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Product Review: Holiday Planning Tool

Friday, November 25th, 2011

Can you believe it is already the 26th of November?  There are only 29 days ’til Christmas!

OK, it’s time to decide how you will celebrate the religious holiday you embrace this season. Once you have several (no more than 3!) preferred activities in mind, you can begin to plan on menus, invitations, and gifts.

I love making lists, getting my ideas on paper. I simply refuse to try to juggle a myriad of details in my brain.

That’s why I love the ready-made lists that are available for a $20 yearly charge at ListPlanIt.com!  I have the professional membership so I can share pertinent lists with my clients.

You may choose to instantly download ListPlanIt’s Holiday ePlanner for just $7!  These are a few of the lists you will be able to access:

  • Card lists & planners
  • Address book
  • Gift/Wish lists
  • Holiday party planning pages
  • Holiday meal planning pages
  • Daily, Weekly, Monthly calendars & to do lists
  • Advent planning pages

Sometimes the lists remind me of something I had not thought of. Have fun making your lists and getting a head start on fun and relaxing holidays!

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Ready, Set, Share!

Monday, November 7th, 2011

I had a wonderful time recently with 6 gals and 1 guy in my photo organizing workshop at Westerville Senior Center. It seemed fitting as we sorted memories that we met at the Everal Homestead in Heritage Park. What a beautiful facility!

As a group, we commiserated that we have more photos than we know what to do with. When I asked these questions to determine “Why photo organizing?” the group had some great answers! You have to laugh when the person sitting next to you says what you are thinking.

“What you don’t want?”

  • A hodge-podge of boxes and bins full of photos in closet, attic, or basement
  • Precious memories being eroded by those very popular, but acidic, sticky photo albums
  • Photos of vacations that your parents took with their friends
  • Not being able to find that picture you know you have when you need it
  • Blurry, dark or otherwise meaningless photos that you should have pitched 15 years ago

“What you do want?”

  • Less volume, more quality photos by choice
  • A definite order in place so you can find photos you love
  • Ability to easily share memories with friends and family
  • Know what your options are for storage and sharing photos, both physically or digitally

My next question was “Can you actually get there from here?” and the answer is: Definitely! These are the steps we practiced in the workshop.

  1. Gather all your containers of photos in one place.
  2. Choose 5-10 categories that most of your photos will fit into. For example – Travel, Friends, Church Folk, Family History, Childhood, Holidays, Work Life. Write each category on a sticky note or 3 x 5 card.
  3. Sort photos into your categories. (Attaching your titles to shoebox-sized Sterilite bins will work for this task, $1 at Odd Lots or Target.) Use rubber bands if necessary to keep specific events, dated pics together. Discard all duds, photo developing envelopes, and negatives. Keep the memories.
  4. Decide on a format for long term storage or sharing – archival quality album sleeves, scrapbooking, converting to digital on CD/DVD, archival boxes, etc.

Now you are ready to actually DO something with your photos. Here are your choices:

  • If you have lots of time, make the album, scrapbook, or CD.
  • If you have more money than time, hire someone else to do it.

If you have neither money nor time to spare, organize your categories into archival photo boxes (the modern version of a shoebox) and leave it for someone else to do when you are gone.

Whichever you choose, rejoice that you know where to find what you need and can share one box (album, scrapbook, or CD) at a time with friends and family!

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Time Management : The Power Hour

Thursday, November 3rd, 2011

A time management tool I have heard bandied about lately is the “power hour.” The idea is to decide on one essential task you must get done and set a timer for one hour.

Take phones off hooks or turn down the ringer sound, don’t check email or texts, get a drink and go to the bathroom before your hour starts. Then use that hour to take a huge bite out of that task.
This works for me. I do my best thinking when I am immersed in a project. I feel like I am diving deep under the surface and don’t even come up for air.

These are two of the timing tools I like best:

Click the image for a larger view - focusbooster.com App

Focus Booster– a free app that you download, then use as a timer on your computer. Note: when setting the time, moving the cursor to the right adds time, moving to the left gives less time.

