Soar to New Heights: Your Landing and Launch Pad

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Every day is a good day to to work on your “Landing and Launch Pad”.

Your Landing and Launch Pad:

  • Is the flat surface near a door where you drop your stuff and bags when you enter your home and pick them up again to take with you when you leave;
  • Is crucial to your success in arriving at destinations on time and prepared; and
  • Is one organizational project that will improve your life immediately.

Why do you need a Landing and Launch Pad?

  • We come and go from home daily, often multiple times! At Klimczak Central, 5 people come and go, to and from many destinations and events.
  • Assign a Home to your necessary items (like backpacks, briefcase, keys and cell phones), corralling them in one location.  Eliminate the last-minute scramble on the way out the door!
  • You probably have a L/L Pad already, but maybe you haven’t given it much thought.  This is your chance to consider your stuff and space, and make both work better for you!

What belongs on a Landing and Launch Pad?

  • Essentials like backpacks, briefcase, keys and cell phones
  • For Launch
    • Shoes, coats and accessories
    • Boots, gloves and hats in winter
    • Umbrellas, sunscreen, ball caps and sunglasses in summer
    • Activity Accessories:
      • For Example, Bags for Soccer with shin guards and uniforms; a bag for Band with music and instruments, etc.; and the bags to go to Choir with me, Cub Scout meetings with us, etc.
  • For Landing:
    • A place to hang your keys and empty your pockets, an envelope for receipts, a jar for loose change, and a shallow bowl for your pocket contents
  • Time between Landing and Launch:
    • Phone chargers and a surge protector
    • Stock items for purses, backpacks and diaper bags, like our stash of small snacks, tissue packets, chap stick, band-aids, anti-bacterial lotion or wipes

 Where should a Landing and Launch Pad be, and what does it look like?

  • Just like your Command Center, let function dictate form.
  • Choose one door as your main entrance, and funnel all the family through there so stuff doesn’t end up all over the house.
  • A L/L Pad near your coat closet is a great idea, but not always feasible, for example our coat closet is at the front door, and our L/L Pad is at the back near the garage door.  We just limit the number of coats out at any time to 1 per child, and 2 per adult.
  • We set a 2-pair shoe limit per person at the L/L Pad to cut clutter.  Extras are stored in bedroom closets.  This time of year, we see boots and sneakers, and sneakers and crocs in the summer.  (I am the worst offender of the 2 pair rule, but I am working on it!)
  • To encourage participation, consider each family member.  For example, my youngest son has a row of hooks for his coat and backpack at his eye level, and he’s great about hanging his stuff there!
  • Use vertical space – coat racks, baskets under benches, over-the-door shoe organizer with pockets for shoes, of course, but also seasonal accessories like gloves and mittens, or umbrellas and sunscreen.
  • We keep it basic.  A bench for staging bags and for putting on shoes, hooks for coats and bags at varying heights for all of us, a basket for extra hats and gloves, and a large rubber (waterproof) mat for boots and shoes.

As with any Organizing Endeavor, maintenance is critical to your Landing and Launch Pad:

  1. Pick a spot for your essential items and stick with it.  Label it, if that helps.  But ALWAYS USE IT!
  2. Give each person assigned and labeled space (e.g. a hook or two, a cubby or basket, even a magazine holder on a shelf) for their Launch stuff AND USE IT!
  3. Re-pack bags immediately upon returning home.
  4. Keep only current season (weather and sports) items in your Landing/Launch Pad, to cut confusion and clutter.    There is so much activity there, it is essential to keep only the stuff you really need.

Invest a little time and thought (and perhaps a little money) this week, and set up your Landing and Launch Pad to make your comings and goings run more smoothly!

Your Command Center: Knowledge is Power

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Every home needs a Command Center.  Your Command Center:

  1. Is one (and only one) centralized location to manage all information (paper and electronic) that enters and leaves your home or business.
  2. Is often a part of your Landing/Launch Pad (next blog topic!).  Command Centers are all about information, Landing / Launch Pads are all about stuff,

 Why do you need a Command Center?

