Getting Organized and Staying That Way

It can be so discouraging to get your home organized and then watch helplessly as the clutter makes its way back in. How does that happen? It's basically a mindset - to get organized is one thing, but to stay that way means you need to approach each day with it in mind. Rather than give up, try working some habits into your family life to make organization stick around. Here are some tips for getting organized and staying that way.

Grow with Your Family

Organization needs change over time, and it's good to be adaptable and change methods along the way. One of the ironies of staying organized is that rigid inflexibility tends to make things worse - if not in actual clutter, then in feelings of resentment and being stifled.

So it only makes sense that you will have to "update" your organization from time to time to keep up with growing kids, changing jobs, and various phases. Here are some tips.

* Toy bins will need to make way for space for age-appropriate items, like journals, art supplies, electronics, and other teen interests. You can update the bins or sell the old ones and replace them, but it's going to require some reorganizing as your kids grow.

* Get rid of the old to make space for the new. Nothing scraps organizational efforts like accumulating stuff on top of stuff. As your kids' interests change (yours, too), don't be afraid to get rid of the things you no longer use and create space for the new stuff.

* As your kids grow, the level of organization they are responsible for will increase. Begin to delegate tasks and try to let family members do it their own way. This is part of letting organization grow with your family.

Personalize It
If you are using organizational methods that just aren't you, or just don't fit with your family dynamic, then it's no wonder you can't keep up with them. You may not be the type to do spreadsheets, for instance, even though your friends rave about how much they helped them. If a dry-erase board or piece of paper and pencil work for you, go with it. Some people do better with an old-fashioned pocket calendar than fancy software.

The same is true in your home. If you are using the methods others have told you about, they may not work for your family. Organization should flow naturally from your lifestyle and be at a level you're comfortable with. It's okay, for instance, if there are some things you prefer not to have too organized.

The Need for Space

Space needs definitely change within a family. Babies, for instance, take up little space in and of themselves, but their stuff can take over the house! Teens, for example, may need more personal space but fewer square feet than, say, an active first grader. And even the adults in the house may go through phases where personal space is more of a priority than at other times. So be ready for these changes and adapt your organizational methods to fit them.

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Family Organization Tips

One of the hardest parts about getting your family organized is knowing where in the world to start. Often, family members feel like they can't stop long enough to get organized. This is where some basic tips can help. Following are some simple, fundamental family organization tips to help you get things in order.

Share the Burden

Often, one family member (usually a parent) feels all the pressure to get things organized, and it just seems like other family members are constantly undermining his or her efforts. To help overcome this, try sharing the burden. For example, every family member should be responsible for putting away his or her things (coats, jackets, shoes, toys, books, etc.). There are various ways you can get your family motivated to take care of their own stuff. You might try:

* Give points for tasks completed, and require the kids to have a certain number of points before watching TV, spending time on the computer, etc.

* Hiding items that are left out can really drive home a message about taking responsibility for one's stuff. Make sure everyone in the family is aware of this consequence if they leave their things out. Then those items can be hidden as you like, and perhaps kids will have to earn back the hidden items.

Work Space

Try establishing work space for family members' various activities. It could be as elaborate as a separate room, simply a piece of furniture (such as a table), or a corner of a room. This helps in several ways:

* All the stuff required for a family member's activity - books, paper, pencils, craft supplies, sports equipment, etc. - can be sequestered in his or her work space. That prevents said stuff from ending up all over the house.

* Family members tend to feel validated when they have their own space to do what they want or need to do.

* Homework space should be separate from entertainment space to avoid temptations, and to make sure that supplies are handy. The need for a computer in homework space is understandable, but make sure that it's only used for school purposes (such as research).

Bins and Containers

Finding the right bins and containers for items can really help get things off the floor and onto shelves, into closets, and just up off the floor. You may find that you can get by with a few clear bins in each work space, or a set of inexpensive plastic shelves.

You may prefer a large dresser or filing cabinet for the whole family, with each person having his or her drawer. Whatever you choose, make sure the containers can be closed and stacked, and that you can see what's in them (and/or label them).

