It's Getting Cold Outside - ReOrganize Your Garage

It's getting colder outside and depending on where you live snow could be just around the corner - or in some places - have already happened.

So - it's time to move your summer toys to the back of the garage and reacquaint yourself with your snow blower.


It's time to winterize your garage and get ready for the snow. It will be here soon enough.  A good place to start is by taking everything out of your garage and giving it a good sweeping.

Throw out any broken items and put any items that you no longer use in the "donate" pile. That would include any toys that your kids have outgrown.

If you have any leftover gardening supplies (mulch, dirt, bulbs, seeds....) or anything that you won't be able to use next spring, get rid of it.

Some people might still be able to use their lawnmower a few more times before the snow falls, but plan on having your lawnmower winterized and empty it of any liquids according to your manual.

Re-arrange your garage to put the snow blower where you can easily reach it. Make sure that it is ready to use by doing any maintenance that it might need.

Make sure that you have easy access to your snow shovels or anything that you might need - such as salt for those snowy days.


By organizing your garage before the weather gets really bad you will save yourself a lot of headaches in trying to find everything when the bad weather hits.

Don't get caught unprepared!  Get Organized - Get Winterized!



Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com/

Finding Your Papers Easily.....With Paper Tiger

Paper management is a never ending nightmare for most people. We get inundated with paper every day. What do we do with it all?  Where do we put it? How do we find it?

Being organized - with paper - is a challenge for a lot of people. Having some type of system in place - whether it's a filing cabinet and file folders or an electronic filing system - really makes a difference in being able to find the papers and information we need - in a timely manner.

Not being able to find a document causes frustration and stress. Especially if you wait until the last minute to find that important document that you need.

A great system that can really save you time and frustration is the Paper Tiger system.

The Simplest Digital Filing System in the World!

Manage Digital & Paper Files In One Place

Finally, a product that allows you to organize your ENTIRE office in one place. You will have one screen to search for all of your information, be it in PDF format from the paper you have scanned or if you have the paper in your file cabinets, as most businesses do. Many people are starting to move to a more paperless environment but still have a great deal of paper that they must manage each day. The combination of Paper Tiger and the NEW Digital Tiger makes it possible to easily convert your paper to PDF files and store them in the amazing product Google Docs. In addition, using Paper Tiger, you can easily index your physical paper files and find them while searching for your digital files...all in one search! Digital Tiger is FREE with your paid Paper Tiger Online account (Basic or Pro plans).


Our original product, Paper Tiger Software in the market since 1995, revolutionized how tens of thousands of organizations/individuals manage their filing and paper (hanging file folders). Paper Tiger greatly SIMPLIFIED filing by eliminating the problems found in traditional alphabetic methods and made finding paper files in the office faster and much more reliable. The software is a very powerful, yet simple indexing system for paper office files. It works like a search engine for paper files to help you stay organized. People using the software can save over 150 hours per year by eliminating the time-consuming task of looking for lost information. People so love the software that they have expanded its use to many things other than paper!

As the power of computers has increased, the cost of disk space has decreased and the cloud has become secure, reliable and robust, more and more people are looking for a digital solution for at least some of their paper files. This lead us to create Digital Tiger. Digital Tiger and Paper Tiger work together seamlessly to provide you one place to find BOTH your digital (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDFs and almost any other file type) AND your paper files in one search. Using both products, you will be able to "Find Anything in Your Office in 5 Seconds or Less...Guaranteed!


For more information - go to The Paper Tiger



Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

The Benefits of Being Organized - How a Professional Organizer Can Change Your Life

Clutter = Stress

Stress = Anxiety

Anxiety stops you from being the person you really are.

It's not just about having a messy house. It's about having a messy life. An unorganized life. A chaotic and hectic life. A stressful life.

The benefits of being organized are many.

When you are organized you tend to be a calmer person. You know where everything is - in it's rightful place. You can find things at any time. You have control over your home and your life.