  • Because life is complicated!  And lack of communication, resources or information complicates it further (“Houston, We Have A Problem”)!
  • Command Centers are all about information.  Knowledge is Power.
  • A Command Center makes life simpler, easier and better.  It
    • Keeps you informed and guides your actions.  Where to go, what to do, who is going, etc.
    • Keeps you informed as a family, with everyone working off the same information.
    • Keeps you prepared for whatever life may throw your way.
    • Helps you make good and informed decisions.
    • Enables you to act on your action items, like school papers, bills to pay, forms to complete, errands to run, etc.
    • Saves time, money and peace of mind by keeping vital info on your day-to-day life easy to find.

 What belongs on a Command Center? 

  • Communication or Message Boards:
    • Contact Lists, like soccer team rosters, phone trees and our permanent one with doctor’s numbers, neighbors, family members, poison control, school, etc. (I have all the info in my phone, but it is nice to have a reference for everyone else!).
    • Lists everyone’s use, like grocery lists, task or chore assignments, homework reminders.
    • Notes to each other:  “Band Practice After School”, “Late Meeting – be home by 7 pm”, etc, keeps things running smoothly around here!
  • Calendars
    • Menu plan for the week
    • Travel plans and itineraries
    • Schedules, like Band and sports teams
    • Reminders for upcoming events.  Our event reminders, like invitations or fliers from school, are clipped together in chronological order.  As soon as an event is completed, the reminder comes down and the next event reminder is now on top.
  • Paper (just some suggestions here!):
    • Shopping lists
    • Grocery lists
    • Receipts
    • Bills to pay
    • Errands to run (receipts for returns, mail to mail, papers to drop to other people)
    • Other to-dos, like calls to make
    • A folder for current house projects, to collect bids, contact information for contractors, etc.
  • Note: Many of my Command Center functions are on my smart phone and laptop in MS Outlook.  However, I want other family members to participate, so the same info is also available in my Command Center, accessible and visible to all family members.
    • There are great websites and apps out there, like www.Rememberthemilk.com, TaDalist.com and Todoist.com to manage tasks and schedules, and multiple members can have access.

What does a Command Center look like?

  • Let Function dictate your Command Center.  Make sure there is a place for communications, calendar and paper management, and perhaps an inbox or board for each family member.
  • Google “Command Center” and see what is available.  There are some ultra cool ideas out there, but resist the Racoon Response (don’t jump at something just because it is shiny and pretty!).
  • Surf around, grab some ideas and put together what works best for you.  Make sure your ideas work before investing $$.  Pre-fab or complicated Command Centers are not necessarily better tools, they are just more attractive.  Here are two cool examples, from Real Simple, easy to implement and not too pricey:
  • The kitchen or your family entrance are the most successful places to set up your Command Center.  It needs to be centralized and convenient or it won’t get used.
  • The refrigerator door seems an obvious place for a Command Center, but beware, magnetic clips can slide down the front if they get overloaded, and strongly shut doors can send everything flying (trust me on this one!).

So, spend a little time this week and think about what you want on your own Command Center, where you want it to be, and who should use it.  Then get creative!

Just A Bit More: Thrillers, Fillers and Spillers

       I “met” a great new idea for categorizing and organizing your wardrobe that I just have to share! 

       I really like what is in my closet and dress myself confidently.   Over the years, I have learned what I should and should not wear, which styles and colors and fabrics.  And last fall, around my birthday, I made a conscious decision to get dressed and ready every day, and then “Just a Little Bit More”.  A splash of flair, color, an accessory or scarf or something, to go just a bit further beyond the every-day. 

      I spend a lot of time in closets.  It sounds odd, but it is fun to say!  And however much I like my own wardrobe and style, I feel a twinge of concern when my organizing clients ask me for fashion advice in addition to organizational assistance.  I feel fashion and wardrobe are very personal decisions, and my specialty is organizing, not “What Not To Wear”.

     I have new language to use with my clients, though.  I took a great class with Darcey Howard , and in her words, everything in your closet should be either a Thriller, a Filler or a Spiller (this is a familiar approach to you gardeners out there, as well!). 

      Thrillers are the really great pieces that start an ensemble.  In my closet, the Thrillers are usually tops, like a well-fitting blouse or sweater in a really great color or pattern.  The Fillers in my closet tend to be the bottom halves of my ensembles.  My pants and skirts are relatively basic but fit nicely, lots of blacks and browns and dark blues, especially this time of year.  And the Spillers are the bling, the flair, the adornments and accessories that spill over and add drama.  So, in the interest of Just A Little Bit More, Organize your clothes with a thought to those Thrillers, Fillers and Spillers.

