Teach your Kids to Do Anything--Even Organize!

Got kids?

Me, too.

Ever feel like you're constantly trying to pick up after them and maintain their stuff?

Hey, guess what--me, too. It's kind of like shoveling snow during a blizzard.

At my first NAPO Conference in 2004 (a few years before I had children) I took a workshop called 'Organizing the Family' given by Professional Organizer, Allison Carter of Digital Life Organizing. In that terrific workshop, I learned something that I still remember almost ten years later. I'm sharing this with you in the hopes that you will use it to make your life as a parent a little easier.

In the workshop, I learned the five steps to follow to teach your child mastery of almost any task.

Woo-hoo! Hallelujah!

Write these five steps on a post-it and stick it where you can see it. Or, write them in an app on your smartphone. Jot them down somewhere you can access them easily. You're going to want to refer to these steps often. Remember, they're going to make your life as a parent easier (If you're reading this and you're not a parent, pass them on to someone who is!). Here they are...

To Get Your Kids to Master  ______________ ...

Step 1. Demonstrate the task you'd like your child to master
Step 2. Do the task with them
Step 3. Supervise your child doing the task
Step 4. Let them do the task alone
Step 5. Supervise your child occasionally

What are some skills your kids can master using these five steps?
• Putting away their toys
• Doing/folding their own laundry
• Setting the table for a family meal
• Using a knife
• Sorting and purging their school papers
• Household cleaning/gardening chores

Each step will take some time, effort and patience on your part but in the end, the investment of time will be worth it. And believe me--your future sons and daughters-in-law will thank you.

Thank you, Allison Carter for sharing your wisdom!

Cool Product: Pocket (formerly Read It Later)

I should have titled this post,

'Confessions of a Professional Organizer and Former Hoarder'

Whoa! A Professional Organizer who is also a hoarder? Whaaaaat?

OK--I wasn't really a true hoarder in the physical sense--but it makes for a great title, doesn't it?

I didn't hoard animals or newspapers or magazines.

I hoarded tabs.

Tabs?

If you own a Mac and use Safari to browse the web, you're familiar with 'Tabs.' They enable you to open several web pages at once and you can easily switch back and forth between them.

The arrow is pointing to the 'Tabs' in Safari.

I am an information hound. As a small business owner and mom, I am always interested in reading articles that could help my business grow and my family flourish. The only thing I was missing was: TIME.

I had a five year old and a one year old and very little time to read, let alone process the information I was reading. So, if I didn't have time to read a long article, or I was thinking of ordering a product from a web page, or thought I might need certain information someday, I would leave the tab open in Safari. At times, I had 7-10 windows open with 8-10 tabs open in each. Turns out, my tab hoarding was not a very good system. Oh, and I never shut down my computer because that would mean I'd lose all my tabs. Can you tell where this story is heading?

I started getting unusual error messages on my computer. Then one day about a month before my Apple Care Protection Plan expired for my Mac, my computer said, "I've had it with all your open tabs!" and crashed.

I made an appointment at the Apple Store and when my Genius Dude heard my story, he told me that in all his years working at the Genius Bar, he had never heard of anyone keeping so many tabs open at once. I was overworking my computer and my tab hoarding tendencies had to change.

Adrian, my Genius Dude, brought my computer back from the dead. I was so grateful for his patience and expertise that I vowed to not return to my tab hoarding ways. I started bookmarking websites I wanted to refer to again. A few weeks later, the App Gods looked down upon me--sleep-deprived, time-starved, information overloaded me and arranged for a productivity app by the name of Pocket (formerly Read It Later) to be placed in an article I was moments away from reading.

I read the article. I checked out Pocket. I couldn't believe that an app could be such a perfect match for my needs.

What is Pocket and how could it be so life-changing?

According to its website, "Pocket (formerly Read It Later) was founded in 2007 by Nate Weiner to help people who discover an interesting article, video or web page, but don’t have time to view it. Once saved to Pocket, the list of content is visible on any device -- phone, tablet or computer. It can be viewed while waiting in line, on the couch or during commutes or travel -- even offline."

