Beginnings usually indicate an end occurred either in the past or will occur in the future.  To begin a Monday required several things on my part … finishing housework from the weekend, closing out communications begun previously, checking in with friends/family.  Those things were put “to rest” so that Monday could begin in a fresh environment (both in my office and my mind).  With this successfully accomplished, I could look forward to each day that would lead to my next “end” — the coming weekend. Continue Reading »

Writing involves at least two of our senses (visual and kinesthetic).  Most things can be remembered or learned more easily when three or more senses are involved.

Keeping this in mind, consider the goal of becoming more accountable.  On the personal side, I found that if I chart (or write in detail) what I’ve eaten for the day, including the calories and the amount of fluids, it makes me accountable for my eating.  Whereas, if I just mentally review what I’ve eaten and then make decisions, I’m usually quite wrong in my estimates.

Logic would lead me then to believe that if I record my “to do” list, I’ll be more accountable for the responsibilities of the day.  This can be in the form of a calendar of appointments with additional related tasks, the homework list for kids, the “honey-do” list for household chores….almost anything we want to accomplish.

It seems that in the act of writing we make a stronger commitment.  Isn’t that why organizations have us SIGN pledges of money or pledges to an oath?  Isn’t that why we must SIGN contracts of employment or legal actions?  That signature reinforces our commitment to carry out the actions required to fulfill what is required.

Try these actions just for one day:

• If you want to get out of debt, try writing down everything you spend in one day.  Compare that spending with the goals you have for your finances.  One day’s worth of writing won’t bring you financial freedom, but it will provide evidence you can use to move closer to your goal.
• If you want to lose weight, write down what you consume, in what amounts and the calories that represents.  Also, record the length of time you spent exercising with the numbers for your heart rate included.  Doing this for one day won’t make the pounds disappear but you’ll see it isn’t an impossible task.  It may reveal where you are having difficulty with this task.
• If you want to become more organized, list the areas of frustration.  Pick one to describe the things that are contributing to the frustration then select just one you want to improve.  When that’s accomplished, choose another and continue until that frustration is relieved with better organization.

You’ll have written evidence that shows progress, a reference to your success.  It may also prove to be a record of continuing challenge.  Either way, you have more powerfully connected with your goals and tasks.

Reviewing a catalog I recently received, I saw an entire line devoted to writing instruments and writing papers.  There were so many styles, designs, qualities to choose from. Most of these catalog items will bring added pleasure to the writer.  Some were designed for a specific use such as a note-taking pad that also served as a wrist rest to be used at the keyboard of the computer.  It extended the entire width of a keyboard and had a section to write “to do’s” and another for notes as you explored the internet sites.  Called a Blotter Margin Pad http://www.levenger.com it will eliminate the post it notes stuck to your monitor but will support the act of written evidence.

Let your desk or workspace be testimony to your written evidence and the power it has given your life.

At a recent meeting, a random thought came to me about closets and the “interior” of our minds.  Yes, I was really paying attention to the fabulous speaker Karen Hughes of Image Assets, LLC who was speaking about Professional Image to our group of Professional Organizers.

When you walk into your closet, what do you “see”? As you view your clothing, shoes, and accessories and how they are arrayed, can you “see” the person you really are? What do your clothes “say” to you? What do they tell others?

While I have many “parts” I play in my life, each requires different clothing. Making the pieces I do own work together is important. Since my pieces are few, having them arranged in my closet that makes them most accessible and interchangeable is important to me. I separate suit skirts and jackets, short, long sleeved, sleeveless tops, pants, dresses. All are placed in darkest to lightest color and are hung in my closet seasonally. Off-season items are stored away but within my closet for unexpected turns in the weather.

After hearing Karen, I’m going to rethink “me” and how I project my professional/business self, my having-fun self, and my “just being me” self through my outward appearance. Once I’ve finished the “inside job” of my mind, I’ll make my closet match!