At the Front Door

It seems like the front door area is a catch-all for shoes, coats, jackets, books, and anything else family members happen to be carrying when they walk in the door. Try having a basket or box for each person on shelves by the door; mail, school papers, and other items can go in each individual's basket/box. Every week, the baskets and boxes will need to be sorted through and cleaned out, but done regularly, it should not be too hard.

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

How to Find Motivation to Achieve Your Goals

Get Organized - Get Productive - Set Goals to make it Happen!

One of the biggest mistakes people make when seeking to achieve a goal is to wait for inspiration and motivation. Imagine if everyone on this planet waited for motivation to get work done. Productivity would drop to nothing, and our economy would collapse. Since productivity has improved over the years, it’s not likely that it has anything much to do with real motivation other than people doing the things they have to do in order to achieve a goal.

That goal may be set by them or their employer. It doesn’t matter who set it - it’s set, and someone is going to get it done. How sad that in some cases people fail at so many things simply by ignoring the fact that motivation isn’t really necessary; only doing is. They sit around waiting for inspiration to come wondering why everyone else is doing better than them, and they’re waiting for some spark of motivation that will never arrive. You can avoid this issue by realizing the truth.

Motivation Doesn’t Exist

You probably have heard of the myth of the starving artist who can’t paint, or the writer with writer’s block. It’s interesting that these creative professions have the same myth, like weight loss, that some secret motivation has to come to achieve success - some mysterious spark of inspiration that will get you off your bottom doing what you need to get done. However, nothing could be further from the truth.

Doing, Not Thinking, Gets Results

Time and again, the people who are truly successful in their own lifetimes, are not people who wait for a spark. They are people who get up out of bed every single day, rain or shine, and do things that lead to an end result of success. The successful painter paints every single day and if they hate marketing they hire someone to do that for them. The successful writer, writes; the successful doctor – doctors. If you want to be successful at something, do it. Live it. You will succeed.

Successful People Are Not Smarter Than You

Many people get blocked by thinking that someone is better than, smarter than, or any “than” than them. The truth is, successful people aren’t smarter. Take a look at the most famous actresses that you know. Without exception they are simply people who do their craft every single day, and more times than not they are simply being themselves in front of the camera. They are doing it, not thinking about doing it, and not dreaming of doing it. They go to auditions, get rejected, and then get up the next day and do it again.

Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Learn about the acronym S.M.A.R.T which stands for “specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and timely”. Every goal you set should meet that standard. After all, if you cannot be specific enough about what you want so that it can be measured and you can act on it in a realistic manner in a specific time frame, it’s not really a goal. It’s a dream - perhaps a pipe dream.

Envision Success

Some people think vision boards are a bunch of hocus pocus but the truth is, being able to truly visualize yourself experiencing success will go far in helping you actually create success in your life. There are people who are good at seeing it in their mind and believing it, but others need more. Try making a vision board to see your dream down on paper so that you can then decide how to make your S.M.A.R.T. goals.

Follow a Schedule

It can’t be stated enough. Doers do. Successful people do. A “to do” list isn’t going to cut it; you’re going to need to make a schedule and stick to it. If you want to write a 10,000 word eBook to sell to your target audience, you need to start at the end point, then work your way back to today making a schedule that is realistic and that you really can follow to get the work done when you said you wanted it done. Then let nothing stop you.

Experience Success

Set some smaller goals so that you can feel what success is like. If you’ve never once stuck to anything, you can’t know what success feels like and you have nothing to push you forward. People who experience success like to experience it again, and the more success you experience, the more you’re going to realize that you can. It’s self-fulfilling.

Repeat Everything

Finally, keep doing it over and over again. With anything you want to achieve, set the goal, track your success and do something every single day toward achieving that goal. Again and again. It’s really that simple.

Motivation is a figment of the imagination, and not something that most people have. Most people get up in the morning by hitting the snooze button a few times, and most people do not feel especially happy about doing certain things. What they feel happy about is the end result, the deliverable. Place your focus there and you will not need any motivation because you will be successful.

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Goal Setting Tools to Help You Succeed

Getting Organized  starts with having a plan or a goal.


You can use an old-fashioned paper and pen to make and set your goals, but what’s the fun in that? Today there are so many wonderful online tools and software that can help make goal setting fun and easy. When something is fun and easy, you’re more likely to stick to it long enough to actually achieve the success you desire.