  1. As a starting point, in any closet project, you should make sure the current size and season are represented front and center.  Once that is done….
  2. Think about how you build your outfits.  Maybe you don’t think about this most days, so now is a great time to start!
  3. Move the really great stuff to the front of your closet, so that you are more likely to choose from the really great stuff, and not the same stuff every day.  Colors and styles should just leap out at you from this selection!  Pick your favorite 5 or 6 Thrillers, and make a plan to wear them this week. 
  4. Pair your Thrillers with your favorite Fillers.  Fillers don’t have to be boring, they just don’t generate the same strong feelings as your Thrillers and your Spillers.  Hang the paired Filler next to your favorite Thriller, and you have your outfits put together for the week! 
  5. Now that your outfits are almost done, choose the Spillers.  The belt, the shoes, the scarf or jewelry (sorry, men, the tie and accessories) that really pull the whole ensemble together and make it sing.   
  6. I moved the Spillers, those little items that add drama like my scarves and accessories to the hooks on my closet door, visible the first moment I open the door.
  7. And of course, if you have items that really don’t fit into any of the three categories, then it is unlikely it will ever get worn.  So let it go!!  Donate it or sell it at a consignment shop, but don’t waste your time or closet space on it any longer!

     Congratulations!  Your closet is now set up to help you shine.  Add some color or interest to your ensembles during these dark and cold days of winter.  A little goes a long way, “Just a Little Bit More”!

Let Your Brain Do Its Job! 5 Ways to Tame the Monkey Mind

(Original post 2011, edited in 2022!)

The tagline for my company is Organizing for Your Peace of Mind.  Early on, I realized that I am not just selling my time and expertise to my clients, I am providing Peace of Mind.  And I know this because I am constantly learning how to find it for myself, too. 

    I learned the term “Monkey Mind” years ago.  The term monkey mind comes from Buddhist monks to describe our racing thoughts, and it aptly describes my thought process some mornings!  (I like this mental image, too with the monkeys swinging from tree to tree.)   

    But our brain helps us survive and solve problems.  So, if given information, time and opportunity, our monkey mind / brain will come up with solutions for us.  Here are 5 Ways to Tame Your Monkey Mind, and Let Your Brain Do Its Job!

1.  Dump the Monkeys.  David Allen in Getting Things Done suggests writing down every idea running around your head on a piece of paper, a new piece for each idea. Then sort the papers (ideas) into categories –Kids, Work, Specific Work Projects, Personal achievements, Tasks, etc.  I like technology and achieve the same results with the Evernote where I keep my Daily Task List and also the specific ones, like Client Care, Classes or Tiger Scouts.  When the monkey mind overwhelms me, I dump all my ideas on one long un-edited list, then cut and paste the items into their various topic areas.  Next time I sit down to work, I open the Note topic I am looking for, and all those ideas are ready and waiting for me to take action.

2.  Take a Break:  If I lack focus and a clear next step to take, it is often because I need to take a break.  If I am with a client, we take a moment to talk and re-establish our goals for our appointment.  If I am at home, my favorite breaks are short and to the point, so I can get back to work in a timely manner.  I may water my plants, grab a cup of tea, eat an apple, get the mail, file or take out the trash.  I DO NOT check my email or Facebook in the middle of a work session, for if I do, I may never make it back to work!  But  5 minutes to walk around, take a breath, and re-direct are what I need to help me leave the frazzled behind and find new insights.

3.   Take A Nap:  My college roomies will attest, I made it through senior year with power naps.  Most of my upper level Management courses were evening classes, and I had a daytime job and responsibilities that kept me from sleeping in.  So 30 minutes at 4 pm helped me to stay alert and focused for those 3 hour classes!  A few weeks ago, I sent myself to my room for a 20 minute time-out, when my kids and my thoughts were all running around too fast to figure out what to do next.  I came back a calm, pleasant and focused person!

4.  Throw the monkeys off track, and do something completely unrelated.  My most relaxed times are while I am hiking, taking a shower, practicing my flute, or reading books with my youngest son.  During these activities the monkey mind moves to the back of my consciousness, and has a chance to solve pressing problems without my direct involvement.  Luckily, I keep a dry erase marker in the bathroom to jot notes on the mirror, or keep my smart phone with me to jot down task items or ideas as they come to me (except during reading time, that’s just for me and my little guy).  

