me two years, but I accomplished 90% of the goals I had set for myself and turned the other 10% into longer term goals. Why not give it a try and turn your dreams and aspirations into reality? Thanks for your words of wisdom, Jack!

Are you ready to make 2014 your best year yet?

It’s easy to start the new year full of enthusiasm and optimism. But to maintain your momentum through the year, you need to set powerful, crystal-clear goals.

The first step to getting what you want out of life is to decide exactly what you want.

What do you want to accomplish? 

What do you want to experience? 

What do you want to acquire?

Who do you want to be?

One of primary reasons most people don’t get what they want is that they aren’t clear about what they want. Others will recognize what they’d like to have, but when they can’t see how it’s possible to get what they want, and they dismiss their desires as foolish and unattainable.

Don’t sabotage yourself this way!

After decades of research into how the human brain works, scientists now know that for our brains to figure out how to get what we want, we must first decide what we want. Once we lock-in our desires, our mind and the universe can step in to help make our dreams a reality.

Dream Big
We start the process by getting clear about what we want. So, what do you want? To create a balanced and successful life, write down a minimum of 3 goals in each of the following 7 areas:

Financial Goals

Career/Business Goals

Free Time/Family Time

Health/Appearance Goals 

Relationship Goals

Personal Growth 

Making a Difference

If you have more goals than this, don’t limit yourself – write them down! On the other hand, if writing down 21 goals seems like a lot, remember that we can have a mix of long- and short-term goals. For example, in the financial area, you may have a short-term goal of paying off a $5,000 credit card balance, as well as a long-term goal of amassing a net worth of $5 million dollars. You want to keep both goals present in your mind, even though you’ll be working more actively on the short-term goal first.

Stretch Yourself
When setting our goals, it’s important to include a few that will make us stretch and grow to achieve them. These might be learning a new skill or trying something that is uncomfortable and maybe a little frightening, such as public speaking. It also helps to set a breakthrough goal that would represent a quantum leap. Examples of breakthrough goals include publishing a book, starting a business, getting on Oprah, winning a gold medal at the Olympics, or getting elected president of your industry association.

Material goals are important, but the ultimate goal is to become a master at life. In the long run, the greatest benefit we receive from pursuing our dreams is not the outer trappings of fulfilling the dream, but who we become in the process.

The outer symbols of success can all be easily lost. Houses burn down, companies go bankrupt, relationships end, cars get old, bodies age and fame wanes, but who you are, what you have learned, and the new skills you have developed never go away. These are the true prizes of success. Motivational philosopher Jim Rohn advises that “You should set a goal big enough that in the process of achieving it, you become someone worth becoming.”

Turn Your Dreams Into Goals and Objectives
Once you are clear about what you want, write them down and turn each item into a measurable objective. Measurable means measurable in space and time – how much and by when.

For instance, if you were to tell me that you wanted more money, I might pull out a dollar and give it to you. You would probably protest, saying “No, I meant a lot more money, like $20,000!” But there is no way I’d know how you’d define “more money” unless you tell me, right?

Similarly, your boss, your friends, your spouse, your brain, God, and the Universe can’t figure out what you want unless you tell them specifically what it is. What exactly do you want and when do you want it by?

Your Goals Impact Others
As soon as you commit to a big dream and really go after it, your subconscious creative mind will come up with big ideas to make it happen. You’ll start attracting the people, resources, and opportunities you need into your life to make your dream come true. Big dreams not only inspire you, they compel others to want to play big, too.

You’ll also discover that when your dreams include service to others – that is, accomplishing something that contributes to others – it accelerates the accomplishment of that goal. People want to be part of something that contributes and makes a difference.

Work on Your Goals Daily
To keep your subconscious mind focused on what you want, read your list of goals everyday. For an even more powerful approach, close your eyes and focus on each goal and ask yourself, "What is one thing I could do today to move toward the achievement of this goal?" Write down your answers and take those actions.

As the old joke goes, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” Steady progress in bite-sized chunks puts even the most audacious goals into reach.


Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul® and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com

A Collection of Organizing 'Funnies'

It's the holiday season. We know that it doesn't take much to make his time of year feel stressful. Everyone is talking about how to get and stay organized for the holidays. And, yes--it's important to be organized, but it's also important (and necessary) to sit down for a while, rest your weary "I've been cooking, shopping, doing-for-others-all-day" bones and LAUGH.

I've been seeing a lot of those 'your e cards' from somecards.com on Pinterest. They always give me a good chuckle so I thought I'd share and put a bunch of my favorites here. I could give you organizing tips, but I thought I'd give you a good belly laugh instead...

Yikes!

Gotta love Maxine's sense of humor...

This reminds me of the children's book, Swimmy by Leo Lionni...

A little scientific organizing humor...

Even animals can benefit from getting organized!

And this one's for the ladies...

Hope I made you smile. Happy holidays!

Organizing MY Home: A Two-Foot Wide Mudroom

The last week of November was a busy time in my household. It was Thanksgiving. It was Hanukkah. And it was also my birthday. Lots of food and festivities. Not a lot of downtime.

But, my hubby and I carved out a small amount of time that weekend to make our home more organized. The colder weather was upon us and we had to create a solution to a recent organization problem.

We have a front door and a closet next to that door. Coats, shoes, umbrellas and accessories are kept in that closet.

Problem: My children and I enter and exit our home most days through the garage. No closet next to that door. Instead, we have a tiny laundry room with an even tinier broom closet that we converted to a storage closet years ago. We installed a row of hooks across the top and at the bottom of the closet we store shopping and recycle bags of varying sizes.

On this closet door, we installed a 4-pocket organizer from Babies R' Us which has proved to be an extraordinarily helpful organizing product. Each of us has a pocket to store accessories and one is for infrequently used items like snow gloves.

This worked well for a while. My children were young and had little coats and my jacket fit just fine next to theirs. Now, my kids are bigger and so are their coats. They have more hats and mittens, too. With all three of our winter coats in there, the closet door no longer stayed closed. And the hooks were so high, I was the person in charge of hanging everyone's coats.

What to do?

I had suggested a hall tree for the room adjacent to the garage which just so happens to be my home office. It wouldn't thrill me to have coats and backpacks hanging in my work space but it was better than having them spill out of the storage closet--especially when I was doing the laundry.

My husband did not like the hall tree idea for two reasons:
1) He thought a hall tree would have looked messy. (I agree)
2) The hall tree would have to stand in the space currently occupied by his grandmother's table which he loves and it would not fit in our attic.

So, for a while we thought about it, spent the summer leaving camp bags in the garage but then Autumn came and the problem was back. Backpacks and diaper bags were dropped as we entered the house and coats were dumped on a couch that sits opposite my desk in this room. (No picture is available--too embarrassing for this Professional Organizer to admit!)

Besides the fact that it looked terrible, it didn't exactly instill the importance of being organized to our two young children.

Once again we asked ourselves, "What to do?"

Solution: One day, my husband looked at me and said, "What if we move the ironing board and vacuum cleaner out of the laundry room and use that space as a mudroom? I measured the space. It was 24" wide. I was skeptical but I grew up in a 5'x12' bedroom. I knew I could make this work.

Challenge accepted!

I'll give my husband credit for thinking of utilizing this space. I probably never considered it because my husband likes to iron despite the fact he doesn't do it much anymore (Yes--he does laundry, too. I'm a lucky lady...). We had not hung an iron in the iron holder since our first child started crawling six years ago. It was a great iron/ironing board organizer from Rubbermaid but it's time was up. We relocated the real vacuum to the garage with the ironing board and the toy vacuum went to the basement playroom.

I thought to myself, "Where am I going to find what I need to fit into a two-foot wide space?"

I looked in Home Goods and online and didn't see much that would fit my tight secifications. Then one day, I was in Target and went to check out their Closetmaid collection. I've used their products in the past for organizing my kid's toys and got to check out their new products at the NAPO Conference last year.