When I first read about Pocket, I thought, "Holy moly--this app was MADE for ME! I'm always discovering interesting items on the web but I rarely have time to view them."

I went to the Pocket website, installed the Pocket bookmarklet into my 'Bookmarks Bar' and immediately began putting articles in my 'pocket.' Now, when I come across an article I want to save and read at a later time, all I do is click on the bookmarklet.  A sign then appears at the top of the web page that says 'Pocket - Page Saved!.' I can read my saved articles on my iPhone as well as on my laptop. Happiness abounds.

 Some facts about Pocket:
- The list of articles you accumulate is called a 'queue.'
- You can view your queue in list form or as a grid with large visuals.
- When you select the article you want to read from your queue, it offers you a stripped-down version of it without ads/visuals as well as a link to the original web page.
- You can type a word in the 'Search' box to look for articles you've saved on a specific topic
- You can assign Pocket your email address and email a link to Pocket, too!

Best of all--it doesn't cost a dime!

How has Pocket changed my life?
- My computer has had no problems since it's major crash in April of 2012.
- I know that if I don't have time to read an article, it will be 'in my pocket' for future retrieval.
- I can retrieve that article/recipe/video over and over again.
- I store often-used recipes in Pocket. When cooking, I bring them up on my laptop which lives on my kitchen counter.
- Pocket is a repository for all the articles I may need in the future on how to grow my business. I know they will be there when I am ready for them.
-Pocket allows me to read, learn and grow on my own time.

Pocket currently has over 4.5 million registered users and is available for major devices and platforms including iPad, iPhone, Kindle Fire and Android.

Want to be the 4.6 millionth user? How would Pocket make your life easier?

Organizing Tip: 5 Things You Must Do After a Successful Organizing Project

When I complete an organizing project with my clients, I remind them to give themselves a pat on the back for crossing the 'finish line.' My guest blogger, Rashelle Isip of the The Order Expert, believes in celebrating the completion of a successful organizing project. Read below to find out the five things she wants you to do after reaching your organizing goal.

“I finally organized my bedroom closet!”

“I filed away that giant stack of papers on my desk!“

“The cabinet under the kitchen sink is finally tidied up!”

Congratulations! You’ve finally completed an organizing project. You’re a bona fide success!

Before you happily rest on your laurels, consider these five pointers to help keep your project a success and let you bask in the glow of a job well done for many months to come.

Plan daily maintenance.

Now that you’ve finally gotten things in order, don’t be lazy and let all your hard work go down the drain! Figure out specific steps to take on a daily basis to help keep your organizing project in order. For example, let’s say you finally organized your bedroom closet. You might decide to place shoes and belts back on their shelves/racks at the end of the day, place dirty clothes immediately in the hamper and fold and store/hang clothes right after the laundry is done to keep things in order.

Take a photo.

You’ve worked hard to achieve your goal. Why not make a record of your achievement? Snap a photo on your cell phone or digital camera for posterity and save the image in an easy to access place. Refer to your photo on any organizing “rainy day,” that is, whenever you feel you’re sliding back into your old habits or are undoing your hard work for a bit of positive reinforcement and motivation to keep things organized.

Plan a smaller organizing project.

You’ll probably be feeling very good after completing your project so consider using this feeling of accomplishment into another organizing project. Keep in mind that your next project doesn’t have to be the same size as the one you just completed and certainly doesn’t have to be completed that same day or week. If you’ve just finished organizing the garage, planning to organize the basement right away probably isn’t such a wise choice. Instead of going whole hog, keep your plans to a smaller project such as cleaning out your wallet.

Share your story with others.

One of the best things in achieving a goal is sharing your accomplishment with others. Thanks to social media, it’s easier than ever share information and stories. Share your success with friends and family via your favorite social media network or tool with photos and a short story. Who knows, you might just inspire someone else to get started on or complete their very own organizing goal!

Celebrate!

Lastly, we can’t forget the importance of celebrating your achievements. Go out for a nice dinner, listen to your favorite music, buy yourself a small gift, relax with loved ones, smile, and of course, enjoy your newly organized space or materials!