5.  Do One Thing.  One thing, even if it is not the right or perfect thing, is still progress.  “We can’t do everything at once, but we can do something at once.”  – Calvin Coolidge

Please share any other suggestions for Calming the Monkey Mind, I would love to know what works for you!

Clutter’s Not Just Stuff, It’s Unmade Decisions

      Clutter is not stuff.  Did you know that?  Pretty bold statement for a professional organizer who gets paid to get rid of clutter, I know.  You and I have all sorts of stuff in our house that is completely needed, used and appreciated.  And we have clutter.  What makes one pile of stuff useful, and one pile of stuff clutter?

     Clutter is not just stuff, it is also decisions waiting to be made.  An item is clutter because we have not decided where to put it, when to put it there, or if it just needs to completely leave our lives.

     When I work with my clients, we make lots of decisions.  Some are new decisions, and some are the same decision, over and over again.  We stand side by side, look at every item, and decide where to put it, when to put it there, and what needs to leave the space forever.

     Good Decision Making requires having confidence in your decision, and we can learn how to make Decisions.  Here’s how: 

  1. Weigh your options.
    • Write a list of pros and cons.  Sometimes the visual of 2 lists, one much longer than the other, can lead us to the right decision.
    • Some pros or cons are more important than others, so you may need to add a scoring system with extra stars or circles around the really important ones, to give them their proper emphasis!
    • With a list, you are compelled to:   See both sides of the equation, a very important part of decision-making; and Support both sides of your own debate, which will help you focus on the things most important to you.
  2. Ask the experts:  consumer guides, customer reviews, message boards, all are great places to check out.  
    • When one client is looking for a new car, she gets input from 2 car-savvy friends.   The 2 friends recommend the best 4 or 5 cars among her type, based on price, safety, reliability, etc., and then my clients test drives those 4 or 5, and decides which one feels right. She goes with her gut, but only after she relies on the experts. 
    • Do the research (become more of an expert yourself)
  3. Go with your Intuition, but Be Self Aware – check your self:
    • Get to the heart of it.  If you are agonizing over 2 candidates for the position of assistant, are the candidates the problem, or is the fear of change or relinquishing of control?
    • If you are agonizing over a paint color for your child’s room, is the color really the problem?  Or is it the upheaval we feel when part of our house is disrupted for a time (like with construction or painting projects)?  Or the money it will cost to hire a painter? or not knowing anyone who is a painter? or even sadness that your child is growing up?
    • Acknowledge all the reasons for the delay, but get back to it as soon as possible.  You still have to decide, no matter how hard it is!
  4. Be someone else for a moment:   What would (insert name of someone you respect here) do?
  5. Ask yourself this question:
    • What is the worst thing that could happen if you make the wrong decision?   
    • If the answer is “Nothing much…”, then just make the decision, and get on with it.
    • If the answer is something huge, like “my child will get a poor education and not do well in life”, then that Decision gets a lot of time and effort and research.
  6. What is the worst thing that can happen if you don’t make any decision at all?  This question came up with a client just yesterday.  It’s very powerful!  My client was deciding between two medical alert systems.  If she prolonged the decision, she would continue to live without one of these systems, which could leave her unprotected.  The fear of not having anything in place motivated her to decide quickly, knowing she could always upgrade later.
  7. We can always change our mind later.  Avoid perfectionism – not every decision will be perfect, and that is OK.
  8. Sometimes we only need to make part of the decision “Yes, we will go on vacation this year, so I need to get the time off from work and start saving money”.  The “Where” part can wait.  
  9. Learn, learn, learn from the process.  Learn more about yourself with every tough decision.  Keep those lists of pros and cons, and review them when you faced with other difficult decisions. 

    What are some decisions you have agonized over?  And how did you make the decisions, in the end?  Make your decisions, and move your life forward.  Don’t let those unmade decisions clutter your life!

National Clean Off Your Desk Day!