Click the image for a larger view - Digital Hourglass Timer by Polder

Digital Hourglass Timer by Polder – This is a funky clock and timer with digital “sand” timing up to 99 minutes. Useful when you are working around the house, or as a limiting factor in meetings or workshops! Also available at selected Target stores.

Try the “power hour” with one of these or any timer you have on hand. See if it works for you. You may need some background noise if you are more of an auditory, sensing type.

If an hour is too long, start with 10 minutes of concentrated effort and lengthen the interval as you get more comfortable.

Now is also a good time to use your “power hour” to start on that thing you have been putting off for forever!

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Are You Competent, Capable, and Efficient?

Monday, October 31st, 2011

If I had to name the most important consideration in setting up an organized workspace, or work flow, it would be efficiency.

When a system is efficient, that means the least amount of resources will be used to get the job done.

 

The resources you save can be:

  • Time
  • Money
  • Raw materials
  • Equipment life
  • Energy – physical or fuel
  • Range of motion
  • Manufactured supplies
  • Number of steps to completion

When you work efficiently, you are considered well-organized, good at your job, not wasteful, economical, proficient, competent, capable, professional, and ecologically aware. You sound pretty good, huh?

In the corporate world, efficiency equates to higher profit margins.
At home, efficiency means having more time and money to do the things you love.
Let me give you an example of efficiency from my adolescent years. As the oldest daughter, I was stuck doing dishes by hand for a family of 6. I soon learned there was an art to washing and stacking those dishes into a single dish drainer.

  1. First, scrape and rinse off the worst of the leftover food particles.
  2. Then, wash plates & bowls and stack compactly in drying rack slots.
  3. Next, wash glasses and utensils, finding nooks and crannies to stand them vertically to dry.
  4. Last, wash larger bowls and greasier pots and pans by size from smallest to largest in order to nest in succession. Then pray it all stays on top!

You see, I wanted to be done with dishes as soon as possible, with the least amount of energy expended. That meant no stopping to replenish dish water and no drying by hand to make room for more.

Only a person who never was the sole dishwasher, stacker, and putter-awayer (this person shall remain nameless) would wash greasy pots and pans first, then wonder why the drinking glasses felt greasy to the touch. Contrary to popular opinion, NO, Dawn does not take grease out of the way that well! Needless to say, the glasses have to be rewashed… a waste of time and resources.

I often say that organizing is not an end in itself, but a means of getting something else you want. That may be finding more time to do something fun, saving money to spend on a vacation or shopping spree, or simply eliminating the frustration of always searching for things.

When you develop an organizing system that is efficient, you will be saving precious resources that you can use in another way. Soon you will be rewarding yourself with the very thing you most desire, and looking doggone good at the same time!

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7 Mistakes that Lead to Paper Clutter, Part 2

Tuesday, October 25th, 2011

In the first part, you met 3 personalities who struggle with paper piling issues: The Visualizer who wants to keep everything in sight, The Generous Shopper who is now the best friend of charities and catalog vendors, and The Librarian who feels compelled to gather information.

The ethics of my profession require that I keep all client identities and foibles confidential. If that were not so, I would be able to describe the clients I have worked with who match these descriptions. I am not making this stuff up!

Perhaps you have already said to yourself, “How did Martha know to describe me so well?” The reason I can do that is you are not alone in your struggle with paper, or the underlying causes. If you haven’t recognized yourself, you may be one of the remaining 4 personalities.

  1. The Go Getter has many projects going on simultaneously. He doesn’t want to put away the projects he is working on because he “will just have to drag it all out again anyway!” Supporting documents become lost in the shuffle. Many times work is delayed because a vital piece has gone missing. Duplicated effort is required to get the project back on track.
    Remedy: First, ask the question – are you able to do an excellent job on all the projects, or are some slipping through the cracks? Which projects are you the best at and will generate the most value? Keep those, delegate others to the person who is better suited, and let the rest go entirely.Second, to keep current projects separated [a project is an activity that has a definite beginning, middle, and en end] use colorful, distinctive and roomy file jackets. Scoop all supporting documents for each project into its file each time you take a break for more than 20 minutes. Use an incline sorter on your desktop so you can find any project file at one glance.
  2. Scarlet O’Hara says “Tomorrow is another day.” She puts off deciding what to do with mail offers, when to pay the bills, what to do with important papers. Because she has no system, there are no homes for paper to land, and she can never find what she needs when she needs it.
    Remedy:A paper management system is simply making decisions ahead of time about homes for the three categories of paper that arrive in your mail/inbox:

    • Action – you have to do something with the information.
    • Finished – all action is done and you NEED this info in the future, so is reference material to be filed.
    • Shred/Toss – done, don’t need it, get rid of it.

    3. When you don’t have a system for paper flow in place, you will essentially be asking yourself this same question over and over, “Where should I put this so I will know where it is?

  3. The Seeker wants to keep on top of the latest breaking news. He has too many subscriptions, no time to read all of the information that pours in, so it piles up. He intends to read each magazines, newspaper, or professional journal, but finds himself 2-4 months behind (or more!)
    Remedy:For non-professional material, decide on a set number of months of magazines, days of newspapers you may keep. I suggest two months per magazine and no more than a week of newspapers. On the first of every month go through your stash and recycle old periodicals. Better yet, if you never get around to reading that magazine, cancel the subscription.Professional material is a must-read, but contains advertising and reiteration. Scan each periodical when it arrives, remove the articles (with small exacto knife) that are key to keeping current. Make a “To Read” folder that you can put in a briefcase, or grab on your way out the door on a slow day.
  4. The Bottom Line Watcher refuses to take the time to deal with paper since there is no money or distinct benefit attached.
    Remedy:Take the time to calculate how much time you waste daily looking for papers you can’t find. (In a survey, executives admitted to wasting 6 weeks per year looking for documents.) Now multiply the time you waste by your hourly rate. Does that make solving your paper clutter problem a higher priority?If you can afford it, hire someone else to set up the system and come in regularly do the filing/follow-up. If you are IT, schedule appointments with yourself to do 30 minutes of filing 3x/week. Start with the current piles – on desk or counter – until they are gone. You can be much more productive on other tasks when that visual clutter no longer effects your concentration!

Paper is ubiquitous – it’s everywhere! You can win, with the right tools and mindset.

Drop me an email to let me know what your paper personality is and how you have cut your piles down to size. I love hearing the success stories!

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7 Mistakes that Lead to Paper Piles, Part 1

Tuesday, September 13th, 2011

7 Mistakes That Lead to Paper Clutter

  • If the entire surface of your desk, kitchen counter, or dining room table is covered…
    you just might be a paper piler!
  • If you have magazines you haven’t read from a year ago…
    you just might be a paper piler.
  • If your filing system consists of “more recent” and “older stuff”…
    you just might be a Paper Piler!
  • If you put the event tickets in plain sight see so you won’t lose them, but now you can’t find them because they are totally covered…
    you just might be a paper piler.

Piles of paper are the symptom, not the underlying cause of this frequent clutter problem.

We can try to blame the information explosion or the 49,060 pieces of mail we will receive in our lifetime.  To find a lasting cure, however, we must look closer to home.

What is your personal relationship with paper?

This is Part I of 7 Mistakes That Lead to Paper Clutter. See which one(s) best describes the way you relate to paper. Use the tips below to find a solution that works for you.

  1. The Visualizer is afraid that out of sight will mean out of mind.
    Bills to pay, party invites are left where you can see them and not forget to take action. Soon the “important” is covered by “everyday” and gets lost.
    Remedy:Visual/tactile people need to find a filing solution that is in plain sight, yet keeps paper contained. Two options are:

  2. The Librarian feels compelled to store valuable information.
    This person prints online research as well as emails to answer later, and has a hard time parting with newspaper articles and magazines.
    Remedy:Save only the information that is imperative to your job or that you think will be hard to replace. Think about scanning hard copies, bookmarking email sites on your browser, or noting the article URL on a resource list.Sally McGhee, author of Take Back Your Life, says we only use 15% of what we file. We never retrieve the other 85% – a waste of filing time and of valuable space.
  3. The Generous Shopper gives to charities and orders gifts from catalogs. Her name has been sold repeatedly so she now receives dozens of gift requests and catalogs.
    Remedy:One of the best ways to reduce paper in your home is to reduce the amount coming in. At home, the #1 paper dropper is the mailman. Always open your mail the day you receive it. Return unsolicited charitable requests to sender. Shred unwanted credit offers.Use these sites to opt out of catalogs and credit offers:

Four more common errors are yet to come in Part 2. Did you see yourself yet? Don’t worry, you will…

“Ask the Expert” Event Tomorrow: Register Now!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011 from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM (ET) in Columbus, OH

Click here to register.

Stop the paper piles from multiplying with a proven self-purging paper management system, the FREEDOM FILER. Professional Organizer, Martha Clouse, has successfully implemented this system with dozens of clients. YOU bring your banker box full of paper piles to train and begin your personal FF system.

Learn ways to reduce incoming paper and practice your paper tossing technique!!

Materials FEE: $52 paid at time of class – this purchases your Freedom Filer which has a retail value of $99.

Class is also scheduled to be held on 9/29 from 9:30am – 11am. Tickets purchased above will be honored at all event times.

 

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Organizing 911: Clear the Clutter!

Monday, August 29th, 2011

The best part about summer is spending more time feeling the sun on your face, feeling thankful for a gentle breeze, leaving your shoes off, and laughing with friends. You are outside as much as possible. Household chores take a backseat to fun. That’s the way it should be!

Then around Labor Day, reality hits. The vacation is over. The kids are back in school. You have to think about wearing long pants and shoes again. Taking a look around your living space, you want to call in a hazmat team – how did things get so out of control?!

Since we don’t have the luxury of a “super committee”, most of us will be attacking the clutter on our own. So today, I want to give you a plan of attack that you can put into practice immediately – even before Labor Day – so you can feel victorious, vainglorious, smugly accomplished!

  1. Pick a room to attack first. Gather 4 needed boxes and bins*. Set a timer for 1 hour. Don’t leave the room for any reason until #7.
  2. Put a black trash bag* in your largest trash can. Place in the center of the room and toss in anything you will not use again.
  3. Now set a laundry hamper* next to the trash can. Look around to see if there is anything that does not belong in this room. Stick those things in the hamper ready to be distributed to their proper homes.
  4. Get a copy paper box or plastic bin* (16 qt). Gather all papers and place in the box. DO NOT stop to read anything! For further instructions on paper, read this blog post on speed sorting or purchase my ebook 7 Tools to Conquer Paper Piles Forever.
  5. Make a pile of any magazines more than 2 months old. Black out your name & address and take to a shelter or hospital waiting room. (JamesCare in Dublin is grateful for any magazines.)
  6. Look around at what is left out of place. Pick up one item at a time and ask these 5 Questions to Clear Clutter:
    • Have I used this item in the past year?
    • Will I need it on a definite date in the future?
    • Would it be difficult to get another if I needed it again someday?
    • Do I need to keep it for legal or tax purposes?
    • Do I love it or find it beautiful?

    If the answer to all 5 questions is “No”, let it go! (give, toss, recycle, donate)

  7. Make a list of the items you will donate, put the donation box* in your car, ready to go.
  8. Carry out all boxes and bins. Distribute as necessary.
  9. Find homes in this room for the stuff that is left. I’m hoping you have cut this by at least 50%!
  10. Dust and run the sweeper. DONE!

Wow! Do you feel accomplished or what? Shoot me an email to brag on your progress.

If you are having a hard time pushing yourself to do this on your own, why not join my Clutter Management Program for the month of September? See details in What’s Happening. You choose the room; I provide motivation, support and accountability.

After you do one room, give yourself 2 weeks to practice keeping that room picked up. Then, repeat the process in another room. In 3 months tops, you should have your house or apartment under control! Whew, time to dream of summer again…

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