Now to you…what do you think of the above? Have you ever given yourself a reward for an organizing job well done? Perhaps you have a reward in mind for the near future for an almost completed project?

Copyright © Rashelle Isip and The Order Expert, 2011-2013. 

Rashelle Isip is a blogger, time management, and productivity consultant and professional organizer. She is founder of The Order Expert, a site featuring practical and creative organizing, time management, productivity tips, inspiration and much more. For more information, visit http://www.TheOrderExpert.com. You can follow her on Twitter @theorderexpert, on Facebook at facebook.com/theorderexpert, and on Pinterest at pinterest.com/theorderexpert.

10 Organizing Projects to Tackle While Watching Television

Do you watch TV? What's your favorite television show at the moment?

American Idol?
Downton Abbey?
The Amazing Race?

Watching television can be a great way to relax, learn a new subject or be entertained. But, I'll let you in on a little organizing secret:

Watching television can be a great way to get organized.


You're probably thinking, "What? I can organize my house while watching TV? Hook me up!"

Well, I'm about to...

As I've discussed in past posts, in order to reach an organizing goal, one must have a plan in place and mini-goals set to eventually reach that goal. Some of these mini-goals or projects can be accomplished while watching television. Sitting down. In your bunny slippers. With a glass of wine in your hand--if you'd like.

Photo courtesy of: rolalaloves.blogspot.com

Before you plop down on the couch in your pajamas with or without a glass of liquid inspiration, bring an organizing project with you. Here are ten organizing projects/mini-goals you can easily tackle while watching television, getting you one step closer to the organizing finish line:

1. Empty your wallet and go through receipts, business cards, cash, etc.

2. Put your sock drawer (T-shirts/underwear/you get the idea) on your lap and sort/purge/organize

3. Put your kitchen junk drawer on the floor/coffee table to sort through, purge and reorganize

4.  Sort through, delete or update apps on your smart phone

5. Organize recipes into categories and place in plastic sleeves in a binder

6. Sort/Purge a stack of papers from your file cabinet/dining room table/pile on the floor

7. Group photos by event, person or chronologically and put into albums

8. Sort through old magazines

9. Sort/Purge expired coupons

10. Fold laundry and put away during commercials

What will you be watching and organizing tonight?

Organizing 'Quick Tip'

If you're like many people, you recently made one or two New Year's resolutions.

You've made a plan and you've set mini-goals for yourself to make those resolutions a reality--that's great. Maybe that plan includes weekly organizing sessions. Maybe you'll be organizing your garage in the Spring or you'll be spending time every day going through your bulging file cabinets.

Whatever plans you have for reaching your organizing goals this year, follow this quick-tip to make reaching your goals easier on your mind and body.

Determine when you are 'at your best' and schedule organizing at that time.

Melting Wall Clock - Photo: coolclockshop.com

Are you a morning person?
A night owl?
Somewhere in between? (I call myself an Afternoon Person...)

If you're not sure when your most 'productive' time of day is, try doing one simple organizing task before breakfast. Try another one on another day in the early/late afternoon. Try another one at 10pm. When did you feel you did your best?

Aim to work at an organizing task when your energy and concentration levels are high. Being alert at 'task time' will help you to accomplish your mini-goals faster, more creatively and consciously.

The saying may go, 'The early bird catches the worm," but if you're not an early bird, then it's highly unlikely you'll be successful at worm-catching (and then organizing them afterward...).

Work with the natural rhythms of your body and brain. Your productivity will soar, your organizing goals will be met, and you'll embrace the end of the year with an amazing feeling of accomplishment.

Planning + Mini-Goals = New Year's Resolution Success

In my last post, guest blogger Audrey Cupo of a A Better Space encouraged you to evaluate the past and plan for the future.

Well, the future is here. Did you make any resolutions for the next twelve months?