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    The second Monday of January is National Clean Off Your Desk Day (Yes, it’s real, I am not just making that up!).  So embrace the day, and clean off that desk!  Set yourself up to succeed:

  1. Clear an hour on the schedule, grab a trash can, a couple of recycling bags and a shredder.
  2. Designate a box for old electronics that need to leave (check my recycling guide for destinations), and a bag for items that need to go to someone else.  
  3. This is not “Get Everything Done Day”.  The goal for today is to set up your Desk and space to succeed.  Stack work to be done to one side and note your To-Dos as they occur to you on a pad of paper at hand. 
  4. Set up some empty vertically held file folders, either in a hanging folder file drawer or in a holder on your desk.  Files standing up are ready to receive info, instead of piling them flat.  As soon as files fall flat, they start to pile up.

Getting It Done:

  1. If you have the space and time, clear everything off the desk and put back only what you really want to keep. 
  2. If time and space don’t permit clearing your desk top entirely, then Start at the Left side of your desk, and work to the right.  That way, if you get distracted, you can pick back up where you left off. 
  3. Clear clutter.  Work through each pile, deciding to “Keep” (for example, To-Do’s, file, long-term storage, keep but put in a different room or desk) or “Toss” (options may include recycle, shred, reference for other people, just plain garbage, donate).   And wipe off your desk at some point, it is amazing how dusty it gets!
  4. Do not get distracted by other tasks to be done, just jot down those other tasks, and focus on clearing clutter and restoring your work space.

 Things to Remember:

  1. Your desk top is prime and valuable real estate, like beach front property.  Dedicate your desk top to work, not to clutter. 
  2. Use Horizontal space for work space, and Vertical Space for storage.  The more you can store close at hand above your desk on shelves or in cabinets, the more desk top space you will free up for work space.
  3. Move electronics off your desktop, if possible.  Stack your printer or scanner on a shelf or stacker to open up desk space.  I have my All-In-One on a stacker, and store my project baskets beneath the stacker

 What Does and Does Not Belong on your Desk:

  1. Does:  Lap top / Computer
  2. Does Not:  Out-dated data storage, un-identifiable computer or accessory cords or connectors, non-functioning electronics of any kind.  Beach front property, remember?
  3. Does:  Papers / files / binders for projects you will work on today and this week
  4. Does Not: Books or reading materials you are not currently reading 
  5. Does: Today’s coffee cup or water bottle, in a tip / spill proof container (voice of experience here!)
  6. Does Not:  Any beverage or food item older than a few hours.  And certainly not a Candy Dish (mainly because it will be tempting to eat the whole thing!)
  7. Does:  Pens / Pencils / scissors / stapler / letter opener that you use regularly. 
  8. Does Not:  More than 10 of any type of pen, pencil or tool. 
  9. Does:   One useful container paper clips or binder clips.  Just one.  And it has to actually be functional, not just cute.   And maybe one useful container for spare change.   Just one.
  10. Does Not:
    1. Shoes, unless you are a cobbler (yes, I’ve really seen this)
    2. Houseplants.  Move them to a shelf or a table near by.  The water overflow and dirt dump potential make these bad desk-top choices.
    3. Candles.  Shifting piles of papers, open flame, yikes.
    4. Photos.  Hang these on the wall or on a shelf nearby.  Desk top space is at a premium, and I can see photos on the wall better, anyway.
    5. Legos, Matchbox Cars and Goldfish, living or crackers (or maybe this is just my desk)

Ways to Maintain that lovely clear desk space:

  1. Make it Easy for things to leave:
    1. Leave the garbage and recycling cans and shredder nearby.  Make an appointment with yourself to use them, and to empty all of those receptacles once a week (Thursday morning for me).
    2. Leave a Donate Bin (for example, for books or old and obsolete electronics) and an Errand folder (for mail to mail, bank deposits, etc.) nearby, to help things leave your office in a timely manner.
  2. Plan to convert subscriptions for professional journals or magazines to an on-line option, and purge all the old ones, since many are available on-line for free or as part of your subscription price
  3. Cut down on your paper consumption.  If you have a paper Filing System that you like, duplicate the system and file names on your computer hard drive (and back-up often, of course!!).  For example, instead of printing an email with a marketing idea and putting it in a folder for later, I can save the same email to a “Marketing Ideas” subfolder on my laptop.  This makes it easier to retrieve, convenient to cut and paste info as needed, and my desk stays neater. 

Here’s to a cleaner desk!  Have fun!

I’m Not Calling Them Resolutions.