I walked down the aisle and not only did I see what would work for me, it was on sale!

The Closetmaid 24" Horizontal Stackable Organizer

Twenty four inches wide, too! What luck! My plan was to have the boys keep their backpacks on the top shelf, store their sneakers on the middle and bottom shelves and since their feet aren't too big, maybe there would be room for a basket to hold accessories.

Now, I needed to figure out the second half of the mudroom--a place to hang coats. There are so many hook choices out there from the simple to the whimsical. We just needed simple. And, we needed more than one set of hooks. One was to be placed at the top of the space for my coat/handbag/hat and the other was to be placed so my kids could hang and retrieve their own outerwear.

Before Thanksgiving, I attended the holiday party for the local organizer group I belong to--NAPO-NNJ. Besides a lovely dinner, we had a Yankee Swap. The table was filled with gifts and I had pulled the last number for picking. By the time it was my turn to pick, there was one gift left on the table. You'll never believe what it was?

A SET OF HOOKS!

What else do you think Professional Organizers would bring to a Yankee Swap??? It was meant to be!

And, the person who bought the hooks hadn't removed the price tag entirely. They were from Bed Bath and Beyond. You can't imagine how giddy I was over a set of hooks!

The next day with my trusty 20% coupon in hand, I bought another set. I was ready for construction to begin.

We charged our electric drill, connected with our inner Bob Villa, and made Mudroom Magic. Hubby and I put together the Closetmaid shelf in less than ten minutes. We measured and hung the hooks making sure they were straight with the iHandy level on my iPhone.

Measure twice, make hole once!

My kids tried putting their backpacks on the bench--plenty of room!

Hooks were hung and so were the coats. The laundry room is tight--here'a a few pics of what it looks like now.

My kids have been using it everyday--I am so proud of them! Sometimes I find my husband staring at this space with a big grin on his face. I love it, too. No more coat clutter. It looks great. It keeps us organized. Twenty-four inches of space. Challenge accepted. Challenge met. Challenge complete!

What organizing challenges have you resolved in your home recently?

I 'Heart' Container Store Stocking Stuffers - 2013 Edition

I am one of those lucky Professional Organizers that lives less than 15 minutes from The Container Store. It's great to be able to stop in, wander the aisles and check out new products whenever the mood strikes.

Despite it's proximity to my home, I always look forward to receiving their catalogs. My favorite one arrives through my mail slot at the end of November--The Stocking Stuffers catalog. There's something about this collection of cute, helpful, gadgety things that just makes me smile.

I flipped through the catalog last week and found a few items to share with you. Are you looking to fill holiday stockings or are you in need of the 'next best thing' to keep you organized? I think you'll find a product here or on the stocking stuffers page of The Container Store's website to suit your gift giving and organizing needs.

And now, some of my favorite Container Store Stocking Stuffers of 2013...

Bondi

The Bondi is known as a 'helping hand.' Use it to secure an item and hang it over a doorknob, rearview mirror, stroller or anywhere you need to hang something small.

Cuppa and Dash Measuring Cups and Spoon

Designed by Umbra, these space-saving items are perfect for the cook who is short on space and appreciates good design.

Tab and Page Markers

If you're like me, as you read you feel the need to mark off helpful or inspiring passages in books and magazines. I don't usually read without a pack of these next to me. Great for color coding and they come in their own carrying case.

Dressing-2-Go

Ever take a salad to work or to an event but you don't want to bring the whole bottle of dressing with you? Enter the Dressing-2-Go bottle. It's BPA free, leakproof and holds 2 oz of dressing--perfect for those watching their calories.

This last one will probably not keep you organized, but it was so cute I wanted to share it...

Shower Cap

For the ladies, this vintage-inspired shower cap is covered in rubber duckies--what could be more adorable? It also has a ruffled rim which keeps water out of your eyes. I don't want to leave any one out, but this item may be a bit too girly for a guy with long hair...

Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I hear some stocking stuffers calling my name. Good thing I live close to The Container Store...