According to the people at StatisticBrain.com, the top ten New Year's resolutions for 2013 are:

1. Lose Weight
2. Getting Organized
3. Spend Less, Save More
4. Enjoy Life to the Fullest
5. Staying Fit and Healthy
6. Learn Something Exciting
7. Quit Smoking
8. Help Others in Their Dreams
9. Fall in Love
10. Spend More Time with Family

Did you see that? 'Getting Organized' is one of the top two resolutions people made in the new year. Looks like my colleagues and I are going to be very busy this year!

All kidding aside, many people say they want to get organized but are not successful at achieving their goal. Unfortunately, only a small percentage are. But why?

A few reasons:
- The goals they set for themselves are too vague.
- People get easily discouraged and give up too soon.
- They don't have a way of measuring their successes however small.

They don't have a PLAN.

That's why I would advise anyone who has made a resolution for themselves this year to do two things first:
- Create a plan for reaching your New Year's goal
- Set mini-goals within that plan

Planning out the path for reaching a goal can be as easy as doing a 'brain dump' on a piece of paper or on your computer. Create a list of all the steps you need to take to reach your goal. They don't need to be in any order--you can fix that later.

If you're a visual person like me, you might want to use a graphic organizer to help you with your plan. This is a great way to organize your thoughts. An example of one:

Courtesy of The Writing Bug

If 'Getting Organized' is one of your New Year's resolutions, write 'Get Organized' in the big circle. In the next smaller circles write the room/area of your home or life you'd like to get organized. In the smallest circles (attached to the medium sized circles) list the tasks that need to be done to achieve your resolution to get organized. Create as many spokes and circles as needed. These are your mini-goals.

A mini-goal is a tiny step to complete on your way to reaching your ultimate goal. It helps you to break down the process into smaller, more manageable pieces.

Examples of mini-goals for getting your home/life organized:

-Every Tuesday, I will sort/purge/organize one drawer in my dresser until all drawers have been gone through.

-I will label an envelope 'Receipts' and once a week, I will empty my wallet of all receipts into that envelope. At the end of the month I will review all receipts.

-At the end of the day, I will spend 15 minutes making sure all items are in the home they belong in.

-I will create a 'Donations' bag in my garage and pledge to put all items to be donated in it. When I know I will pass the local thrift shop, I will put the bag in my car, drop off the donations and place the donations bin back in its 'home.'

-I will inventory my pantry before heading to the supermarket.

Successfully setting mini-goals and reaching them are cause for celebration--don't over look that. Every mini-goal milestone brings you a step closer to your goal and should be honored and celebrated!

"Vision without action is daydream. 

Action without vision is nightmare" 

- Japanese proverb

Did you make any New Year's resolutions? What's your plan?

Evaluate the Past, Plan for the Future

Resolutions. Goals. Intentions. Call it what you will--this is the time of year many people start fresh and decide what they want to do, try, or experience over the next twelve months of their lives. Today's guest blogger, Professional Organizer Audrey Cupo of A Better Space offers guidance on reflecting on goals of the past and planning for the future...

With the holiday season in full swing and the New Year right around the corner, many people begin to evaluate the past year and start thinking about the future.  People think about what they had intended to accomplish in the past year and note the things that just did not get done.  Then, they begin to look towards the New Year as a time to reset some goals and plan for the future.

It's a time for reflection and planning.

For me, I love the prospect of a New Year.  It gives me the opportunity to take a look at what I accomplished (or did not accomplish) in the past year, both personally and professionally.  It gives me a chance to re-evaluate my priorities.  Are there things I wanted to get done but did not?  Are the things I intended to do this past year still important?

The New Year gives me a chance to plan for the coming year.  What do I want to accomplish THIS year?

I have always been an advocate of writing things down.  At this time, especially, I find this true.  I like to take some time and make a comprehensive list of projects and "To Do's".

That comprehensive list then gets planned out over the coming year.  I pick my priorities, one by one, and work on them.  When something is completed, I select another.

You might have set some goals last year and found you did not complete them as planned.  Why not start fresh?

Do you need to do some home improvement projects?  Do you want to lose weight and be healthier?  Do you want to get your finances in order or get out of debt?  Do you want to improve a relationship with a friend or family member?  The choices are endless.