1. Goal-Buddy – Using this cloud-based software you can name, set, and manage your goals easily. It leads you step-by-step through questions for what your goals are so that they are S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and timely) goals. Then you can use the system to track your goals through milestones that you set as the days go by.

Link - http://www.goal-buddy.com/

2. Mint – If you need to get control over your finances, want to set up goals such as establishing a six-month emergency savings account, start a business and other goals, you can use this software to track your financial success and projections.

Link - https://www.mint.com/

3. Basecamp – This is really a project management system, but any goal has to have actionable steps involved or milestones and tasks to take to reach success. You can use Basecamp for any type of actionable steps and it will even email you a reminder to do the task. This can work with your business life or personal life.

Link - http://www.basecamp.com/

4. Google Calendar – Where were we before Google Calendar came alone? Unorganized, for sure. This is such a handy calendar that you can use for the most important areas of your life. Be it family, personal, financial or physical – you can set your goals and work your way back inserting actionable steps and tasks to do each day. You can then let it email you a daily task list so you never leave anything out.

Link - http://www.google.com/calendar

5. VisonBoard.me – This is basic vision board software that you can use to create your vision board then print it out. You can also use something like Pinterest to create a vision board if you need to be fancier about it. It’s fun to create a vision board, paste it on your wall, fridge or in public so that you can see the reality of your dreams in person.

Link - http://www.visionboard.me/

6. Lifetick – If you want a very in-depth goal setting software, this is it. It helps you traverse the four important areas where you should be setting goals and then view how they overlap and work with each other. This software helps you define your core values, and develop S.M.A.R.T. goals as well as track everything.

Link - https://www.lifetick.com/

7. GoalsOnTrack – This software is a lot like Lifetick but has features that help you “chunk down” any goal into reasonable and easy-to-follow steps. Their whole idea is that you want to do less but get more. This software’s features encompass the 80/20 rule and puts it to work for goal setting and achieving.

Link - http://www.goalsontrack.com/

8. Goalscape – If you like to visualize your goals in pictures, charts, and graphs then you might like Goalscape. You’ll create a kind of wheel with your goal in the middle and everything you need to do to reach the goal will circle it. So you can see it in one glance.

Link - http://www.goalscape.com/

9. BizOnTrack – If you need software to help you set business goals and team goals, then this is the software you want to try. It will help you and your team work together to ensure that everything stays organized and tasks are done on time. The statuses of tasks are able to be reordered and marketed accomplished to help you see where you are in any goal.

Link - http://www.bizontrack.com/

10. Smart Goals Templates – If you like templates, these are some free goal setting templates that are based on filling in the blanks for your goals. They will help you go over the various goals setting steps needed to achieve results in both your personal life and career and business life.

Link - http://www.smart-goals-guide.com/free-goal-setting-worksheets-forms-and-templates.html

Whichever type of software (if any) you feel you need to use for goal setting and goal realization is up to you. The important thing is that you visualize the results of any goal, write it out, and then take steps toward achieving the goal.

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Five Ways to Cut Spending That Have Little to No Impact on Your Life

Every family and every individual know the importance of cutting spending in today’s economy. However, many of these individuals do not realize that cutting spending in little ways can also help in this endeavor.

If you cut spending in many little areas, they will add up to significant amounts and the effect on your daily life can be minimal. The rewards, however, can be maximum.

1. Carpooling

As simple as this sounds, carpooling can save you tons of money, time, and even wear and tear on your car. You may not realize the major impact multiple short trips have on your vehicle. By taking short distance trips frequently, you literally ruin your brakes. Stop and go and neighborhood driving is terrible for your vehicle. By carpooling, you save the wear and tear on your brakes and your tires, as well. Saving gas is an added bonus.

2. Lightening the Load

While on the subject of vehicles, by lightening the load in your car, you can save on gas. The heavier your car is bogged down with junk, the less efficient your gas mileage is. If you have heavy cases of water, tools, or heavy-duty hockey equipment, lightening the load will get you better gas mileage.

