Fat Tuesday

As in the tradition of FAT TUESDAY it's a day to eat donuts
(or Paczki) and not feel guilty !

Enjoy... and get ready for the start of the Lenten season.

ORGANIZING – A TEAM EFFORT

I get a lot of calls from potential clients who say that their spouse is tired of the disorganization and they just want to throw everything in the trash.

Or they are neat but their spouse isn’t and how do they get them to be more organized? Or their entire family does nothing in the house and they have to do it all.

So what can I do to help them? Honestly, not much. I can organize their homes and teach the willing family members the how’s and why’s of organization, but unless everyone is on board and gets with the program – nothing is going to change.

I can’t wave my magic wand and make everything better. I can give them solutions to their problems, but if they don’t take my advice, there is nothing I can do.

Just like a therapist or lawyer or doctor – if they tell you something and you choose not to listen to their expert advice, you will still have the same issues that you started with.

A family has to be willing to work together. Partners have to help each other and stand by each other. Parents have to set boundaries for their kids. In a family, it has to be a team effort. Everyone needs to have a clearly defined set of responsibilities and everyone has to do their part.

If not, instead of a calm and clutter free house you will have chaos, clutter and a big mess.

The first step to having an organized house is to have everyone in the house work as a team. That’s what family is all about. A lot of people have forgotten that.

Remember: Less Clutter = Less Stress (sm) in your home, your business and your life.

Happy Organizing !

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

KIDS AND THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES

Organizing is not an “adults only” activity. Yet many parents today have not made their kids take responsibility for keeping their own spaces clean and organized.

Unless you live by yourself each member of the household needs to share the responsibility of keeping their home and their individual space neat and organized. This goes for kids too. No matter what age they are.

Unfortunately, parents today don’t seem to expect anything from their kids. They don’t expect them to pickup their clothes up off of the floor much less keep their rooms semi-clean and orderly. Kids tend to drop things everywhere and no one holds them responsible. So why would they change?

What parents don’t realize is that this sets the tone for how the kids grow up and how organized they are going to be as teenagers and adults.

It’s not too late to change things. Parents need to be adults and hold their kids responsible. Yes, they should lead by example, but just because you are not organized or neat does not mean that you can’t try and make sure that your kids have better habits.

Set expectations for your kids. Don’t just say “clean your room” and expect to see “your idea” of clean. You need to be more specific. You need to say “pick all of your clothes up off of the floor and hang them up in your closet” or “pick up all of your toys off of the floor and put them in the toy chest”. Be specific. Be consistent. It can work.

You are their parent, not their “maid”. Make them help keep the house clean. Teach them something that they will be able to use the rest of their lives. If you aren’t up to the task a professional organizer can help teach your family how to be more organized.

Start today and take back your home.

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

SOUP FOR ONE

Have you ever tried to make soup for one? Or even two? Well, let me tell you ….it can’t be done !

Well, at least not by me. But then again…. I’ve never been able to cook for just one or two people.

So the other day I wanted to make a white bean soup with ham, potatoes and carrots. Sounds delicious doesn’t it.

I soaked the white beans overnight. Wow, did they ever expand. I guess maybe I shouldn’t have used the entire bag. But I got out my huge stockpot and started making the soup. It smelled really good when it was cooking and really hit the spot that night.

And I made enough to feed a huge family. But since everyone is off at school I really didn’t need that much soup for dinner. So I froze it in a few containers for later use when I didn’t have as much time.

And then I thought about how most families don’t eat very well and eat a lot of take out and junk food.

Not very healthy and eating out can really add up.

It didn’t really take much longer to make a huge pot of soup that could be divided and frozen than it did for making bean soup for one or two. A few more potatoes and a few more carrots.

It’s homemade, it’s healthier, and it’s cheaper. And you can’t just make bean soup for one.

So when you do have the time to make dinner at home….throw in a few more pieces of chicken or a little more pasta…. and you can freeze the extra for a later meal or have a delicious, healthier and cheaper lunch instead of the fast food that you might normally eat.