Do yourself a favor.  Take some time in the next week or so and reflect on where you have been and where you want to go in your life.  Start planning now for the New Year by setting some goals and create a list of the things you want to accomplish.

If getting organized is on your list, seek out the assistance of a professional organizer who can help you to set those goals and get them accomplished.

Enjoy this holiday season and the opportunity for a fresh start in 2013!

Audrey Cupo is a full-time Professional Organizer and sole proprietor of A BETTER SPACE based in Bucks County, PA. She specializes in residential organizing and focuses on helping busy moms and women entrepreneurs with home-based businesses get organized with her in-home services and her "U Can Do It" product line. To sign up for her free newsletter full of great monthly tips, resources and product reviews visit www.4abetterspace.com and for more tips, check out Audrey's Facebook page.

Get Organized: Overcome Procrastination

I was going to write a blog post today about procrastination but then I thought, "I'll just write it tomorrow...'


Ha, ha, ha. That's just one of many procrastination jokes we've all seen on a magnet or a bumper sticker. But, really--procrastination is no joke. It can get in your way when trying to complete tasks or reach your goals and it can mess with your self-esteem.


If you put the 'PRO' in 'Procrastinator,' then you're in luck. Moreen Torpy of De-Clutter Coach in Ontario, Canada has written an eye-opening piece about what might be causing you to procrastinate and how to get past it. Don't put it off until later--read it NOW...

Have you been raised with the admonition to not put off till tomorrow what you can do today?

Have you ever said to yourself or another person, “I’ll put this here just for now?” Then forget you left it there?

Do you postpone doing something because you think you don’t have time to do it perfectly? Then you begin to doubt if you ever could?

What can you identify in your life that leads you to procrastinate? Here are a few ideas and what you might do to stop:

Doubt: You doubt your ability to put something away where it belongs, or if you really don’t know where it belongs, assign a place for the item and always return it there.

Perfectionism: By putting off doing something because you can’t do it perfectly. Let go of perfectionism—it’s not worth the headaches it causes.

Overwhelmed: There’s just too much to do to, for example, organize your space. Refocus and break the project down into smaller pieces then deal with only one piece at a time.

Not in the mood: When will you really be in the mood?

No visible benefit: Does it fit with your long-term goals? If so, do it. If not, let it go. And don’t tell yourself you “should” do it.

You may have more reasons than these. Make a list and write why you feel you can’t deal with them.

Then forgive yourself for procrastinating. In 2010 a group of researchers at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario determined that by doing this, your negative emotions about organizing in the future will decrease the possibility of continuing this behavior. Basically, they say to get over it and get to work. How to do this?

Set goals: Make a commitment to a project to work toward. You can focus on smaller bits of the project so it’s more do-able.

Banish boredom: Beware of time stealers. If you’re beginning to feel bored, tackle a project so the boredom doesn’t take hold and pull you into procrastination.

Let go of perfectionism: As long as you complete the project, say organizing your bedroom, it doesn’t have to be perfect to be good. Give yourself permission to change your beliefs. Sometimes “good” is “good enough”.

Dismiss fear of failure: If you’re afraid to do something because you believe you’ll fail at it, procrastination will be happy to take over. And failure will move in with procrastination! That’s failure.

Discard fear of success: If you’re worried that if you do something well, you’ll always be asked to do it. Learn to say “no”. There’s no reason for you to have to do the same thing over and over again.

Think Challenge: When you see a problem as a challenge, your whole energy will change. You will feel in charge, encouraged. And procrastination will cower in fear of you.

Refocus: Change the way you look at things. Turn your thoughts from negative to positive and see how different things are.

By implementing these tips, you can eliminate procrastination from your life and vocabulary. You’ll be on your way to living a productive life.

Moreen Torpy is the De-Clutter Coach, a Trained Professional Organizer, Author, and Speaker. Her new book is Going Forward: Downsizing, Moving and Settling In. See goforwarddownsize.com for more about the book, and decluttercoach.ca to learn about her organizing services.

Organizing Inspiration from Curious George

A few months ago, I was watching an episode of Curious George with my five year old. The episode was called 'Trader George' which made me laugh for a moment because it sounded so much like 'Trader Joe's' which is a food store I love to shop in and eat from.