You save money because you are not constantly buying things that you already have.

You have more time to do the fun things in life because you aren't spending as much time cleaning or clearing your clutter. You have a routine that saves you time - so that you don't need to spend your entire weekend cleaning.

You can invite family and friends over to your house because you aren't embarrassed by your mess.

Your family notices the change in your demeanor - you're calmer - now that you have an organized home. You get to spend more time with your family doing fun things.

You haven't missed any deadlines paying your bills because you have a new and easier system for dealing with paper.

You aren't late for or miss meetings because you have a calendar and you actually use it.

Being organized has it's benefits - but not everyone understands why.  As I've always said - just like having a workout coach - having a Professional Organizer can help get and keep you on track.

A Professional Organizer knows that each client is different - works differently - sees things differently - and learns differently. A Professional Organizer is able to come up with individual strategies for their clients.

Some clients just need some guidance with direction on where to start the process. Some clients can stay organized once a solution has been found (for whatever space was disorganized).

A Professional Organizer doesn't judge. They support.  They see past the clutter and try to understand the issues that caused the clutter and try to redirect the behavior so that the clutter doesn't return. Sometimes it's a collaborative effort with therapists (for clients with hoarding issues).

For people with severe chronic disorganization or hoarding issues - it's not a quick process. The time is takes depends on each individual. Their willingness to learn new habits. Their willingness to let the Professional Organizer in - not only their home - but their minds.  If they are willing to be taught new habits - if they are willing to let the Professional Organizer show them why their stuff is no longer needed (if it's not) - if they are willing to learn why "letting go"  is not always a bad thing - a lot can be accomplished.

A Professional Organizer has been trained to come up with solutions for all organizing issues. They can help "clear your clutter" and "clear your stress".   They can direct you, guide you, lead you, inspire you, motivate you.

Sometimes you just need someone to "make you do it" - just like a workout coach.



Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

An Organizer Gets Spicy !

The other day I had a little bit of time between clients - and I just happened to be near a Bed, Bath & Beyond - with a 20 % OFF coupon - so I decided to see what was new in the kitchen aisle.

I love looking at all of the various organizing bins and gadgets. They are expensive and you can probably get them elsewhere for less money - but with a sale and a coupon - sometimes you get lucky.

I happened to spot a "Spicy Shelf". I had read about this shelving system from other Organizers and they seemed to like it - but I thought it looked like it wasted a lot of room - so I never gave it another thought. And then I saw it in the store - and I had that 20 % OFF coupon - and I was feeling adventurous - so I bought it!  For clarification - I am not a shopper and not impulsive - but I was having a wild and crazy moment!

I went home and proceeded to take everything out of my spice cupboard and then put together the "Spicy Shelf". It was extremely easy to put together.

The cabinets in my kitchen are small and not very tall (it's a rental - we can't all have the perfect kitchen).  I was originally using a small, single turntable on each shelf. The Spicy Shelf definitely made it look a lot more open and gave me a lot more room. Since my cupboards are not very tall I just used one of the stacking shelves on each level.

It's still a work in progress. I will get some small containers for some of the loose bags that I have.

My only wish is that the shelves were just a bit wider. They are fine for normal spice jars - but since I am a huge gardener and have my own herbs - I tend to use a variety of jars to contain them.

It was a fun afternoon. Reorganizing and fine tuning is an ongoing process.

So - get creative - and GET ORGANIZED !

 

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Getting Your Kids Ready For School...and For Life

School is about to start. Have you thought about your school year routine yet?  Don't wait until the morning of the first day of school to come up with a plan. Start thinking about your first day now and get ready.

The question now is "Do you have a calm and stress free routine ?".  If not, why not? The answer is probably because things are not as organized as they could be.

Come up with a routine and get your kids involved. Let them know ahead of time what time they will have to get up in order to have plenty of time to get dressed, make their bed, eat a healthy breakfast and get all of their school things in their back packs and on their way.