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I get all fired up this time of year, but I just read a statistic that 44% of adult Americans make New Years Resolutions (original publication date 2011!) Hmmm.  Less than half.   So, odds are, if I write about resolutions, the information will resonate with less than half of you, and may actually irritate the others. In an informal poll of my household (ok, I asked my husband), my own research supports the 44% statistic, or close to half, as I set  them and my hubby does not.

So my challenge to you is not to Create Resolutions.  This will be the last time today I mention New Year and Resolutions.  Let’s just talk about Goals, Objectives and Outcomes. 

Objectives are small specific steps to reach a Goal.  Goals are larger, broader specific steps to achieve a desired Outcome.  Outcomes are the behavioral changes we want our goals to cause in us and in others.  In my time writing for a non-profit organization, I learned Outcomes are a more important and useful measurement of success than goals.  Outcomes get at the “Why” we should do something or work towards a certain goal. 

I am always a willing guinea pig, so let’s use my desired Outcome to “Stay Well and Get Strong” (it is).  My “Why” is to feel better, fit my clothes better, stay strong to live a long good life with my family, and others I don’t need to share.   

As examples, Specific Goals (broad statements) on the path to “Stay Well and Get Strong” are:

  1. Take my Nutritional Supplement Every Day
  2. Decrease my Caloric Intake
  3. Increase my activity level
  4. Add Strength Training to my exercise schedule
  5. Get Sleep

Objectives, or smaller and more specific steps, to help me achieve these goals include:

  1. Set up my nutritional supplement and vitamins for the week to make them more convenient to take (add a pill sorter to my grocery list).
  2. Fill and refrigerate reusable water bottles to make it more convenient, and therefore more likely, that I will drink more water and decrease my caloric intake (done).
  3. Rid fridge and cabinets of high calorie holiday food, and replace with healthier options (done).
  4. Add one more fresh fruit or vegetable option to every meal, to increase nutrition and decrease calories.
  5. Sign up for tennis lessons (done).
  6. Set up a viewing screen in front of the treadmill, to encourage use on these cold January days (I despise walking inside, but I can’t not work out until Spring comes to Chicago!).
  7. Add a weight lifting area, print information on proper form and exercises, and a grid for tracking time spent and number of reps.
  8. Get back to my 10 pm bed time / 10:30 lights out habit, now that the holidays are over.

So, Imagine your Outcomes, Set your Goals and Determine your Objectives.  Ways to make them work:

  1. Get all members involved in the planning if the goals and outcomes are for more than just you.
  2. Write them down and hang them up!  Writing them down makes our Goals real, and hanging them up keeps them right in front of us as we make decisions throughout the day.
  3. Be Realistic.  Unrealistic goals for me would be singing in a band (regrettably), playing for a woman’s basketball team, or quitting my real life and moving to Tibet.  As would losing 50 pounds or earning a million dollars this month.  Be realistic when imagining Outcomes and Goals.
  4. Be specific in your Objectives. “Work Better”:  not specific.  “Get through all new email by 10 am”, “write a book chapter every week” or “make one cold sales call every day”, much more specific. 
  5. Positive:  Make a positive statement with your Outcomes and Goal.  State what you will gain from making this behavioral change, not what you will lose.
  6. Imagine Outcomes and Set Goals that are meaningful to you, that you are passionate about.  You will be more likely to commit to them.  Make sure they are For You, and not for someone else’s dream of how you need to change and what you need to do.

     These are ideas for any time of year, not just these first few days.  Imagine your Outcomes, Set your Goals and get cracking on those Objectives!  Happy New Year!

Gently Close the Door on Your Holidays

Review and Relish the Holidays, then close the door on all but the good memories.  Here are a few ways to make this process go more smoothly! 

Green your Clean Up:
Find out if your community mulches used Christmas trees.  Recycle cardboard and wrapping papers, and donate packing peanuts and air filled wraps to shipping stores (or The Center in Palos, if you are nearby!).  Walgreens and some hardware stores will recycle used household batteries, so bag them up and take them in! 

Take Note:
Jot a few notes about what worked for Christmas 2010 and what did not, and perhaps things you want to try or avoid for Christmas 2011.  I mentioned last week jotting some menu notes and more gift recipients on my list for next year, to help the 2011 me out come December.  My hubby mentioned a great gift idea for a friend, and the idea will keep until December, so I added that to the list, too.