Hey, it was really early in the morning and I was hungry. OK--back to how this connects with organizing...

So, in the episode George does some trading of items with people in order to get what he thinks he wants. The back story involves The Man With the Yellow Hat. While George is out trading his stuff to get other stuff, The Man With the Yellow Hat is at his county house going through the closet looking for items to put out at a local swap meet (where George is doing all this trading).

I'm getting to the organizing part...

Mr. Yellow, as I'll call him for brevity sake, ends up spending much of the episode sitting in front of his closet pulling stuff out and reminiscing about it. My son is enjoying the show while I'm yelling at the TV in my head, "Don't do that!'

You see, Mr. Yellow was breaking one of the cardinal rules of organizing.

Do not reminisce while organizing.

Why is this a bad idea?

It's distracting. You're supposed to be sorting and purging and getting rid of the old to make for the new and instead you're looking at pictures or dreaming about the last time you fit into that cocktail dress and now you've stopped organizing to look for the matching shoes and handbag you wore with it ten years ago.

It's a time waster. Not many people have all day to organize. Time is precious and it's important to focus on organizing during the time you've alloted for it before you get tired or have to move on to the next activity of the day.

There's nothing wrong with taking a few moments to think about the past. But those moments should not take you away from the task at hand. Pick a time later in the day or week to go through all the bridesmaids dresses you uncovered or all the never-before-seen pictures you found from your parent's first Thanksgiving together.

Next time you're organizing a spot in your home and you come across some cool stuff you want to dwell upon for more than thirty seconds, think about The Man With the Yellow Hat. Make time later to reminisce--or you may miss out on a lot more than just a swap meet...

Manage Your Time with the Word 'No'

Whether you have very little or a whole lot--time is precious. We don't want to waste it on doing things that don't make us happy or enhance our life.

On my Facebook Page this month, I've been talking about Time Management. For my last Facebook December/Time Management tip, I wrote about a little word that takes one second to say but can save you hours/days/weeks of time.

That word is 'No.'

In doing a bit of research, I came across a great article that summed up the importance of using the word, 'No.' It's called:

 The Gentle Art of Saying No by Leo Babauta

In the article, Mr. Babauta discusses his top ten tips for learning the 'Gentle Art of Saying No.' It was so comprehensive that I felt the need to share. Read it to learn how to value your time, know and acknowledge your priorities and practice saying the word 'No.'

So, if you find yourself constantly telling people 'Yes' when you really want to say, 'No,' read The 'Gentle Art of Saying No.' It will add precious hours back into your already busy life.

Eyeliner as Time Management Tool?

If you've been reading my posts for the past few months, you already know that every Friday I post an organizing tip to my Organized Artistry Facebook Page. Each month has it's own theme--December's theme is Time Management.

While creating content for this theme, I came up with a bunch of products that help manage or save a person's time. Typical products like calendars and kitchen timers came to mind but as the night wore on, I got punchy and came up with a few 'unorthodox' time management products. The one I'll be talking about today is one I use at least 5x a week. Gentlemen--you may want to get up for a few minutes and have your wife/mother/girlfriend/friend read on 'cause we'll be talkin' about makeup.

Makeup? Yes, the stuff ladies wear on their faces.

Makeup as a time management tool? Yes--I'll make you a believer by the end of this post...

I promised myself (and my husband) that when we had kids, I would make the time to, as my mother likes to say, 'put on a face' in the morning. We now have two small children so my makeup routine has to be quick and simple.

I have this eyeliner I love--the color, the texture, but it seemed as if I had to sharpen it every 2-3 days. That's fine if you have the time in the morning but lately, I just don't.

I stopped into my local Sephora to see if they had another eyeliner in that color that I wouldn't have to sharpen so often. They did!

Today's Cool Product/Time Management Tool is the...

Sephora Retractable Waterproof Eyeliner

The Sephora consultant showed me how I didn't need a sharpener at all with this eyeliner. All I had to do was give it a twist and more eyeliner would reappear. Now it takes me about 1-2 seconds to get my eyeliner ready for use as opposed to the few minutes it took with the other pencil. Perfect for the mom on the go!