Get Organized for Thanksgivukkah!

Courtesy of PJlibrary.org

If you haven't been on Facebook lately or you're not into pop-culture, you may not have heard the news. This year, for the first time since 1861 and the last time until the year 79,811, the holidays of Thanksgiving and Hannukah land on the same day. To commemorate this special day, the phrase, 'Thanksgivukkah,' was coined (and trademarked) by two women in Boston. A Facebook and Twitter account devoted to the day was created and the idea spread like wildfire across the United States.

For many of you, this day is business as usual. Turkey, cranberry sauce, football, and family traditions will be the norm. But for those who celebrate Hannukah as well, this day just became a little more challenging.

One holiday is religious. One is secular. The foods are different. Maybe you celebrate Turkey-day and Latke-day with different people. Celebrating two holidays at once? OY!

If you haven't already started to plan, here are a few tips for getting organized for the won't-see-this-again-in-our-lifetime holiday of Thanksgivukkah:

De-clutter Your Brain
You're probably thinking, "Two holidays? What am I going to do? Where do I start?"
Start by dumping your brain onto a piece of paper or into a productivity app. Write down all the shopping, cooking, gift-giving, prepping and schlepping you'll need to do for both holidays. Prioritize and then...

Delegate
It's tough enough preparing for one holiday, but two? You're going to need to delegate tasks in order to cover the important rituals and traditions of both holidays. If you're a self-declared perfectionist, this is the time to lose the title. Control freak? LET IT GO. Some tasks to delegate:
• preparation of a Thanksgivukkah side dish
• creating and facilitating games to keep the kiddies occupied
• shopping for gifts
• cleaning up the kitchen
• playing 'bartender' for the day
• supplying candles and matches for the menorah/menurkey

A Menurkey--created by a ten year old boy with a Thanksgivukkah dream...

Prepare in Advance
Mise en Place is a French phrase meaning, 'to have all of your cooking tools and ingredients prepared before you start cooking.' The key to not stressing out while cooking for two different holidays at once is organization. Review every recipe and take note of what ingredients you'll need. Also take note of what size measuring cups and spoons you'll be working with. Do you have enough platters? What dishes need to cook in the oven and which on the stove top? Preparing in advance will prevent kitchen chaos and 'Harried Hostess-itis.'

Keep it Simple
Two major holidays. One day. 'Nuff said.

Ways to Keep it Simple:
• Usually, I advise people to make lists and store them in a file or electronically for the next year. You're celebrating these two holidays together for the first and last time next week. Feel free to jot down notes but I don't recommend creating a permanent file labeled 'Thanksgivukkah' unless you want to look back at it for some reason. I leave that up to you.
• Buy some pre-made food. My husband and I used to make potato latkes from scratch. Then we had two kids. No more latkes from scratch. My savior--Trader Joe's Potato Pancakes. They are delicious and I don't stay up half a night cleaning my kitchen.
• Eliminate a ton of side dishes by melding the two holidays in your recipes. Ideas: Sweet potato latkes, challah-chestnut stuffing, pumpkin pie a la mode with Manischewitz ice cream! (delegate the last item to someone with an ice cream maker and time on their hands...)

Latkes? Stuffing? Or both!

It's been a real hoot reading articles about this once-in-a-lifetime holiday. Here are some interesting and informative ideas about Thanksgivukkah that were cool to read and helped me write this post:

Much of the historical information for this post has been gleaned from articles on the web and this one from Wikipedia.

How to Celebrate Thanksgivukkah, The Best Holiday of All Time
Recipes, decorations and funny stuff

Pinterest does Thanksgivukkah
Food, gifts, decorating and great ideas

Ingeniuous 10-Year Old Creates 'Menurkey' for Thanksgivukkah
Never underestimate a child again...

Happy Organized Thanksgivukkah!

Ideas for an Organized Halloween

BOO!

Hope I didn't scare you too badly...