3. Pay Cash at the Pump

Pumping your own gas and paying cash are two significant ways to save money. Pumping your own gas saves you on a per-gallon rate. If you are at the pump two to three times per week, like most, then you will save significantly by pumping your own gas. There are extra fees attached to your bill when you have the attendant pump your gas for you.

Paying cash also saves you money on every gallon. There are debit card and credit card fees attached when you use your plastic.

4. Make It a Night In

If you are used to eating out for convenience, get used to cooking and eating in more often. If you incorporate the entire family, it will not seem like such a chore. Have one person set the table, another clear, one cook, and another clean up. For pennies on the dollar, you can have a great meal, save money, eat healthy, and bond with your family. It is a win/win situation all around.

5. Keep the Plastic at Home

As simple as this sounds, keeping your plastic at home when you go out shopping will save you tons of money in impulse spending. Bring exactly enough cash for what you need. If you have spendable income, decide before you leave the house how much of that money you will spend and bring only that amount.

By bringing cash and no plastic, you will buy only what you need and leave the store unscathed. Once you arrive home, you will realize that you did not need that bright aqua silk scarf that would not have matched with anything anyhow.

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Tips to Balance Your Money and Your Life

Organization is about more than having an organized living space. It’s about having your life and your finances organized and under control.

One of the biggest stressors for families is that of financial stress. When your financial house is in order, then the rest of your life falls into place much more easily.

If you are like most, financial planning was not a part of high school or college curriculum - much less balancing a checkbook or concentrating on a 401k or emergency expenditures.

Without a balance of financial issues in your life, it is very difficult to have balance in other areas of your life. Unfortunately, money controls much of our thought patterns, time, and worries.

Figure Out Your Spending Habits

Before you can sit with your partner to discuss finances, it is very important to learn about your financial patterns. Whether you are a spendthrift or a frugal financier, it is very important to identify your spending habits and where you can improve before going at it with your financial partner.

The Spendthrift

If you have no regard of where money comes from or how to manage it, you will find that money will manage you. Spending more than you earn is never a good scenario. Sit down with your finances, figure out what is coming in, what goes out, and keep the difference for yourself as spendable income. It is really that simple. Living above your means is something that you do not want to do, ever. Living above your means is never a win/win situation.

The Frugal Financier

If you find that you will not part with a penny, much less a dime, you will have a difficult time relating to anyone financially. There has got to be some wiggle room for playing hard just as much as working hard. No one is going to put up with someone that will not part with one red cent, even for fun.

Get Together with Your Financial Partner

It is very important to get together with your financial partner and put your differences to work for you instead of against you. If you are frugal and your partner is a spendthrift, come up with great and innovative ways to meet somewhere in the middle. Compromise shows up many times in a relationship, and what better way to incorporate that tool than to use it in your financial life.

Organizing your finances will allow you to live a less stressed life.

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Summer is Winding Down - the Kids are Going Back to School

It's that time of year again - the kids are going back to school!

Most parents are jumping with joy!  Kids - not so much.

There are a lot of things to get done before school starts. Besides buying school supplies there are new shoes to buy, new clothes....so many details.

But - before you go out and buy those new clothes - make your kids try on everything in their closet. YES - every thing. Because some kids - believe it or not - can outgrow their clothes every few weeks when they are in a growing spurt. Don't let them tell you that they "fit" when they tried them on a few weeks ago. They are probably too small now!

Make room in their closet and dressers BEFORE you go shopping. That way you will also know what they need. Again - they'll tell you they don't need new underwear or socks - but come the morning - they won't be able to find any.

Get the kids mentally prepared for the "school time routine". Start adjusting their bedtime. Get them used to getting up at the same time every morning.

Also - by having them get prepared the night before school (their clothes, lunches, backpacks...) - there will be less drama in the mornings.

Be sure to have a family calendar to mark all of the important school functions (days off, sports practices, conferences, doctors appointments....). 

Don't wait until school starts to get them used to the idea of "routine". The more prepared they are  - the less whining from them and the less stress you will have.



For more School Organizing Tips - Read:    School is About to Start - Get Organized

Enjoy the last last few days of summer vacation!

 

Less Clutter = Less Stress ^SM     in your home, your business and your life

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com