They come in a multitude of colors--I use Brown #08 for everyday usage.

The only 'con' about this eyeliner is that you don't know you're at the end of the eyeliner until you try to turn the base and it stops turning. I live near a Sephora but I can't always get there so I use another time-management strategy--I buy multiple products--usually 2-3 at a time. This saves me from having to make a last minute trip to the mall which I rarely have time to do.

Bye-bye eyeliner sharpener! Hello, retractable (and time-saving) eyeliner!

Helpful Organizing Tip - Post-its on Coupons

Do you clip coupons? In today's economy, it's especially wise to do so. Who can't use a few extra dollars in their wallets?

Clipping coupons for the supermarket is easy. There's a picture of the item--you know immediately what you'll be using the coupon for. Then there are those coupons that are vague. They offer deals like free shipping, 25% off your total order, or $5 off of a $50 purchase. These are great--I use them all the time. But it's very easy to put them in a pile and forget about why you cut them out in the first place.

To remind you to use them and to remind you what you need to buy, my helpful organizing tip is:

Attach a post-it to the coupon. On the post-it, write down what you need to buy from this particular store or website.

Here are some examples...

The above coupon is for the Carter's store. With two little kids, I'm there a lot. I was very excited when this came in the mail. I clipped it, stuck a post-it on it and wrote down what clothing my children needed. Using this method, I don't have to gaze at the coupon while at the store and ask myself, "Why am I here? What did I need?" Big time saver.

I'm also in need of some picture frames and a new photo album. I saw this coupon last week, cut it out, stuck a post-it to it and went around my house with it looking for frames that needed to be replaced. I still have to go through an envelope of recently printed pictures to see which need frames but I'll add that info to my post-it (or use a bigger one) when I'm done. Now, when I get to the store, I won't have to stand there staring at the frames wondering what sizes and colors I need. Like I said, big time saver.

So, next time you're clipping coupons, grab a post-it pad and a pen along with those scissors. By using this helpful tip, you'll be saving yourself a little time here and there during your day. But, make no mistake--those minutes add up!

Organizing an Event? Doodle It!

I wanted to let you know about a terrific website I use for organizing events. It's called Doodle.

http://www.doodle.com/

From the 'About Us' page on their website:

The world’s leading online scheduling service, Doodle takes the pain out of finding the right date and time for a group of people to meet and makes scheduling virtually effortless. The basic service is a free online coordination tool which requires neither registration nor software installation.

I just created a Doodle Poll to schedule a block party with my neighbors. It made getting 10 families together on one day practically effortless.

I highly recommend it for scheduling events or making decisions within a large group of people. Use it--it's free and it's going to make you feel soooo organized!

Ready for Spring Cleaning?

Last Sunday I did a presentation for a lovely group of women who were very interested in getting organized. The title of the presentation was, "Organize Your Space...Organize Your Life." Sounds like a lot of information to cover in an hour but I talked about the basics--what one needs to know to get started.

During the months of March and April, I'll be sharing some of those basic organizing principles with you. Spring is just around the corner, which means Spring Cleaning is on the minds of many. Whether you have a studio apartment or a six-bedroom house, it's important to have a plan for your Spring Cleaning.

Here's the first of those basic organizing principles--they're easy to follow and will help you to reach your Spring Cleaning and organizing goals.

Basic Organizing Principle #1:

Make an Appointment with Yourself to Get Organized

Why should you make an appointment with yourself to get organized?

It’s very important to set aside time for organizing--just like you’d make time for the doctor or an oil change. What happens if you don’t keep the doctor’s appointment? You may get billed and be in poor health for a long time. What happens if you don’t keep the appointment for the oil change? Your car might stop working. What if you don’t keep your organizing appointment? Your home will not function efficiently much like the car without the oil change or your body without seeing the doctor…

Carve out a time when you’re most energetic and likely to have a minimum of interruptions. Mark it on your calendar and keep that appointment!