Summer is definitely just around the corner. Although it will be hot and humid, we will yearn to be outside relaxing, gardening, partying. Maybe it is returning to our air-conditioned haven of organization that lets us tolerate what would ordinarily be considered inhumane conditions.

Having an organized “outside life” really isn’t as difficult as it may sound. Because we are in a “hurry” to get out there and have fun, we often just stash stuff wherever we see an empty hole. Now I don’t mean we have to organize all outdoors. Just organizing the areas where that ubiquitous clutter can spoil our outdoor fun will make the outdoors more enjoyable for the family. If you haven’t already done it for this year, theses suggestions will put you on track to immediately enjoy your outdoor haven so schedule it before the “outdoor” holidays begin.

Let’s start with the pool shed. This structure may house more than just the pool toys and the skimmer. The moniker “pool shed” may not even apply to this space but for the summer that becomes its main function…to house all things related to the pool. For some, a corner in the garage may serve this purpose but let’s discuss that “out yonder” building for a moment.

If you haven’t already done it, you will want to begin by starting in one corner of the storage area and work to the next discarding items that no longer inflate, products that have grown stale or lost their potency since last year, or things that no longer have a mate, don’t fit, aren’t usable. This part of the process should only take a few minutes depending upon the amount of things stored. Next, remove items that truly don’t belong there but should be stored elsewhere – garage, basement, rented storage unit.

If this is a multi-purpose building and not one used exclusively for pool paraphernalia then you will want to sort by kind – gardening, pool maintenance, entertaining, etc.

GARDENING:

Long-handled gardening tools can be hung vertically on the wall together. Potting soils, additives, pest control products can be shelved together keeping poisons high enough to be out of children’s reach. Large tubs with tight seals are good for emptying soil into and storing the multitude of small bags, spray cans, and boxes of gardening chemicals. Consider a small shoe-box sized plastic box to hold hand tools and gardening gloves.

POOL MAINTENANCE:

All pool chemicals grouped together and placed in tightly sealed containers increase accessibility. Once again, consider children and pets when deciding the location. The pool skimmer and hoses can be hung horizontally on another wall making it easy for the user to grasp (consider the height of the teen or adult who most frequently maintains the pool). Larger pool floats and skimmer boards can be hung from the ceiling in “slings” made from rope or sturdy twine. Smaller pool toys like water blasters, balls, arm floats, swim masks and swim vests are easily housed in a large lidded tub. It is ideal if the tub is equipped with wheels to make clean up easier when the fun is over. Just load it poolside and roll into place in storage. A separate shoe-box sized box can be used for suntan lotion, first aid products, extra sun glasses. “Pool” towels can be rolled and placed into laundry bags or open bins on the shelf.

ENTERTAINING:

Tiki torches or other tall portable lights can be stood in the corner in a tall waste can that would be used for refuse at the outdoor party. Paper or plastic goods (plates, cups, napkins, table cloths) are easily accessible and portable when stored in a large lidded tub or an old unused picnic basket. Sealed products will keep the little critters out and contents dust free. Serving pieces will still be kept in or near the kitchen for ease of preparation and cleaning.
The grill can be stored out by the pool or inside depending upon the frequency of use throughout the year. If you don’t already have a grill cover, you will find it enormously helpful in maintaining the exterior appearance. The inside of the grill is easily maintained by heating the grill then dipping a brass brush in water and scraping down the grates. Occasionally the fat drippings need to be removed from the catch pan which can be cleaned with a degreaser at the end of the season.

No “pool shed”?? The garage is your place for all outdoors keepers! You will want to take a similar approach as described above. Putting like things together in accessible containers will always be the hallmark to an organized garage. You may want to separate the “pool” related items to designated shelves and sections of the wall. Placing these bins and tubs near the exit door of the garage in the summer will ease their accessibility. Because the period of time these items are used, you may want to rotate them out with “off-season” items from the top shelf. Exchange places with winter “toys” and equipment. If you aren’t one to grill out when the fall breezes blow or that magical snow flurries through the sky, then storing the grill in the garage after it has been cleaned and prepared for the next season will protect it. Just find a corner out of the way of traffic and other needed access areas. ENJOY THE SUMMER!