By planning ahead you can save time on meal preparation and money on your food budget.

And really….. have you ever tried to make bean soup for one?

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

ORGANIZING YOUR OFFICE MOVE

Congratulations, your company is growing and you are moving into a bigger office space. It’s an exciting time.

Business has not been good and you need to downsize to a smaller space. It’s happening everywhere.

Your lease is up and your landlord has decided not to renew your lease so you need to find new space.

It doesn’t matter what the reason is…. a business move brings with it a lot of details that you don’t have to deal with in a house move.

For companies that are open 24 / 7 and have clients that need their attention it becomes even more complicated.

Having a very organized “moving plan” is crucial in making the transition as painless as possible. Plan ahead and send a letter to your clients and customers with your new address and contact information. Have new literature and business cards printed with your new information (or print new address labels).

When I moved my first company to a larger office space I had every detail worked out. As always, nothing in my life ever goes as planned. I woke up on the morning of the move covered in hives from head to toe! I had no idea what was happening to me but I was expecting the carpet installers, the phone company, the electrician, the computer people, the movers and my staff…..so I wore a turtleneck and covered up and met the movers at my old office and didn’t say a word about my “unexpected dilemma”.

Prior to moving day and to make the move go smoothly I had everyone first clear out their desks and offices of anything that was not crucial and had them purge as much as possible. I then assigned everyone a color and had them put colored dots on their computers, phones, files, desks, chairs and anything else in their office.

When the movers came to the new office space there were colored dots on the office doors and they were easily able to figure out where everything went. One person was assigned to answer the phones while everyone else set up their offices.

By noon the entire office was in place, the phones and computers were connected and my staff could continue with business as usual. I then went across the street to see the doctor to find out that I had an allergic reaction to some antibiotics. No one ever knew and the move was painless for everyone else.

By planning ahead you reduce the stress on moving day. Not everyone has the luxury of shutting down their business for a day or two so that they can move. Have a backup plan for everything because something will go wrong. But by being prepared for the worst you can be pleasantly surprised by how smoothly a move can go.

Enjoy your new space !

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Happy Valentines Day !

Wishing You A Happy Valentines Day !

Time – What’s Yours Worth

Time….something that most people don’t have enough of. Something that most people waste.

How do you waste your time you might ask? By doing things such as surfing the net for useless information instead of writing the report that is due for work or school.

Or by flipping channels all night long because there is nothing on T.V. instead of cleaning out the basement like your spouse asked you to.

Or by spending four hours trying to do a plumbing project that would have taken a plumber only an hour to do.

We waste time because we don’t want to do something. We don’t want to start a project that we know is going to take a long time or that is going to be boring.

We waste time because we don’t want to spend the money to hire an expert because we think we can do it ourselves. Some people might be able to do their own plumbing. Most of us can’t. So why waste the four hours doing something that we really are not qualified to do, only to have to call a plumber and pay him anyway?

But let’s say that you really are qualified to do your own plumbing, but you just don’t have the time to do it. Isn’t it more cost effective to call in an expert and get it done then to wait and possible create a bigger problem later? Which of course will cost you more money.

What is your time worth? Sometimes it’s worth it to spend the money to hire other people to help you with your projects that you just don’t have the time to do so that they get done.

As you get older you realize that time is something precious. It goes by too quickly.

So instead of trying to fit too many things into your life, either cut back on some things or pay other people to do them for you. Pay someone to cut your lawn so that you have time to spend with your family.

Don’t waste time doing useless things like flipping channels on the T.V. when you should be working on cleaning out your basement. Do it. Get it done. Your spouse will appreciate it.

Think about all of the things that you have to do in a day and plan out your day and your route to make the best use of your time so that you are not backtracking and wasting time, gas and wear and tear on your car.

Time…. Learn to manage it….. Don’t let it manage you.

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com