De-Decorate:
I am de-decorating a room at a time.  I load decorations into a laundry basket and carry them to my basement storage space instead of lugging empty boxes and bins upstairs, filling them, and then carrying them back to the basement.  Seems simpler, and will keep dusty boxes out of my otherwise clean house.  I am also reviewing any decorations that did not make it out of storage this year, to determine if it is time for those decorations to be donated or purged. 

Parting With or Setting Aside Treasures:
I had a great discussion last month with a friend of a friend, she was challenged with “What to do with Holiday Treasures?” when there are just so many to work with, store and keep.  She hosted a Decoration Event, where friends could review and take home items she no longer had room to display or keep.  Everyone enjoyed being together, the visiting friends went home with lovely new-to-them items, and she felt good about sharing her treasures.  Win-Win situation!   A Quote from this person:  “I would recommend this to others as it truly is a way of sharing not only “stuff” but a part of “you”.  As I told the participants, it’s nice knowing that each year as they use the items, I will be remembered.”  We also discussed her desire to pass on treasures to nieces and nephews, so I suggested labeling and putting away a treasure or two for each niece or nephew for when they are older with homes of their own.  One of the more meaningful wedding gifts we received from both of our families was boxes of treasured ornaments from our childhood to start our own Family Christmas Trees.

Last In – First Out Box:
Store your Holiday items with a Last In-First Out box right on top, for items you use early in the Christmas Season.  For us, it holds Christmas lights (easier to put up in November, than December), our Nativity Set and Advent Calendars, a serving tray for our hot cocoa on the counter and a serving dish or two.   We always find a few rogue items around the house, too, into January, so we just tuck those items in the box on top until next time!

I hope you had a lovely Holiday Season, and that the joy you felt stays with you well into 2011!

Homework for Your Christmas Vacation

     My middle son gave me an article the other day, debating the pros and cons of homework over weekends and holiday vacations.  He, of course, sided with the “no homework” side of the argument.   And I am with him.  So, dear readers, no homework this week. 

      But I can’t fight the compulsion to teach and share ideas about how to lead a better, more organized life.  So here are a few things we are going to do this week, between Christmas and the New Year.   Use the information as you choose.  Today, 

  1. I cleaned out the refrigerator.  We have party leftovers (of course), and will be eating through those this week.  But I spent an hour checking expiration dates and wiping down fridge shelves and drawers.
  2. I opened up my Christmas planning spreadsheets and made a couple of notes for next year.   New things we tried and want to continue, like Christmas Eve breakfast out at a beloved local restaurant (EP readers, at Karson’s of course!), and a few things we won’t bother with next year.
  3. I also added some names to my gift list for next year.  Every year, I almost forget about wonderful folks like crossing guards, delivery people and extracurricular teachers.  So I added them to the regular list, to help 2011’s Me be more prepared.    
  4. I also noted the menu from this year’s Christmas dinner, which was appreciated by all, so I could make the dishes again if someone asks.
  5. I got my house Back To Ready, for Monday morning / post-Christmas Celebrations and House Guests, though it was bittersweet to vacuum, do laundry and take out the trash.  It felt like I was closing the door on our parties for the year.  We loved having family with us this weekend.
  6. I broke down a dozen or 2 cardboard boxes to put out with the recycling.  I am reminded of the statistic, that most of the trash in landfills is packaging.  That is very evident at Christmas time, so we recycled as much as possible!

This week,

  1. Now that my fridge has some space again, tomorrow I’ll head to the grocery and re-stock with healthier, basic supplies to get us back in the habit of eating healthy!  I’ll also pick up the ingredients for a lovely ham and bean soup, to use up our Christmas ham bone.
  2. We will watch lots of movies over Christmas break.   Our holiday faves are “”Scrooged”, “While You Were Sleeping” and “Elf”.  And last night, 7 of us snuggled in the family room watching my personal favorite, The Princess Bride.  Complete with popcorn, of course.  We did receive a number of new DVDs for Christmas, too, that we will enjoy together, one every evening.
  3. My sons and I will send Thank you notes.   I love this ritual, to remind us how blessed we are.  We receive gifts from loved ones, but even more, we are so blessed by their presence at events and in our hearts. 
  4. We will take care of returns and exchanges, but not right away.  We only have one or 2 such items, and we’ll take care of them later this week.  We will take advantage of the sales, though, and shop for new sneakers and shirts for school.  We need little else, and I am in no hurry!
  5. I will order my New Year Cards for my company clients and partners.   A few years ago I realized that sending out New Year’s Cards and Calendars were more meaningful than another Christmas card.
  6. I will give myself a late Christmas gift and take a long soaking bath and polish my toenails!
  7. And we will take advantage of the warmer weather later in the week, and take a hike at one of our favorite parks. 