Recent days in Georgia have been quite traumatic for some.  Schools have been lost depriving children of a second safe haven.  Businesses who have existed for years will now face tough decisions following clean up regarding recovery of their physical plants, jobs, customers.  Shelters for pets are now either overflowing or are vicitims themselves with a need for immediate help to save the animals. People who talk about helping or have helped are now ones in NEED of the help.  Here’s an opportunity to take action in our own back yard.

Now I must practice what I have always preached.  I must assemble all the documents needed to fill my Vital Records Portavault by Securita. An act as simple as this would provide these vicitims virtually everything they need in a water resistant canvas organizer to re-establish their lives. It is recommended by the American Red Cross. FEMA and GEMA will be involved with these families in their recovery and meeting their immediate needs. The paper work they require can be overwhelming. Freedom Filer organizes paper by FEMA guidelines with their updated system. If you don’t have your set of these pre-printed labels, contact me for an immediate purchase or visit my website or Freedom Filer’s website to order.

Procrastination is the mother of regret. Will you be saying “I wish I had…” the next time a disaster strikes you or your loved ones? Please share this blog with all you know, love, or care about.

Some will take donations to various sites around the Atlanta area (See this church site for one location that will be assembling all sorts of aid to the flood victims). They need your volunteer help too so this can become an efficient, effective operation.

Lost: time…can never be regained
Found: new ways to manage my time

Lost: money…can be a “hidden” loss
Found: new ways to make money and manage it

Lost: serenity…
Found: new sense of “me”, what I can do.
My mindset has changed. Sometimes necessity will do that…cause you to REFOCUS and REALIGN not only your thinking but your environment. It has been a gradual thing but I have come to the realization I can “do” or live with much less. As a result, I’ve set a campaign for myself to reduce, resize, reorganize, redirect my body, thoughts, actions, home, office, social connections. The 6:00pm newscast recently used the term “new normal” and were showing individuals who were applying new methods and patterns to their way of living. I really got a chuckle because what the worldly media doesn’t realize is this: most of us in the real world have been living that way all along and have been perfectly happy.

I have also “finally” realized how much can be done in the virtual world. In my passionate enthusiasm to help those who find being organized a true challenge, I have developed a virtual organizing package. Sometimes those folks who are challenged just need an accountability partner who has a bit of imagination. Once a plan is put in place and the client can “see” the vision for their space, it is much easier for them to go about getting the job done. I’m looking forward to helping you be one of those recipients of virtual organizing and coaching.

We are into our first month of resolutions implementation…so how’s it going? Hmmm…don’t want to talk about it? I understand. I’ve half kept most of mine but have slipped miserably on some of the others. Here’s what I’m going to do to boost my resolve and results. It involves some time management principles and can apply to many areas of our lives.
P=Positive.I’m going to be looking for the “positive” in each moment that causes me consternation.
R =Re-evaluate.Is what I’m doing really going to make a difference?
E=Effort.Not everything can be accomplished in a microwave second. Do the work !
P=Priority.Check my priorities against my values and goals.
A=Action.Break the paralysis of analysis…just do something!!
R=Realistic.Getting something done is better than attempting to do too much.
E=Enjoy.Each moment comes only once. I”m going to relax and enjoy even what seems to be the drudgery tasks.

How are you doing with your resolutions? Did you make too many? Did you not make any at all? What “tricks” have you found that have been helpful? Post to the blog and me know how you are doing! First five posts receive an “organizing” tool.

Sherry Lee…Helping you make things fine in 2009

Curious title, don’t you think? I mean it is the end of one year and the beginning of a new year so why don’t we call it New End??

Since it is the end of one year, now is the opportunity for you to make some things “new” for a better start on the year ahead. One of my choir buddies stopped me on Sunday and said she’d been thinking of me as she was cleaning out each of her handbags. That’s an example that’s applicable to our scenario here. She was making something new to have a fresh start on the next year.

