It's getting close to Christmas and a lot of people still haven't even put up a tree or sent out cards.

The holidays are not a time to be stressed so don't beat yourself up over not getting everything done. It you are running out of time you have to decide what you can live without so that you don't drive yourself crazy.

Being organized is about "time management". If you haven't finished everything on your list give yourself the gift of "not finishing". Let it go. Most people that I know haven't even sent out their cards yet, so you are not alone.

BUT.... this should give you some incentive to start earlier next year!  If you have your 2014 calendar, open it up and put a note in the calendar for some of the things that you need to accomplish for the holidays. That way you will be ahead of the game for next year.  For example:

* Write out cards

* Start Xmas shopping

* Decorate the house

By using your calendar and making "appointments" with yourself you will be more likely to get things done on time.

Time Management at home is just as important as in the workplace.

Schedule some time each day to get the some of your projects done, but allow some extra "breathing" time so that you don't get to the holiday and just wish it would go away.

Anything that you can't realistically get done at this point.... LET IT GO!  For some people being a perfectionist causes too much stress and actually wastes time. Learn from your "disorganization" and last minute "craziness" and know that you can do better next year.

And remember, if your family wants a great holiday they should be willing to help you. Don't try to do it all yourself. Assign tasks to everyone and work together to make this holiday season a good one.

For more great organizing ideas during the Holidays: 

Re-read:  Holiday Gift Ideas.... or Dont's

http://professionalorganizer4u.blogspot.com/2010/11/holiday-gift-ideas-or-donts.html

Re-read:  Planning Ahead for the Holidays

http://professionalorganizer4u.blogspot.com/2011/10/planning-ahead-for-holidays.html


Re-read: Organizing Your Closets for Christmas

http://professionalorganizer4u.blogspot.com/2011/12/organizing-your-closets-for-christmas.html


Remember - the Holidays are about family and friends - not stuff.  Don't let the stress of trying to do everything at the last minute ruin the true meaning of Christmas.

Sit back and watch some of those great old holiday movies and enjoy the holidays.  It's been a long year - you deserve it!
 

Happy Holidays!

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Winter in the West - Is Your Car Stocked With the Essentials ?

It's cold out there ! Below zero !

Living out in the west - and driving long distances without a town or gas station in sight - brings about it's own problems.

Unlike being in a big city where there is a gas station and help within a block - living out in the west - with lots of land and few people - presents it's own challenges.

So – the question is ..... are you prepared ?

Now is the time to stock your car with winter essentials.

In your backseat:
* Snow brush
* Ice scraper (or two – various sizes)
* Blanket
* Gloves (keep extra’s in your car)
* Hat
* Scarf

In your glove compartment:
* Paper
* Pen
* Matches (in something waterproof)
* Candle (in a tin) – this can be used if your flashlight doesn’t work or for extra heat
* Tissues
* Hand wipes
* Cell Phone Car Charger
* Flashlight (make sure the batteries are good – or get a windup one)

In your trunk:
* Salt, cat litter or something to throw under your tires if you get stuck
* Extra Windshield Fluid
* Extra Antifreeze
* Spare Tire
* Shovel
* Jumper Cables
* First Aid Kit (basic)
* Towel (this can also be used as an extra blanket)
* Rope
* Bungee Cords
* Duct Tape (so many uses!)
* Tire Gauge
* Tire Repair kit
* Road Flares
* Fire Extinguisher (small one)
* Plastic Garbage Bags

If you are going to be driving outside of the city limits I would also suggest that you keep water and snacks in your car, especially if you have kids. You never know when an accident might keep you tied up for a long time and you will need water to keep you hydrated and snacks to keep the kids occupied.

Being prepared is always the best defense. Now relax and embrace the weather.

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com/

Growing up German, St. Nicholas Day was a very big deal for us. And still is. A boot is put outside the door on the night of the 5 th of December.

St. Nicholas fills the boot with candy, chocolate and small gifts. As kids we liked to use my Dad's shoes because they were obviously bigger, which meant more candy! In the morning we would race to see what St. Nicholas brought us.

To me St. Nicholas Day is super special. It reminds me of my heritage. It is also the start of the Christmas season.

I want to wish all of you a very HAPPY ST. NICHOLAS DAY !!!!

Wishing you and yours a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING !

Holiday Cards - Start Now

It's not even Thanksgiving but already the stores are primed for Christmas.  Sales and Santa's are everywhere.

You can't get away from it. It's sad. Thanksgiving is over before it even gets here and commercialism has taken over.