 Have a great week!

Re-Calculate Re-Visited

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     A few weeks ago I blogged about my introduction to GPS, and the calm and unflappable GPS lady who takes changes and challenges in stride, every time.  I am going to begin with the paragraph I wrote as my ending to this blog.   I can be as glib as I want to be sometimes, however:

“Re-Calculate” also reminds us to look around us, take a breath, and re-calculate how we approach our lives and how we care for those around us.  In the last few weeks I have witnessed close friends face great life challenges and sorrows with grace and love and kindness, and simple requests for prayers and thoughts.  So this last week of Advent, make sure you are valuing what is most important to you and your family, and if you’re not, it is time to Re-Calculate.     

     Other instances of Re-Calculate Re-Visited, because things don’t go as planned, or are just sort of complicated: 

     Our conversation last weekend – Who is going to our niece’s Holiday show and who is going carolling with the Junior High School student and band?  2 events, same time.  My oldest and I carolled, the other three went to the show.

      Had a party a few weeks ago now.  48 hours before the party started, my Evite Reminder told me via email that I had 25 yes, 7 no, 11 not yet replied, and …. 25 maybe.  I understand.  This time of year, I often reply “Maybe”, as we are pulled in multiple directions.  But as the hostess, I had a moment of panic – how do you feed a “Maybe”?!  But I re-calculated the menu items and amounts,  and the 43 people who were at the party seemed to have a great time! 

     Every child sized t-shirt was dirty last Thursday.  The white laundry always build up.  To avoid bleach damage, we do it last after all other laundry is done and put away.   The other laundry was clean, though not put away, but the whites, not so much.  We Re-Calculated, improvised.  Summer t-shirts under long sleeve school shirts work just as well.  Whew!   And then I finished the laundry! 

      I don’t wear jeans often, so I only own one pair.  Yes, just one pair, but I love it.  The Re-Calculate part comes in when, during the busiest time of the year, I find a small hole in the, ah, rear of the jeans.  I apparently sat on something, as it is not a normal wear-and-tear sort of hole.   These particular jeans come from a store not remotely close to my house, so shipping them would probably get them here faster than me going out to buy them.  Re-Calculating …  I embraced Free Shipping Friday last week, ordered 2 new pairs (and got a great deal!), and moved on.

      I was on my way to a client’s house, pondering my to-do list, and I noticed all the stores I pass on the way to her house.  Got some errands done on the way home!

      An ordered item has not come in the mail yet.  It needed to be added to a different box and shipped out to a family member far away yesterday, to get to the loved one in time for Christmas.  Re-Calculating…. Don’t know the answer to this one yet.  I’ll get back to you!

     Over the weekend, my husband asked if my spiritual women’s group would be getting together around the holidays.  I said “Yes”, he said “That will be nice.  Where this year?”  I said… umm… “Here!”.  He just smiled, shook his head, and left the room.  I guess that was his Re-Calculate.  The get-together was small and lovely, and went well.  

     Set my IPhone Pomodoro timer for 10 minutes this morning, and attacked my reading pile.  As a product of this busy time of year, I had magazines from November still unread.  Also in the pile were catalogs, local weekly newspapers, health newsletters from area hospitals and our insurance company.  The Re-Calculate part?   What am I really going to read in that 8 inch tall pile of stuff?  It was all pertinent when I first received it, but not nearly so pertinent now.  I no longer care about having the best thanksgiving ever, or making crafts with leaves and sticks.  Done and done.  I also tossed the business magazines from November – it’s old news now, and I need to make room for new news.  I finished my shopping last week, so the catalogs went away.  I do care about the magazines dated for January, though I won’t read them yet.   And since I am still tweaking my menus for upcoming parties,  the cooking magazines and anything dated December made the cut for today’s reading!   So, 10 minutes later, 3 ½ inches of paper went in the recycling bin, the January reading went back up in the magazine holder, and the rest sits next to me for browsing. 

Be ready to Be Flexible and Re-Calculate when necessary!  Have a Blessed Christmas.