Let’s extend that further…why not do the same to all your dresser drawers, the junk drawer in the kitchen, your desk drawers…even the trunk of your car. Once they have all been purged and you’ve restored them to the order in which you are accustomed, you will easily face the new year with some calm.

In terms of cleaning the files, now is the perfect time to align all the receipts needed for your tax return filing and clearing your files of the unneeded clutter that has amassed there. Remember if the receipt or certificate or correspondence relates to an asset you still own, you will need to keep it until the asset is disposed of…which could be permanently (a home or land, your birth certificate, stock purchases). If it is not tax related and not an asset, then most receipts can be disposed of 24 months past their origination (utilities, credit card purchases – unless there is a warranty issue, etc).

Recently on an IRS conference call, parties were advised to keep the original receipt when it related to a tax matter for up to 3 years or until the statute of limitations has expired. If the receipt is one that will fade with time, then photocopying and attaching to the original was recommended. This was for receipts that cannot be traced back to the originator…a third party type receipt would require you to keep the original (i.e. credit card transactions but not Home Depot, Target, etc). Let me insert a caveat here that I am not a CPA or a Registered Agent so I would recommned you consult your tax preparer and follow their advice.

If you have not already established a filing system for these then I would recommend the Freedom Filer Label system. It can be ordered from the bottom of my affiliates page of my website www.theorderlytouch.com.

Scanning receipts for an electronic permanent version can also be utilized to download the information into many of the popular financial record keeping systems. I personally use NeatReceipts and highly recommend this product. They have developed many powerful programs for levels beyond my needs so I’m sure you’ll find exactly what will fit your situation.

Here’s a toast to you in the year ahead while you make things new. I am looking forward to helping make things fine in 2009!

The “season” is well underway and about now is when panic begins to set in. You know the guests are coming. The dinners, desserts, or appetizers needing preparation seem endless and the gift wrapping…well, let’s not even go there until after the shopping has been completed.

Let me help you with some of this. Although I can’t say I’m “completely” finished with my preparations, I do feel I have them under control. Let’s start with the guests. If they are overnight guests, then give them some easy assignments to assist with food prep or tablescaping. Perhaps they can squeeze the orange juice, whip up the batter for the muffins, or load the dishwasher. Most folks feel better when they can “help” even if it is in a small way. For my guests, I maintain a small basket of sample size toiletries and the extra toothbrushes/toothpaste we get from dentist visits along with a shower cap, disposable razors, feminine products. This is placed in their room along with a set of towels wrapped in a ribbon and positioned on the bed to greet them.

Food prep can be challenging with increased activity around this time of year. My friend, Jennifer Pettus with Homemade Gourmet, can help you make life a bit easier with simple recipes, seasonings, and “Four Meals in Four Minutes” preparation. Email her to order, Jennifer Pettus , or visit the website HomemadeGourmet. I have found this to be a huge help for great meals made ahead. Also, be easy on yourself. Often it isn’t the “fancy” that impresses but the simple and tasty becomes the big hit.

Shopping and gift wrapping made simple — online, gift cards, and quick homemade are my by-words. Find your strengths and play to them. Anything you can personalize will show you thought specifically of them. Some like to stay “green” and give a donation in the name of the honored or “regift” a perfectly usable but unwanted(unused) item from their own home. Wrapping can be inexpensive and made easy as well. One client of mine purchases a HUGE gift bag and places all the gifts for each child in a bag. On the gift opening occasion, the child reaches into the bag with eyes closed to pull out and enjoy one gift at a time. If the gift is from someone else, say grandma, a gift tag tied onto the gift with a pretty christmas ribbon or bow makes identification for thank you notes that much easier. If you are really wanting to wrap, use the Sunday comics or plain Kraft paper adorned with fronts from last year’s Christmas Cards.