It's hard to enjoy one holiday at a time when they all seem to run together. But this is the time to remember your family and friends and reach out to people, your friends and family, that you have neglected over the past year. It's not entirely your fault. We are inundated with so many obligations that we can barely keep up with all of the kids activities that friends sometimes go by the wayside.

So instead of sending Christmas cards where you barely sign your name to the card - write a short note that really means something.  Not a "form letter" that you send to every person in your address book. Write something special and meaningful to each person individually. A few sentences mean a lot.

Start now. A few cards every day so that you are not overwhelmed. Make it personal.

With email and texting, cards and real letters seem to have gone by the wayside. But getting a piece of real mail means something. Something special.

So start now - one card at a time. And before you know it you will be done.

Happy Holidays!




Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com/

Organizing Your Events - When To Let Go

Special events - such as weddings, anniversaries, birthdays - are - special. And you want them to be perfect. And they should be. Even if they are bigger than your normal events and even if you are planning them yourselves and doing all of the work - either because you want to or for financial reasons.

But sometimes the added stress and chaos that follows is not worth the "savings" that you think you are getting.

If you are the "center of attention" - the bride, anniversary couple or birthday gal - it pays to let go. You probably don't want to - either because you are a perfectionist, need that control or you think you can do it less expensively.

But when things start going wrong - and they will - even if you planned every detail - you will start to experience a lot of stress and emotions that you never thought you were capable of.

And emotions lead to rash decisions or lashing out at everyone around you.

In organizing big events you can't do it all alone. You first need to have a team of people in place that can help you and that you can count on to handle the disasters that may occur. These people will need to be able to adjust and change gears quickly and not get flustered - because if everyone falls apart at the same time then disaster will strike.

And having everyone tell you that "everything will be o.k." - doesn't really help - especially when you are in an emotional crisis because the occasion you are planning is important to you.

So let go ..... be the center of attention and let someone else handle all of those details on your very important day. You will be glad you did.



Organizational Consulting Services

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Hoarding - the Aftermath

Hoarding is a very serious and devastating situation. It is emotionally draining. For the Professional Organizers that work with Hoarding clients it is unlike what you see on the T.V. shows. It is much more personal and more devastating.

Sometimes clients come into your life and make an impact that you never expected. One such client of mine was a hoarder.  As with most hoarders Professional Organizers usually know to expect the worst. My client was a wonderful, highly educated woman with a problem. A problem that I always suspected would eventually lead to her death.

But - she was lucky. As I had anticipated a fire did break out in her home but she was pulled out of her house by some neighbors and she survived. Not without extensive physical damage. But she survived.

The fire did finally force her out of her home and she is now living in a nursing home where she is getting the treatment she deserves.

Not everyone is so lucky.

Hoarding is a serious problem.

Read some of the stories from the past:

Langley Collyer

He lived with his brother, Homer, who was blind and paralyzed, in a three story mansion in New York.

It was filled from floor to ceiling with newspapers, boxes, barrels, crates and 10 grand pianos.

On March 21, 1947, the New York police received a tip that there was a dead body in the house. They broke down the front door but couldn’t get in because of all of the stuff.

They climbed in through a second story window and found Homer, dead. He had died of a heart attack.

The house was a maze of nests & tunnels and was booby trapped. There were trip wires that would bring down debris on any intruders.

Workers cut through the roof and lifted out 136 tons of junk.

After 18 days they found the body of Langley Collyer who had been dead for weeks.

It appeared that he had been crawling through a tunnel to deliver dinner to his brother when he triggered one of his own booby traps and suffocated. Homer had then starved to death.

What was salvageable from the tons of junk that had been collected, sold for less than $ 2,000 at auction. The house, condemned as a health and fire hazard, was razed. Today it is a parking lot.

Grey Gardens

In the early 1970s, two women related to Jackie Onassis were the subjects of the critically acclaimed documentary, Grey Gardens, about eccentric behavior. The women, Edith Bouvier Beale and her mother, Edith Ewing Bouvier, were former New York socialites who spent their days holed up in a decrepit East Hampton mansion.

When the Suffolk County Board of Health raided their house, they found piles upon piles of garbage amid human and animal waste. It was said that only three of the mansion’s 28 rooms were used, while the others were occupied by hundreds of cats, possums and raccoons.

When word of the deplorable conditions got o Jackie-O, she and her then-husband Aristotle Onassis paid $32,000 to clean the house, install a new furnace and plumbing system, and cart away 1,000 bags of garbage.

Organizational Consulting Services

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