By starting your kids on a routine and giving them responsibility for getting ready on time you have started them off on the right track to a successful life.

Kids are never too young to start learning how to be organized. Kids as young as three can be taught how to put their toys away.

School age children should have a daily routine. Everything from getting up in the morning, getting dressed themselves, making their beds and getting their backpacks all ready for school. This includes making sure they have their lunches!

By making kids responsible for themselves they can start learning organizational skills. It also helps takes the pressure off of the parents.

Even though as a parent you might want to do everything for your child....you would be doing them a disservice if you did. Don't you want your child to marry someone that can take care of themselves? Someone that helps around the house?

By teaching your kids some basic skills when they are young you are setting them up for success!

Kids love to learn new things. They love to think that they are in charge. Let them be in charge of themselves!

As a parent your job is to give the kids tools they can use in everyday life. Being organized is a crucial tool.

Parents, especially single parents, need all of the help they can get. Teach your child to be self sufficient and you too will reap the rewards.

And don't use the excuse "I am not an organized person myself".  I have a lot of clients that aren't organized themselves....but they know the right people to teach their kids various skills.

If you can give your child piano or gymnastics lessons.... you can give them "organizing lessons".  It's something they will use forever. Not that being able to do a cartwheel isn't important!

By starting young and having expectations from your children you are helping them be a better person. Their teachers, bosses and future spouses will  "Thank You" !

Start Today..... Raise an Organized Child


Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Grab A Basket - Clear Your Clutter

It's summer and you should be outside enjoying the beautiful weather - instead of deep cleaning your house. Don't misunderstand me - you really do want a clean house - but sometimes some things are more important - such as spending time with your family.

So - grab your laundry basket (or whatever large basket or container you have handy) - and walk into your living room - and pick up things that don't belong there. Put them into your basket.

The clothes that are laying round. The magazines or books that are on the floor. The newspaper. Games, toys....  dishes, cups.... 

Put everything into the basket.  Only things that belong in the living room should be there.

Fluff the pillows and straighten the rug.

Now take your basket and walk into the kitchen and take the dishes & cups out of your basket and put them into the kitchen.

Take the books & magazines and put them back on the bookshelf or magazine rack.

Take your clothes and put them back in your closet or into the laundry hamper.

When the basket is empty - you've accomplished your task!  You've cleared a room of the clutter that did not belong there.

You can use this process on each room that is cluttered with things that don't belong.

It's a quick way to have an uncluttered room.

Another way is to always take anything that you brought into the room - out of the room when you leave the room.

Unlearning bad habits is hard. Remember - "everything should have a place of it's own to live".

Now that you've decluttered a room - go out and enjoy the great weather!



Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Organizing Your Pantry

Organizing is not a one time and you are done deal. It's an on going process. Every once in a while you should go through and reorganize each part of your home. Each drawer, each closet, each room.

With daily use these areas will naturally start to get unorganized - if you aren't diligent in putting things back where they belong or if you have acquired more items and not gotten rid of anything.


Start by taking everything out of each drawer or shelf (only work on one shelf at a time - otherwise it will be overwhelming).

In your pantry it's really important that you look at labels on your food items and check for expiration dates.

Make sure that the cans/bottles/jars are sealed (look for cracks or leaks).  Put all of the like items together. All of the vegetables, soups....  

Gather all of your pasta in one spot.

Have a spot for your cereals.

Put all of your snack foods in one spot.

Put all of your baking goods (flour, sugar....) in one spot.

I like to use baskets to keep all of your lose foods contained (especially snacks). It's easy to just graab the basket - pick out what you want - and put the basket back. Nice and organized.

Once you open an item (such as cereal) - put it into a large ziploc bag. This will ensure that the item stays fresh and does not spill out all over the place.

By having like items stored with like items - it helps you know - at a glance - what you have an what you need to buy.

Now - go and organize that pantry!
    
Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com