To manage the time to do this….ahhh now we are getting down to the nitty-gritty!! I turn off or ignore the television after dinner. It is amazing what can be accomplished in two hours each night. Take next Saturday morning to do your last minute baking and give part of your plunder as a gift accompaniment. Make a list before you leave the house mapping out your route based upon the stops that need to be made to accomplish the list. Write out the grocery list based upon what’s needed for two weeks including the special holiday party foods, entertaining menus, and things needed for the “Four Meals in Four Minutes”. Your freezer and crock pot will become your best friends until the first of the year!

Now the best part….ENJOY each moment of any celebration. Your mind set as you complete the baking, wrap the gifts, freshen the clothing, will make it all so much more fun. This is the season of giving. Let yourself enjoy the preparations and each party knowing you’ve done your best. I attend church, sing in the choir, and savor my friendships and family with gatherings. For me, remembering Jesus is the Reason for the Season helps me stay on target as well. Merry Christmas to you and yours from The Orderly Touch, Inc.

Here we are with only weeks to go to the first major family holiday celebration … Thanksgiving and THEN an equal amount of time to Christmas/Hannukah.  What is the first room of the home most folks like to gather in during these celebrations?  The kitchen is the one most often chosen because of the yummy smells and that’s where the action is taking place.

Why not choose the kitchen then as the place to organize and “get in line” for holiday preparations?  This time of year calls for more entertaining accoutrements – platters, special glassware, table linens – that aren’t used any other time.  The following are some changes that if you make them temporarily you’ll find your life just a bit easier for these next few weeks.

• Wash, dry, iron if necessary, then fold carefully all tablecloths and place on a men’s pants hanger that has several “fingers” for hanging each individually
• Next, perform the same cleaning ritual on the matching napkins then place them in a ziploc bag and either place in a drawer of the china cabinet or safety pin the bag to the table cloth once it’s hung on the pants hanger.  Place the hanger in a little used guest room closet or even in the coat reception closet.
• Remove from cabinets and box temporarily any items that typically are only used during the summer months, i.e. plasticware used by the pool, paper products used for picnics, etc.  Replace into that space the special serving pieces needed to meet your current entertaining needs.  Locate the boxes temporarily into a garage, under the bed, or to the back of a closet.
• Select only a few recipes to prepare for the upcoming parties or family celebration meals and buy the necessary ingredients NOW (with the exception, of course, of the fresh veggies) to stock your pantry.  Post the recipes on the inside of a cabinet door or in the pantry for easy access by yourself and other helpers.

The next space that will require your attention is the dining room table. Still using that as the bill paying station or is that homework central? For now, establish a separate location for those activities.  You may need to “think outside the box” for this.  Speaking of a “box”…that overly used container can be a life saver here.  If  you need one “go to” place for the holidays, then a simple box can be it.  Let that be the spot where opened mail is deposited, the checkbook is stored for those not using online bill paying, and an envelope for receipts is kept.  If you don’t already have a file system where payment stubs are kept for future reference then establishing an expandable labeled file (either alphabetical or individually labeled tabs for the vendor) would be the minimum to get you by until a more complete file system is established.

Each of the steps above does take some time.  All the preparations require time that was allocated before for another activity.  If you break it down into “bite-sized” scenarios grouping like-activities with like-activities you’ll find it easier to accomplish.  For instance, the washing/drying of linens in the first suggestion can be accomplished while you are working nearby on another project.  Perhaps set these aside after this part of the cycle is done and plan on ironing/storing them on a different day.

Preparing the cabinets and pantry really won’t take that much time (maybe 30 – 45 minutes) and can be done as another family member unloads the dishwasher or while the wash/dry cycle is completing in the above scenario.

Those are some “hefty” assignments for you to complete this week….stay tuned for tips on completing your holiday gift shopping, greeting card tasks, and maintaining your “self” through the holidays.  Having a checklist such as the one at www.RealSimple.com to complete all these seemingly endless tasks will give you a sense of accomplishment as you check off finished jobs and look around at your “pulled together” kitchen and dining room. 

Do let me know how these suggestions worked for you. If you become overwhelmed or just need a live body for assurance these tasks will be completed, give me a call. 770-707-1044