If you couldn't tell by walking around the mall or your neighborhood, Halloween is just around the corner. I've bought my candy and scoured the Target One Spot for cool Halloween pencils. My eldest child's costume is almost complete (baseball player) while my three year old just prefers to wear an orange shirt (his favorite color) and I'm 100% fine with that.

What do you do to celebrate Halloween? Decorate your house? Cook Halloween-themed treats? Put on a costume to hand out candy?

Some people love Halloween, some celebrate it because of their kids, and some would rather shut off all the lights in their house and hide in their basement on Halloween. If you fall into the first two categories, read on.

Holidays require preparation and Halloween is no different. Ordering/making costumes, buying candy, preparing themed food, setting out decorations all take time. Then there's the purging of old costumes, candy-sorting, and the putting away of all decorations--lots to do for one day!

Mummy Hot Dogs - photo courtesy of Yummly.com

In order to make your Halloween a less stressful and cluttered holiday, I've gathered a few articles for you to read on the topic of organizing for Halloween.

From the people at Jurasic Junk Removal: Get Organized for Halloween

From Examiner.com: Top 10 Tips: Organizing Tricks to Make Your Halloween a Treat

From my organizing colleague and frequent guest blogger, Cena Block of Sane Spaces: Get Organized for Halloween

I hope these articles provide you with some good ideas on how to keep your Halloween organized so you can enjoy a stress and clutter-free holiday.

Watch out for ghosts and goblins and have a fun Halloween!

Anniversary Post - It's Been Four Years!

It doesn't seem that long ago that I dropped my three year old off at preschool, came back to my office and wrote my first blog post. I had so many ideas swirling around in my head--I couldn't wait to put them in blog form.

That three year old is now in second grade and it's the fourth anniversary of my blog! The four years have flown by quickly. I can't believe I've written close to two hundred posts in that time.

In reviewing my posts, I saw that the most popular post I've written over the past four years is Best Products for Organizing Your Car. I'm thinking of writing a Part 2. Or maybe a series of posts titled, 'Best Products for Organizing Your ________.' Gotta go with what works!

I'm always thinking about what I'll write next. Sometimes it will be about something I've seen, learned or experienced. Sometimes I'll write about a product or helpful resource. What I do try to keep in mind as I write is that a blog post should do at least one of five things for their readers:

• Educate
• Entertain
• Inform
• Inspire
• Empower

I keep this list handy when I'm gathering ideas for my blog. I write for my own enjoyment and to keep up my skills as a writer but for the most part, I write for YOU--my reader. I hope over the past four years I have educated, entertained, informed, inspired and empowered you to lead a more organized life.

I also have exciting news! All being well and good, this time next year, my blog will be part of a WordPress website--no more separate blog. I am in the process of hiring a designer to merge my existing website and blog into one WordPress site. I can't wait--my website has needed a makeover for a while and there are things about my blog I'd love to change (larger writing and photo area, different fonts/colors). I'll be keeping you posted throughout the process and I look forward to celebrating my fifth anniversary with you and my new, improved WordPress site.

Another exciting development--my book. Although I've said in past anniversary posts that I would post updates about the book I was writing, I've been pretty quiet. I promise to blog about it more often in the future. I completed the manuscript at the end of 2012 and hired a book coach this summer to help me navigate the sometimes bumpy road to self-publishing. One of the many details she helped me with was a title. The working title is: The Organized Bride's Thank You Note Handbook: Let Systems and 101 Modern Sample Thank You Notes Take You From Overwhelmed to Organized. The peer review stage is almost complete and the manuscript will be reviewed by an editor by the end of the year.

With all of these exciting projects come extra work. And extra work means sometimes I don't have ample time to write a blog post (kids home on school vacations take away from writing time, too). So, I have been hosting guest bloggers to bring you new ideas and fresh perspectives when I am unable to fill that space. I hope you have learned from them--I know I've picked up a few great organizing ideas from my guest bloggers, too.

Image from beedivinedesigns.com

I want to thank you for taking the time to read my posts. Your support, kind comments and words of encouragement motivate me to keep writing and bringing you the best of the world of organizing. Onward to year five of blogging!